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GLOSSARY
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S
salted paper
The earliest form of silver halide contact printing paper, dating to the mid-1830s. Artist's paper was imbued with a solution of common salt and dried. This paper was sensitised under candlelight by floating it on a solution of silver nitrate, then dried in the dark. Sunlight exposure behind a negative produced a strong, visible image which was toned in gold or platinum before fixation.
salvage
The act of saving objects from danger and destruction caused by a disaster. This includes drying, cleaning and repairing damaged items.
sapwood
In a woody plant, the softer wood between the inner bark and the heartwood.
scientific management
A management approach for analysing tasks; fitting workers to the tasks available; promoting cooperation between management and employees; and determining remuneration based on performance against predetermined (measured) standards. One of the earliest formalised systematic management techniques, from which the field of management evolved.
screw eye
A metal ring with a screw fixing at one end. On a picture frame, the screw fixing is screwed into the frame and the ring used as the hanging device.
scriptwriting
The process of producing text for museum/gallery displays.
sealant
A coating applied in paste or liquid form that hardens or cures in place, forming a seal against gas or liquid entry. Sealants are designed to reduce the porosity of objects and/or act as barriers to water, air, atmospheric pollution, insects and/or dirt.
serate
Jagged edged, or serrated; having a saw-tooth effect.
significance
The value attached to objects, sites, activities, or ideas by communities at a local, regional or national level. See also Cultural heritage.
silica gel
A commonly used water-absorbing chemically inert substance composed of silicon and oxygen which can be used to control humidity within closed containers.
silicon release paper
See Release paper.
silver mirroring, silvering out
A type of deterioration of silver-based photographic images, in which the metallic silver particles are oxidised to produce silver ions which migrate to the surface of the image and are reduced back to metallic silver. This causes a characteristic mirroring effect. It is a common problem which affects most 19th century gelatine developing-out prints.
sizing, sizes
The addition of materials to the paper pulp, or impregnating the paper after it is made, to strengthen it and impart other desired characteristics, such as resistance to the penetration or surface-spreading of inks and resistance to abrasion. Rosins, gelatin, starches and synthetic resins are used as sizing agents. Sizes used in permanent paper are alkaline.
softwood
Wood obtained from a class of trees known as Gymnosperms, or conifers, such as pine and spruce. While trees like pine have soft, easily worked woods, the term does not refer to a wood's strength-some softwoods are actually quite hard.
Solander boxes
Boxes of very sturdy construction, with a shallow 'clam-shell' design and a hinged lid which opens out flat and closes firmly.
solvent
A liquid which is capable of dissolving solid materials. Solvents are used because in liquid form they dissolve materials like resins, and plastics used as coatings, and because they evaporate quickly. Water is the most common solvent; however, conservation treatments often require the use of stronger chemical solvents. Some of these can be hazardous to health, and should be used and handled carefully.
spalling
The flaking off, or splitting into chips, of small pieces of the face of a stone, usually caused by frost damage.
special purpose materials
Objects which do not meet a museum's acquisition criteria but are intended to be used for prop, educational or swap purposes. See also Study collections.
spontaneous combustion
The ignition of a substance caused by the rapid oxidation of its own constituents, without heat from any external source. Nitrate films are very susceptible to spontaneous combustion.
spore
Asexual reproductive cells of fungi. A spore does not have an embryo and so is distinct from a seed. Many different types of spores are produced by fungi.
sticky trap
See Insect trap.
Stockinet
An elastic, machine-knitted fabric used in making undergarments-this is a trademark/brand name.
strainer
In picture framing, a wooden auxiliary support made up of a minimum of four members on which a canvas is stretched. It differs from a stretcher in that the corners are not adjustable. See also Stretcher.
strategic planning
Sometimes called forward or long-range planning, this process integrates the physical, financial, philosophical and educational goals of the organisation. It is based on systematically outlining the organisation's long-term goals and determining strategies to achieve them.
strawboard
An inexpensive board which is made mostly from macerated straw. In bookbinding, it is usually encased in a fabric to make the cover of a book.
stretcher
In picture framing, a wooden auxiliary support made up of a minimum of four members on which a canvas is stretched. It has expandable corners so that its dimensions can be slightly increased when necessary. See also Strainer.
stretcher wedges
See Keys.
study collections
Museum objects collected and organised for research or instructional use, not for exhibition. See also Special purpose materials.
sulphur
A non-metallic element that exists in several forms-the ordinary one being a yellow, rhombic, crystalline solid-and which burns with a blue flame and a suffocating smell. Some sulphur compounds, particularly sulphides and oxides, can cause severe chemical deterioration in objects.
support
Any material which acts as a base for, and supports the image layer of, an artwork. Paper, metals and glass have been used as supports for photography; canvas and wood panels for paintings; and walls for frescos. See also Auxiliary support.
surfactant
Compounds which reduce the surface tension of liquids, for example, soap or detergents.
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