Hi Alan,
As the acting C2C Care community monitor, I'd like to thank you for posting these questions to the community. I've gathered some plastic identification and care resources for you, and briefly discussed the issue with my colleagues who have been identifying plastics in one of our collections here at Hagley. Our consensus is the weeping, also referred to as sweating or leaching in conservation literature, is either plasticizer that has migrated to the surface (characterized as sticky/oily) or acidic degradation products (characterized as non-sticky, non-oily). The plastics that most commonly exhibit weeping are cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, PVC, and polyurethane foam. We referred to Quye & Williamson's Plastics : Collecting and Conserving.
Since Denoyer-Geppert is still an active company, it might be worthwhile to reach out to them for assistance with materials identification. Another option would be to perform a spot test, several of which are listed in the CCI publication Caring for Plastics and Rubbers. Once identified, the following resources will guide you in drawing up an effective care and storage strategy. C2C community members with experience in plastics degradation and care are welcome to share their experiences, advice, and resources.
Denoyer-Geppert anatomical model information
https://denoyer.com/collections/anatomy
Care of Plastics: Malignant plastics WAAC Newsletter Jan. 2002. Vol. 24, no. 1
https://cool.culturalheritage.org/waac/wn/wn24/wn24-1/wn24-102.html
Plastic Identification Tool – Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency
https://plastic-en.tool.cultureelerfgoed.nl/info/Preventive-conservation
Caring for plastics and rubbers – CCI Preventive Conservation Guidelines
https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/preventive-conservation/guidelines-collections/caring-plastics-rubbers.html#a5
Care and identification of objects made from plastics – NPS Conserve'O'Gram
https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/08-04.pdf
Damage Atlas – POPART
https://popart-highlights.mnhn.fr/wp-content/uploads/3_Collection_survey/5_Damage_atlas/Damage_atlas.pdf
POPART – Preservation of plastic ARTefacts in museum collections project website
https://popart-highlights.mnhn.fr/introduction/index.html
Books:
Plastics Collecting and Conserving
Quye, Anita., and Williamson, Colin. Plastics : Collecting and Conserving / Edited by Anita Quye and Colin Williamson. Edinburgh: NMS Limited, 1999. Print.
https://primo.getty.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplay/GETTY_ALMA21126127480001551/GRI
Conservation of Plastics
Shashoua, Yvonne. Conservation of Plastics: Materials Science, Degradation and Preservation. Routledge, 2012. Web.
https://primo.getty.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_cdi_askewsholts_vlebooks_9781136415166&context=PC&vid=GRI&lang=en_US&search_scope=COMBINED&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=all_gri&query=any,contains,conservation%20plastics&mode=basic
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Sharon Fickeissen
Connecting to Collections Care Monitor
Senior Library Conservation Technician
Hagley Museum & Library
Wilmington DE
sfickeissen@hagley.org------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 07-19-2023 14:57
From: Alan Hawk
Subject: Anatomical Models Weeping
I have a couple of plastic anatomical Models manufactured by Denoyer Geppert of Chicago Illinois in the mid-twentieth century. The models are weeping a dark brown syrupy liquid. My assistant (who has a better sense of smell that I do) detects a faint musty smell. The plastic is not obviously deteriorating, cracking or decomposing (other than the liquid). Picture attached.
Any suggestions as to what it is and represents?
Any suggestion to cleaning? or leave it be?
I am considering placing it in cold storage. Appreciate any suggestions on best storage of this item.
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Alan Hawk
Museum Specialist
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Silver Spring MD
alan.j.hawk.civ@health.mil
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