I would be very cautious about blowing the dust off the specimens . I
don't know their history, but have you tested them for arsenic? There are
kits that can help you do this. don't forget your own health and safety.
Check out the Conserve-O-Gram about arsenic. I also vaguely remember a
Conserve-O-Gram about the care of feathers. Does SPNHC have anything
about cleaning mounted specimens? (I don't have my books with me right
now to check these things out).

I would start by testing them first. If they do have arsenic, use a
ventilator and rubber gloves during the cleaning. I'm going on my memory
here (who knows how accurate THAT is?) but it seems to me you can dust
with a small brush into a vacuum cleaner. Remember, the vacuum cleaner
bag then becomes hazardous waste and has to be disposed of properly.

 Even if the specimen isn't contaminated with arsenic, I would still dust
into a vacuum cleaner. Who wants to breathe/spread around all that dust?

Just my two cents.

Nancy Russell


On Sat, 23 Aug 1997 09:20:43 -0400 Ross Weeks <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>We have one each of the same, and use at present an aerosol product
>that is
>intended to gently blow the dust off delicate objects.  No damage has
>been
>noted to these, nor to other locally indigenous birds we exhibit.
>