Naval jelly

While doing a CAP survey at a small historical society, I
encountered an unheated barn full of farm implements, tools, signs
and other objects one sees on general surveys. Some of the objects
had iron fittings that had been coated with a thick, dark, gummy
substance that was sticky to the touch. The staff of the
institution, which until recently was all-volunteer, said this was
*naval jelly*. It has been on the iron for at least 13 years.
Presumably it was applied as some sort of preservative. Does anyone
know what this? Is it harmful to the metal? It does not appear to be
doing anything bad although it is disgusting to look at. Being soft,
this material should be easy to remove--should a non-conservator
attempt it? Thank you for commenting.

Toddy Glaser
Northeast Document Conservation Center
100 Brickstone Square

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:51
                Distributed: Tuesday, December 15, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-51-021
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