My main role here at SPRI is to conserve the objects going into the new museum. However before that could start I had a few other tasks to complete first, namely setting up a dedicated conservation workspace.
In the past, conservation at SPRI has been mainly carried out in situ on an ad hoc basis. Therefore, as the first SPRI conservator it was my duty to squirrel out a space I could call home for the next eight months. After looking behind many doors I found the Textile Store. Luckily for me, there is a brand new store waiting for these textiles, so I moved them out and moved my workbench and equipment in.
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Former Textile Store Room |
New conservation workspace |
The inaugural object to be conserved in the workshop is a wet bulb thermometer for a loan going to Athy in Ireland. It is one of a group of objects which will form part an exhibition in conjunction with the Annual Ernest Shackleton Autumn School. The thermometer was used during the Nimrod Expedition (1907-1909).
As you can see, amongst the more sophisticated pieces of equipment there is always room for an empty jam jar.
The thermometer is in good condition, considering its age and the extreme environment to which it was subjected. The metal fittings have a blue green coloured patina, or corrosion layer, commonly known as verdigris. This usually occurs when a copper-based metal, such as brass, is exposed to air and seawater. This type of corrosion fits in with what we might expect from objects exposed to the marine environment at Cape Royds, and it is also possible to see salts on the surface of the wood, too. In the picture above I am removing the loose corrosion with a glass fibre brush. I don't want to remove all of the patina as it protects the metal underneath from further corrosion. Also, I am not restoring the thermometer to make it look like new, so I don't want to make the fittings bright and shiny. When the thermometer comes back from Ireland it will be going into the new museum display.