Copper printing blocks

We have in our institutional archives a group of photo-etched copper
printing blocks.  The copper plates are mounted on hardwood
blocks--probably cherry, by its look--and have been stored in a
corrugated cardboard box with sheets of newsprint paper between
them.  They were done in the fifties and have probably been stored
this way since then.  When removed from this less-than-optimum
storage, they were found to have numerous spots of green corrosion
on them, in some cases merging into a solid area; there are also
areas of what looks like black deposits.  I need advice on the
possibility and/or advisability of removing this corrosion to
prepare the objects for exhibition, and on the best way to store
them. Our archival storage environment is not at this time well
controlled or monitored, so establishment of a microclimate (on a
limited budget) would probably be the way to go. I will be
consulting the CoOL archives as well, but thought some of you might
have direct experience with such blocks.

Anne T. Lane
Curatorial Assistant
Museum of York County
4621 Mount Gallant Road
Rock Hill, SC 29715
803-329-2121, ext 104

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:29
                Distributed: Tuesday, September 22, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-29-018
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