The webbing part of this project is time-consuming, but I am riveted on my subject so I am enjoying it. I noticed that one of the Webbing questions asks if I am frustrated yet. I am not. I wish I had more time to devote solely to this task of expanding, enriching and organizing my knowledge, but I have work and another class to also tend to. I usually prioritize those tasks first so I leave the most fun one (this project) for last. Frankly, it's something I look forward to.
I took a step forward in the US= Militaria Forum resource yesterday and posted in the Preservation section inquiring if any of the collectors could direct me toward articles and sources. I received a great suggestion to try the Smithsonian website. I spent part of my afternoon on there, and, while there are a few articles, they are specific and concern topics that are not relative to my topic (albeit interesting, such as Mayan art and antique furniture). I did find a couple long PowerPoints on climate control in a museum area. There are a lot of graphs, charts and other visual aids that reveal the scientific side to preserving history. One particular presentation provided me very good information on ideal temperature and humidity levels for a museum or storage area. 70F +/- 4F is the ideal temperature range, and relative humidity is recommended to be at 45 +/-8%. Good to know!
I also continued with Google searching. I recalled an website I visited last semester on the topic of collecting Mosin Nagant rifles (Russian/Soviet origin, used 1891-post WWII). These old bolt-action rifles are common and collectible; I purchased my two in 2006 for ~$60 ea.; the 91/30 is dated 1914 and my m38 is from 1942. I was able to located this website again and found that there is a great section on general firearms/collection preservation. It includes letters/advice from many British museum curators on conservation and ethics of the field. I am still reading it, and it then applies the firearms field to a broader range of antiquities.
I am feeling that with these articles, online sources, and forum resources I have a pretty good grasp on the information available and the variance of practices and ethics. With my own collection at hand, I also have the opportunity for practical application here at my fingertips. While I need to wrap up for now and head to the gym, I am going to frame a couple goals for heading on to the Wiggling section:
*Define my philosophy on preservation/conservation.
*Differentiate between preservation/conservation/restoration and assess which best fits my needs and philosophy
*Critically evaluate the articles and resources I have printed here
*Begin thinking about the product that I will develop with this information
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Webbing Part II
I am continuing my search for information. As I read through the militaria forums, I constantly find myself reading posts and marveling at others' collections as well as noting the many differences in how collectors stow and display their items. Many of them have better collections than many museums I have been to! The best part about reading on the forums is that the information is 1.) up to date, 2.) collaborations--views/methods are presented, tested, analyzed, tested, and replicated for reputable and measurable results, and 3.) the topic is military artifacts, not generally antiques or collectibles that can encompass anything from pocket watches to roll-top desks. While most collectors agree on a set of basic commandments for preservation, artifacts come in all stages of disintegration (from ground-dug to carefully preserved) and require a range of treatments.
The requirements for treatments vary according to a collector's standards. Some wish to return every object to the state in which it was issued/used (like new...such as cleaning cloth, scrubbing away old rust, buffing patina), while others wish to display articles "as found" or with the wear present to testify that the items have "been there." For instance, some collectors apply Pecard's or Saddle Soap to leather items such as helmet liners to keep them from drying out and falling apart--any treatment causes the leather to darken, thus changing the originality of the helmet. Some consider this preservation, while others may place lesser value on a "messed with" item. It appears a delicate balance between conservation and treatment.
I have felt most comfortable on the US Militaria Forum, which has scores of active members and that atmosphere is cordial. Anyone can read their posts (guest can browse free, unlike most forums), and I feel that beginners can ask questions with confidence to tap into the expertise of lifelong and wizened collectors all over the world (literally). The Preservation sub-forum sees updates frequently and has several topics pinned. I was led to a pasted article from the Kent State Museum, which I Googled and found the link. It contains tips on handling, stabilizing, and storing artifacts.
At this point, I have decided to return to my original questions to see if I can narrow down my research:
* What is the best method of display or storage to protect against these elements?
Storage and display are both important and I feel I can adequately address them. Protection against "the elements" is a common need of both displayed and stored items. I need to identify which elements I am going to protect against.
* Do I need climate control assets? What climates are the most destructive?
This can be combined with the question above. I am going to try and find out the best range of climates (temperature, light, humidity) for items to be stored and displayed at. With this information, I should then measure the current climates and determine if changes need to be made.
* Should items be cleaned or treated, and how would this affect their longevity and value?
The immediate answer is that it varies from collector to collector. Each has his/her preferences for collecting mint, worn, or relic items. In a market where values are determined by scarcity and how much others are willing to pay, the latter factor is variable from collector to collector. Thus, I am not going to answer the second part of this question.
* Why is collection documentation important, and how can it be used practically?
I think that documentation is important in charting deterioration. This is the best relation to my topic I can make with this question, but it will not be my primary focus.
* How can I best share my findings to educate other collectors?
This will address the "Waving" part!
* What can be feasibly accomplished on a small budget?
Ooooooh yes. Once I have the information I am seeking, I can begin to assess what, if any, changes need to be made to my collection at present. Then I can identify budget-friendly ways to go about preserving my items.
The requirements for treatments vary according to a collector's standards. Some wish to return every object to the state in which it was issued/used (like new...such as cleaning cloth, scrubbing away old rust, buffing patina), while others wish to display articles "as found" or with the wear present to testify that the items have "been there." For instance, some collectors apply Pecard's or Saddle Soap to leather items such as helmet liners to keep them from drying out and falling apart--any treatment causes the leather to darken, thus changing the originality of the helmet. Some consider this preservation, while others may place lesser value on a "messed with" item. It appears a delicate balance between conservation and treatment.
I have felt most comfortable on the US Militaria Forum, which has scores of active members and that atmosphere is cordial. Anyone can read their posts (guest can browse free, unlike most forums), and I feel that beginners can ask questions with confidence to tap into the expertise of lifelong and wizened collectors all over the world (literally). The Preservation sub-forum sees updates frequently and has several topics pinned. I was led to a pasted article from the Kent State Museum, which I Googled and found the link. It contains tips on handling, stabilizing, and storing artifacts.
At this point, I have decided to return to my original questions to see if I can narrow down my research:
* What is the best method of display or storage to protect against these elements?
Storage and display are both important and I feel I can adequately address them. Protection against "the elements" is a common need of both displayed and stored items. I need to identify which elements I am going to protect against.
* Do I need climate control assets? What climates are the most destructive?
This can be combined with the question above. I am going to try and find out the best range of climates (temperature, light, humidity) for items to be stored and displayed at. With this information, I should then measure the current climates and determine if changes need to be made.
* Should items be cleaned or treated, and how would this affect their longevity and value?
The immediate answer is that it varies from collector to collector. Each has his/her preferences for collecting mint, worn, or relic items. In a market where values are determined by scarcity and how much others are willing to pay, the latter factor is variable from collector to collector. Thus, I am not going to answer the second part of this question.
* Why is collection documentation important, and how can it be used practically?
I think that documentation is important in charting deterioration. This is the best relation to my topic I can make with this question, but it will not be my primary focus.
* How can I best share my findings to educate other collectors?
This will address the "Waving" part!
* What can be feasibly accomplished on a small budget?
Ooooooh yes. Once I have the information I am seeking, I can begin to assess what, if any, changes need to be made to my collection at present. Then I can identify budget-friendly ways to go about preserving my items.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Webbing Part I
I am beginning to think of where I might acquire credible information to answer my questions. I have been noticing several trends in the last couple years as far as popular media is impacting the antique collecting field--television programming such as Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers has led to increased interest in WWII collectibles, and shows such as Pawn Stars and American Pickers on the History Channel have stirred interest in the antiques market. Google searches for information on preserving antiques reveals a field of personal and professional practices just as varied as the antiques themselves. To me, this variance and preserving a piece of history is what drives my interest, not the dollar signs underscoring the History Channel programming. But I digress.
Google returned a wide variety of tips on preserving antiques (which I broadly searched for initially). Many auction house/consignment firms offer tips, and private collector websites also do in their quest for sales. Firearms sales and collection websites also offer some tips. While museums themselves seldom have online information to showcase their practices, I have begun to locate a couple of sources mentioned in college museum program sites.
The first article I ran across is a 1993 article by the National Park Service on preserving museum collections. (review to follow soon) I then encountered one from the National WWII Museum that I found interesting. (review coming soon also).
I participate on several military antique collecting forums: Militaria Collecting Forum, US Militaria Forum, and Wehrmacht Awards Forum. These each have preservation sections that members contribute ideas and practices for preserving their collections. These are very interesting to read and vary greatly in the practices members recommend. I am seeking articles or links to journals or museum sites to begin with, before I delve into the process of analyzing individual collectors' tips.
That's all for tonight! More webbing soon.
Google returned a wide variety of tips on preserving antiques (which I broadly searched for initially). Many auction house/consignment firms offer tips, and private collector websites also do in their quest for sales. Firearms sales and collection websites also offer some tips. While museums themselves seldom have online information to showcase their practices, I have begun to locate a couple of sources mentioned in college museum program sites.
The first article I ran across is a 1993 article by the National Park Service on preserving museum collections. (review to follow soon) I then encountered one from the National WWII Museum that I found interesting. (review coming soon also).
I participate on several military antique collecting forums: Militaria Collecting Forum, US Militaria Forum, and Wehrmacht Awards Forum. These each have preservation sections that members contribute ideas and practices for preserving their collections. These are very interesting to read and vary greatly in the practices members recommend. I am seeking articles or links to journals or museum sites to begin with, before I delve into the process of analyzing individual collectors' tips.
That's all for tonight! More webbing soon.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wondering
I am beginning to wonder how to focus my research. My topic is preserving historical artifacts, and I am surveying the collection I have here to identify needs are areas for improvement.
Here are the materials: leather, paper, cloth (cotton, canvas, wool), rubber, plastic/Bakelite, wood, steel.
Known enemies: dust, sunlight, water/humidity, mold/mildew, rust, dry air, other objects
In making this list, it seems like just about any environment can post risks to preserving artifacts. I have begun developing a few questions to probe.
* What is the best method of display or storage to protect against these elements?
* Do I need climate control assets? What climates are the most destructive?
* Should items be cleaned or treated, and how would this affect their longevity and value?
* Why is collection documentation important, and how can it be used practically?
* How can I best share my findings to educate other collectors?
* What can be feasibly accomplished on a small budget?
Here are the materials: leather, paper, cloth (cotton, canvas, wool), rubber, plastic/Bakelite, wood, steel.
Known enemies: dust, sunlight, water/humidity, mold/mildew, rust, dry air, other objects
In making this list, it seems like just about any environment can post risks to preserving artifacts. I have begun developing a few questions to probe.
* What is the best method of display or storage to protect against these elements?
* Do I need climate control assets? What climates are the most destructive?
* Should items be cleaned or treated, and how would this affect their longevity and value?
* Why is collection documentation important, and how can it be used practically?
* How can I best share my findings to educate other collectors?
* What can be feasibly accomplished on a small budget?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Watching & Wavering
It's been a long day, but I am excited to return to narrowing down the search for a topic. I have been considering the merits of each of the topics and begun to rule out a couple.
Family genealogy: This is very specific research into my family's history. There is some compilation in spiral bound collections in the family, along with an assortment of photographs and old documents--unfortunately this is all back in Washington state and scattered among the many relatives on my mother's side of the family. Time for collection and analysis would exceed the time I have for this project. I have to rule this one out.
Preservation of historical artifacts: This one may actually have merit. I have a small collection of artifacts here in my apartment, and need to read up and learn some good practices for preserving, cataloging, and displaying them to avoid damage. There is a wealth of information by fellow collectors on the forums I have joined, which hopefully will be helpful in directing me toward articles and sources. I'll keep this one in mind.
Travel tips for the first-time traveler: This would be a fun one. I would be able to use guide books and my own experiences to draft a list of travel tips. This is a broad topic that may be heavily influenced by my own experience. I have a travel-oriented blog already; will this be a challenge? I will consider it.
Learning the basics of a foreign language: This could be fun also. I enjoy learning conversational basics--mostly for the aid of traveling. I would need to narrow down to a specific language, and then to the parts of speech that are important to know. I don't particularly enjoy these mechanics and find that what people need to know and want to know can vary by their learning style and the experience they are seeking. I think I am going to discard this one.
Veterans' stories/histories collection: This is a project I would really like to work on someday, and that's why it made the list. It would be a great project to work on with a Social Studies class with access to a VA hospital. I would enjoy working on methods to transcribe stories and experiences, pair them with background/parallel history, and present them electronically archived for research. This undertaking seems too large for this project and I do not have access to a group of students or veterans to begin.
Running health topics: I do not currently subscribe to magazines, running articles and forums online would provide a great deal of information. And how have I been able to stay healthy and run for 14 months straight? I could certainly weave a lot of my own practice and experiences into this topic. I think that I would be approaching a field of study much too broad and variable.
History through popular movies: I love this one. When I was in high school and college, teachers and professors would use films to help illustrate events. They would point out (or I noticed) anachronisms and inaccuracies. Which movies are best for depicting history as it happened? What artistic license was taken to make the movie profitable or interesting? I would need to narrow to a genre or specific time period, and then select movies from my own knowledge or recommended by others. This can be very tedious in order to gain 1-2 minutes of footage from several motion pictures for analysis. I think this one will need to wait.
American propaganda in wartime: This was a favorite topic of several of my peers and I while in college. A recent purchase of a few WWII-era Life magazines at the local used book store and the time I've spent reading the ads and articles have led me to photograph many ads and share them electronically. I am not sure what question I would come up with on this topic, but I would like to share with others how the US created just as much propaganda to influence opinion as the Axis powers did. I think I will discard this topic, as I think I have selected one from the list at this point.
I have selected my topic: preservation of historical artifacts. I am going to use my collection as the sample group for research. I feel that I am the steward of these artifacts and that it is my responsibility to preserve them for others to learn from and enjoy well into the future. I will look into best practices for different types of material, and prepare for my upcoming move by researching storage/transportation methods for optimal protection. Finally, I intend to research cataloging methods and ways to electronically archive and share this information. I am thinking at this point that I will produce a brochure, wiki, blog or website to document my research and provide this information to others.
Family genealogy: This is very specific research into my family's history. There is some compilation in spiral bound collections in the family, along with an assortment of photographs and old documents--unfortunately this is all back in Washington state and scattered among the many relatives on my mother's side of the family. Time for collection and analysis would exceed the time I have for this project. I have to rule this one out.
Preservation of historical artifacts: This one may actually have merit. I have a small collection of artifacts here in my apartment, and need to read up and learn some good practices for preserving, cataloging, and displaying them to avoid damage. There is a wealth of information by fellow collectors on the forums I have joined, which hopefully will be helpful in directing me toward articles and sources. I'll keep this one in mind.
Travel tips for the first-time traveler: This would be a fun one. I would be able to use guide books and my own experiences to draft a list of travel tips. This is a broad topic that may be heavily influenced by my own experience. I have a travel-oriented blog already; will this be a challenge? I will consider it.
Learning the basics of a foreign language: This could be fun also. I enjoy learning conversational basics--mostly for the aid of traveling. I would need to narrow down to a specific language, and then to the parts of speech that are important to know. I don't particularly enjoy these mechanics and find that what people need to know and want to know can vary by their learning style and the experience they are seeking. I think I am going to discard this one.
Veterans' stories/histories collection: This is a project I would really like to work on someday, and that's why it made the list. It would be a great project to work on with a Social Studies class with access to a VA hospital. I would enjoy working on methods to transcribe stories and experiences, pair them with background/parallel history, and present them electronically archived for research. This undertaking seems too large for this project and I do not have access to a group of students or veterans to begin.
Running health topics: I do not currently subscribe to magazines, running articles and forums online would provide a great deal of information. And how have I been able to stay healthy and run for 14 months straight? I could certainly weave a lot of my own practice and experiences into this topic. I think that I would be approaching a field of study much too broad and variable.
History through popular movies: I love this one. When I was in high school and college, teachers and professors would use films to help illustrate events. They would point out (or I noticed) anachronisms and inaccuracies. Which movies are best for depicting history as it happened? What artistic license was taken to make the movie profitable or interesting? I would need to narrow to a genre or specific time period, and then select movies from my own knowledge or recommended by others. This can be very tedious in order to gain 1-2 minutes of footage from several motion pictures for analysis. I think this one will need to wait.
American propaganda in wartime: This was a favorite topic of several of my peers and I while in college. A recent purchase of a few WWII-era Life magazines at the local used book store and the time I've spent reading the ads and articles have led me to photograph many ads and share them electronically. I am not sure what question I would come up with on this topic, but I would like to share with others how the US created just as much propaganda to influence opinion as the Axis powers did. I think I will discard this topic, as I think I have selected one from the list at this point.
I have selected my topic: preservation of historical artifacts. I am going to use my collection as the sample group for research. I feel that I am the steward of these artifacts and that it is my responsibility to preserve them for others to learn from and enjoy well into the future. I will look into best practices for different types of material, and prepare for my upcoming move by researching storage/transportation methods for optimal protection. Finally, I intend to research cataloging methods and ways to electronically archive and share this information. I am thinking at this point that I will produce a brochure, wiki, blog or website to document my research and provide this information to others.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Watching
So begins the first stage: Watching. In this stage, I am going to put down in this blog the thoughts I have been collecting this last week to try to select one as a topic. This is a "ragged" (not fully developed, intended to stimulate further discussion) list.
-Family genealogy
-Preservation of historical artifacts
-Travel tips for the first-time traveler
-Learning the basics of a foreign language
-Veterans' stories/histories collection
-Running health topics
-History through popular movies
-American propaganda in wartime
This is the first run of brainstorming. All of these topics are interesting and hold potential for research; yet keeping the big picture in mind of creating a project and knowing what resources I have here in Mankato, I do feel somewhat limited.
-Family genealogy
-Preservation of historical artifacts
-Travel tips for the first-time traveler
-Learning the basics of a foreign language
-Veterans' stories/histories collection
-Running health topics
-History through popular movies
-American propaganda in wartime
This is the first run of brainstorming. All of these topics are interesting and hold potential for research; yet keeping the big picture in mind of creating a project and knowing what resources I have here in Mankato, I do feel somewhat limited.
Inquiry Lesson: A Launching Point
This blog is dedicated to an Inquiry Lesson for KSP643. This assignment looks, at first glance, to be both fun and educational. It is my practice to make assignments as meaningful or pertinent to my interest as possible, so I am excited to embark on this journey. The only hitch: I have a lot of directions I would like to go!
I have strong interests in history topics and traveling. Perhaps the range of topic yielded as I strive for cohesive thoughts will produce a topic that is: 1.) interesting; 2.) challenging; 3.) reasonable; and 4.) holds research potential- plenty of room for questions and resources to answer them!
I have strong interests in history topics and traveling. Perhaps the range of topic yielded as I strive for cohesive thoughts will produce a topic that is: 1.) interesting; 2.) challenging; 3.) reasonable; and 4.) holds research potential- plenty of room for questions and resources to answer them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
