Tuesday, June 16, 2009 One of our biggest workstreams at the moment is the rescue of the files from the African American Museum. We have over one hundred boxes of manuscripts which unlike the working files, which can just be photocopied, need to be saved. They are mainly records and correspondence, there are some photographsContinue reading “A Pressing Job”
Category Archives: African American Museum of Iowa
A Typical Day of Flood Recovery Work
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 I checked in with the conservation lab staff this morning. I happened to have my camera with me and thought you might like to have a snapshot of a typical day. This is the activity I captured at 10AM this morning. While the ledger from the Johnson County Historical Society driesContinue reading “A Typical Day of Flood Recovery Work”
Suitcase Saga Part 3
Friday, May 15, 2009 For the exposed metal I started with a medium grain steel wool to loosen the more rusted areas. I continued to vacuum the loose particles. The next step will be using a double beveled knife to try to remove some of the more stubborn areas of active corrosion. When the metalContinue reading “Suitcase Saga Part 3”
Suitcase Saga Part 2
Thursday, May 14, 2009 After I removed a majority of the mold I began to lift the paper lining where it was detaching. I did not attempt to remove the paper where it was still adhered because it is so brittle that it would just fall apart. For the areas I could not remove, I gentlyContinue reading “Suitcase Saga Part 2”
Suitcase Saga Part 1
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 This metal suitcase from the African American Museum collection was covered in rust and mold. It is also lined with brittle patterned paper. It’s a mess. I consulted with Gary to determine the best course of treatment. To begin, I used the Nilfisk Vacuum with pipette attachment to get the fuzziest mold, being very careful toContinue reading “Suitcase Saga Part 1”
Cleaning the Rust
Thursday, March 19, 2009 The pictured objects were actively corroding after the flood. To slow that process we put the objects in sealed containers with silica gel packets. The dessicant pulls in moisture so it doesn’t permeate the objects. Now we are trying to clean up the effects of the corrosion and stabilize the metalContinue reading “Cleaning the Rust”
Metal Cleaning Party
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Several weeks ago, Steve Stenstrom offered to give us a quick workshop on metal cleaning and preservation techniques. Our best guess is that we have a bout 100 metal items to clean — most are from the African American Museum of Iowa. We really needed his assistance, took him up onContinue reading “Metal Cleaning Party”
Volunteer Begins Working File Project
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Our publicity has been paying off! Marilyn Maynard, a local Iowa Citian, read about our recovery efforts in the Press Citizen and thought she might be able to contribute. She is currently working on a project designed to clean and copy the working files for the African American Museum. The filesContinue reading “Volunteer Begins Working File Project”
Saving Working Files Conundrum
Friday, February 6, 2009 Susan Kuecker, African America Museum curator, would like to save her working files. These files have all her research for various researcher requests, grant applications, and projects, collected over eight years. Most of this information is not in her computer. Since most of the items in the files are not unique,Continue reading “Saving Working Files Conundrum”
African American Objects Ready to Go Home
Friday, January 30, 2009 On Tuesday February 3, 2009, we will be returning the first finished round of artifacts to the African American Museum. This will include baskets, gourds, feathered fans, sandals, a beaded necklace, a syrup tin, a box of buttons from a local dry cleaner and many other objects. It will be aContinue reading “African American Objects Ready to Go Home”