Caring for Cultural Material 1
Caring for Cultural Material 2
Damage and Decay
Managing Collections
Managing People
Handling, Transportation, Storage and Display
Glossary
Index
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Caring for Cultural Material 2
In this volume:
– Textiles
– Leather
– Wood
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Material
arrow Metals
– Outdoor Collections
– Acknowledgments
Metals
In this chapter:
– Objectives
– Introduction
– Metal objects in collections
– Common metals
– The nature of metals
– What are the most common types of damage?
– Common causes of damage
– Handling, storage and display guidelines
– Metals in Australia’s climatic zones
arrow Care of particular metals
– Silver
– Nickel silver
– Copper and copper alloys
– Iron and its alloys
– Plated iron
– Lead and pewter
– Tin and its alloys
– Aluminium
– Gold
  MORE ABOUT METALS
– Alloys
– Corrosion of metals
– Electroplate
– Zinc carbonate blotter
– Brasses
– Bronzes
– Iron and steel
– Bentonite paste
– Chloride ions and aluminium and its alloys
– Spot-tests
– For further reading
– Self-evaluation quiz
– Answers to self-evaluation quiz

 

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Metals

Care of particular metals

In this section, information is given about a range of metals. The information includes:

  • a description of the metal and its alloys where applicable;

  • the signs and main agents of corrosion of that metal and its alloys;

  • methods of cleaning the metal;

  • storage and display methods for each metal; and

  • protective coatings that can be applied to objects made from that particular metal.

It is important to note that, while some of the methods for cleaning the metals are quite straightforward, others involve the measuring, mixing and application of reactive chemicals. It is strongly recommended that:

  • you contact a conservator and discuss the risks involved in treating metal objects before you proceed;

  • you do not treat an object unless you feel confident about carrying out the treatment;

  • you do not treat an item if you are unsure about the type of metal with which you are dealing. A conservator can help you with this. It is also possible to carry out spot-tests to identify your metals;

  • if possible, you practise the treatment on another piece of the same metal; and

  • you attend a training workshop on the treatment of metals before attempting some of the more complex treatments.

For more information
Spot-tests to identify metals are described in the section More About Metals later in this chapter.

It is extremely important that you are aware that some of the chemicals used in these treatments can also affect you.

CAUTION:
Thiourea is poisonous, is a suspected carcinogen and causes goitre.

Acetone can cause headaches, depression, nausea and dizziness when inhaled.

Industrial methylated spirits—IMS—is a mixture of ethanol and methanol and should be used with care. Ethanol can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea, and methanol is toxic and can cause blindness.

Ammonia can cause severe irritation to the skin and eyes, breathing difficulties, nausea and vomiting.

Disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid EDTA—can be mildly toxic, and can affect unborn babies.

Citric acid is moderately toxic and irritating.

Petroleum spirit is flammable; it removes fats from the skin, and should be used with care.

Sodium carbonate can cause skin irritation and ulcers. If it is swallowed, it causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

If it touches skin, sodium hydroxide causes deep skin burns. If inhaled, it irritates the respiratory tract. If ingested, it can cause burning pain, diarrhoea swelling of the larynx and suffocation.

Silica gel in its granulated form can cause silicosis.

Protect yourself when working with these chemicals—wear gloves and masks. If you buy any chemicals to mix up your own cleaning solutions, ask for safety data sheets as well, and make sure that you store the chemicals safely.

You must also remember to take care when disposing of these chemicals—some of them cannot be flushed down the sink.

Protect yourself when working with these chemicals-wear gloves and masks. If you buy any chemicals to mix up your own cleaning solutions, ask for safety data sheets as well, and make sure that you store the chemicals safely.

You must also remember to take care when disposing of these chemicals-some of them cannot be flushed down the sink.
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