[CPProt.net] Smithsonian conservator shows how to preserve stuff

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Smithsonian conservator shows how to preserve stuff

Your personal keepsakes face big enemies: heat, humidity, water, insects and
mildew

JURA KONCIUS

Washington Post


WASHINGTON - In my living room, antique Russian brass candlesticks, which
are in little danger of damage, have a safe, climate-controlled perch on the
mantel. Two flights up in the attic, the fragile Super-8 movie cassette of
my wedding stashed in a cardboard box years ago is burning to a crisp in the
triple-digit temperatures.

What's wrong with this picture?

In many homes, the possessions most treasured and irreplaceable are not
necessarily the most cared for.

How valuable to you is the teddy bear you slept with as a child or a letter
your grandfather wrote you in college? These are just the kind of keepsakes
that wind up in the two most dangerous places in the house: the attic and
the basement, where heat, humidity, water, insects and mildew can wreak
havoc on Rolling Stones records, baseball cards, stamp collections and kids'
drawings.

Few people know this better than Don Williams, senior furniture conservator
at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, the man who
has been responsible for taking care of Archie Bunker's chair, FDR's desk
and the Wright Flyer. As a collector, he has preserved his dad's tools,
wrapping them in anti-tarnish cloths and storing them in acid-free boxes in
his workshop.

Now he has co-authored a book, "Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve
Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions" (Fireside
Original/Simon & Schuster, $16), which may inspire the rest of us to go on a
rescue mission for our memories.

The book idea began when his friend, Washington writer Louisa Jaggar, had a
devastating flood in her basement. Jaggar knew Williams could walk her
through the reclamation of her life's memories, now submerged in more than
two feet of water. These conversations led to their collaboration on a
readable consumer how-to on caring for and preserving heirlooms and prized
possessions.

The book is part common sense and part cutting-edge science. "We wanted it
to be a conversation between an expert and a layman," says Williams.

Jaggar -- who got a scolding from Williams for having stored newspaper
clippings, photos and her kids' art projects on the basement floor --
realized that although there were plenty of books about taking care of coin
collections or antique furniture, there was no broad-themed resource that
included the many kinds of things most people tend to stash away.

"I wanted to figure out how to preserve what is really important for the
average person," says Jaggar. "I figured, who better to do this than the
experts at the Smithsonian?"

Williams, 50, grew up with an intense interest in woodworking. He got a job
at 17 working at a Palm Beach, Fla., furniture store and then became an
apprentice to a master furniture restorer. Among the restorer's clients were
Charles and Jayne Wrightsman, world-class antiques collectors and major
benefactors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Williams went on to get an art conservation degree at the University of
Delaware and Winterthur Museum and joined the Smithsonian in 1984. He has
participated in conservation projects in the White House, Blair House and
the U.S. Capitol.

The book capitalizes on those years of experience. One chapter covers how to
make the tough decisions about which of life's memorabilia and family
heirlooms to save, and which to give away or toss. Sentiment often triumphs
over monetary value here. A collectibles risk chart rates the pernicious
effects of the enemies of preservation: light, moisture, temperature
extremes, handling.

Other chapters deal with saving familiar family stuff, ranging from
daguerreotypes, plastic action figures, lamps, cane furniture and plastic
campaign buttons. A glossary of resources and sources for archival and
preservation materials is included. Tips are highlighted by Williams's
trademark suspenders. (At last count, he owned 42 pairs.)

Protect your treasures

The Smithsonian's Don Williams offers some suggestions for saving stuff.

Q. How should we decide what to keep? Both museums and people think
everything is important. But it isn't equally important. I work in a
building designed to preserve objects. But not everyone can care for
everything; you have to be selective.

Q. What collectibles are most at risk? Textiles are the most at risk of all
materials. Just about anything can make textiles go bad. They need the most
attention.

Q. Does furniture need all the polish we rub on it? Furniture is dead. It
doesn't need to be oiled, fed, watered or made supple. So just leave it
alone. Keep it clean, dusted and out of the light. You can dust with a
lint-free cloth and a few drops of distilled water. If you really feel
compelled to do something, give it a coat of paste wax every 20 or 30 years.

Q. What do you think of the large plastic snap-lid containers so popular
these days? Actually, those plastic containers are pretty much okay as long
as they are high-quality, like Rubbermaid, Sterilite or Tupperware. Look for
polyethylene or polypropylene.

Q. What's the best way to make personal time capsules? Don't bury them! Put
them in a closet -- it's dark and protected, and the things you've collected
in your capsule won't disappear into the shroud of the past.

Q. If attics and basements are so bad, where should we store our most
irreplaceable stuff? The things most prized to you should go on a shelf in
your bedroom closet. Above the flood level and below scorching heat. It's a
very well controlled environment. You won't have large swings in
temperature, it's in the dark and you won't stumble over your stuff. You can
quickly grab it if you need to.

Q. Are there people who don't save anything? I haven't met them.
 

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