Microfading Tester International Discussion Group

We just posted a blog post introducing the amazing MFT-IDG officers working behind the scenes to make things happen.

We'd also love to learn more about you! Feel free to reply to this post with your responses to the following questions:

• How were you introduced to MFT?

• What types of MFT do you use?

• What types of colleagues do you communicate with about MFT?

• Why did you join the MFT-IDG? What do you want the MFT-IDG to accomplish?

• Describe an interesting object tested with MFT.

• What is one piece of advice you'd like to share about MFT practice or the application of MFT data?

Hello All,

How were you introduced to MFT?

I was introduced to microfade testing by my colleagues at the Getty Conservation Institute - Christel Pesme, Vincent Beltran, and Jim Druzik. They organized a workshop in 2013 to train conservation staff across the Getty in using MFT for light-sensitivity assessment. After the workshop, I borrowed a portable contact MFT from GCI and began testing collection materials.

What types of MFT do you use?

At the Getty Research Institute, we use the Whitmore Microfading Tester with a Xenon-Arc light source. We acquired the instrument from Newport in 2021, and it came with a free "Shift Happens" T-shirt.

What types of colleagues do you communicate with about MFT?

Anyone who will listen but mostly my colleagues here at the Getty (Conservators, Curators, Conservation Scientists). All the interns that work in our lab get trained on the MFT.

 Why did you join the MFT-IDG? What do you want the MFT-IDG to accomplish?

I am hoping to pick up any interesting improvements people have made to their MFT set up. Also, any discussion about interpreting MFT results and applying them to lighting policy and recommendations.   

Describe an interesting object tested with MFT.

I recently tested a piece from Sam Winston's Following the Breath. For this project, Winston collected materials such as discarded cigarette butts and botanical specimens from London's trees and waterways and transformed them into inks that he used to create drawings. I found the works really interesting, and without MFT there would be no reliable way to estimate the lightfastness of these handmade inks.

What is one piece of advice you'd like to share about MFT practice or the application of MFT data?

Also consider the macro environment. The quality of lighting in a gallery is crucial not only for preservation but also for ensuring that collections are seen clearly and effectively. As Garry Thomson emphasized in The Museum Environment, use a light meter to assess lighting conditions in context and make informed and, whenever possible, flexible judgments about appropriate viewing conditions.

Best,

Mark

Hello everyone, thank you for offering another chance to share experiences...

• How were you introduced to MFT?

I attended a conference by Paul Whitmore (I believe it was in 1998) where he presented the instrument, and it was truly captivating. I thought it was an excellent way to address the questions raised by conservators and curators regarding light exhibition policies. Consequently, I decided to start building the instrument in the lab, using an Oriel light source and an Ocean Optics spectrophotometer (P. Whitmore model). The xenon source proved somewhat expensive and cumbersome; in that respect, LEDs have been a significant improvement. We applied the instrument particularly to photographic materials but also other colored stuff from museum collections (feathers, manuscripts, etc.)

• What types of MFT do you use?

Recently we acquired a Fotonowy MFT.

• What types of colleagues do you communicate with about MFT?

We maintain communication with other museums in France that are using the MFT, such as the MqB Museum, as well as with professionals seeking information on the light stability of specific artefacts.

• Why did you join the MFT-IDG? What do you want the MFT-IDG to accomplish?

This represents a unique opportunity to exchange challenges and solutions with users, to advance collectively in its implementation, to develop tailored approaches, and to remain informed of the latest developments in this field...

• Describe an interesting object tested with MFT

These were autochrome plates; of particular interest was our study of dye stability on microscopic surfaces (# 20 micrometer), carried out by adapting the MFT to a microscope so as to enable transmission measurements on an autochrome plate.

• What is one piece of advice you'd like to share about MFT practice or the application of MFT data?

In my view, the MFT is an excellent tool for risk assessment; however, I do not treat its measurements as absolute or definitive, but rather consider them indicative of trends. The results are influenced by numerous factors, including uncertainties in blue wool standards, environmental conditions, and the specific characteristics of the light sources used.