Hi Kevin,
This work is really promising. The subcritical studies done by the team at Warren Lasch Conservation Center at Clemson have been described as the first game changer in metals conservation in a century.
I would say the super- or subcritical treatments would be perfect for your battlefield material, especially since it can be run as a batch treatment. Our challenge at Michigan Tech is that the pressure bomb for our set up is about the size of a 12 oz soda can. We will seek external funds to expand capacity, but I don't know when we will bring new equipment online.
As you are in philly, you would do well to contact the Warren Lasch Conservation Center at Clemson. Their lab set up is more sophisticated and has greater capacity than ours. And they are closer to you!
You might ask about the pressures and temperatures in relation to UXO. It does not sound like you have any charged ordinance, but it would be worth a conversation.
Either way, stay in touch as you wrap up your dissertation!
Thanks,
Tim
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jan 26, 2016, at 8:20 AM, KEVIN M Donaghy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Dear Tim,
>
> This is pretty cool stuff - So, what are the chances of visiting and
> discussion on battlefield and farm objects - I am doing my dissertation on
> the Brandywine battlefield and have about 40 pcs of 25 and 40 mm grapeshot,
> and would love an opportunity to examine your process, since next season,
> after i finish my dissertation, i am anticipating similar finds. It would
> be great to see the set up in person.
>
> Sincerely,
> kev
>
>> On Mon, Jan 25, 2016 at 12:53 PM, Timothy Scarlett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Histarch,
>>
>> My students, colleagues, and I just completed a small round of experiments
>> using supercritical carbon dioxide fluid treatments to extract water
>> from—and impregnate polymer into—corroded iron artifacts from
>> archaeological sites. This reversible technique for drying and sealing
>> nodules or artifacts can become a bulk/batch treatment for corroded iron,
>> stabilizing them for storage. The process can cut treatment time from
>> months or weeks down to hours per group of samples (orders of magnitude
>> faster), while extending time between treatments, and without compromising
>> artifact integrity. This can be applied to artifacts which are entirely
>> corroded and lack any iron core or those with substantial ferrous metal
>> remaining, and following this treatment, more patient and detailed
>> conservation plans can be executed when desired.
>>
>> This is particularly important for industrial and historical archaeology
>> sites that produce overwhelming volumes of corroded ferrous metal. Also for
>> brownfield and superfund sites, since the technique can be “tuned” to
>> extract toxic compounds like arsnic, DDT, and such, without damaging
>> artifacts from sites or any period that were exposed to contaminated
>> groundwater or processes that contaminated them during their life-history.
>>
>> As with other studies using subcritical pressures, this may be tweaked to
>> quickly and effectively extract chlorides. The studies of this are ongoing
>> by a group of conservators and engineers, many of these studies appear it
>> he bibliography.
>>
>> I welcome comments
>> Cheers,
>> Tim Scarlett
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/research/reports/Scarlett_Caneba_Final_Report.pdf
>> <
>> http://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/research/reports/Scarlett_Caneba_Final_Report.pdf
>
>
>
>
> --
> kevin m. donaghy
> graduate student
> Temple University
> Department of Anthropology
|