Neeha Velagapudi, Collections Technician Human History
Museums and other collecting institutions invest in layers of preventive measures to protect collections against the impacts of earthquakes and vibrations
This includes base isolating buildings, display plinths and display cases. On a smaller scale, physical and adhesive methods of securing individual collection items to display surfaces have been used extensively.,
Aotearoa is a land of earthquakes, while they disrupt and have quite an impact on people’s lives they can also damage collections held in museums.
In Canterbury Museum’s Mountfort Gallery, the team has used Rhoplex N-580 to secure ceramic and glass items on display shelving, replacing the adhesive during the scheduled gallery cleans. This had proved to be very effective; only a few objects in that gallery were damaged during the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. When it was reported that Rhoplex N-580 had been discontinued, the Museum needed to find another way to ensure we could continue to protect the collections we care for.
Recently a research paper by the Museum team was published in the Studies in Conservation journal in which we reported the outcome of our search to find a replacement for Rhoplex.
We tested a small number of products on ceramic and glassware which were purchased specifically for our research project. The tests were conducted on a shake table at the Christchurch base of engineers Holmes Solutions using Rhoplex® N-580, Lascaux® 303HV, QuakeHold!TM Museum Wax, and Gudy® Dot Tape.
Six dots (or layers in the case of the Gudy® Dot Tape) of each product were applied to both the ceramic and glass vessels at equidistant locations on the base. They were then secured onto painted MDF and acrylic substrates, which in turn were secured to the shake table platform. The shake table was turned on and each test increased in the level of horizontal movement. The point at which a vessel fell over was recorded.
While further testing and research is required, the team found that Lascaux 303HV shows good potential as a replacement for the Rhoplex N-580, with good conservation properties, relative ease of access, and good strength and tack properties. We have previously written about how to create dots out of this adhesive and use it to secure your ceramics and glassware.
