Connecting to Collections Care

Hi Stephanie,

I'm the C2CC monitor and an objects conservator. I work in private practice in New York, and unfortunately do not personally know any conservators in the New Mexico area in private practice that I can refer -- but I have done a quick search on the AIC Find a Conservator tool to find some leads for you. I specifically looked for conservators with experience in metals and historical technical objects, and someone who has obtained peer-review status in AIC as a Professional Member or Fellow. I will follow up with these in a private message.

In the meantime, dealing with the leak: did the oil leak only onto the shelving unit or onto other objects as well? Or is it just leaking onto other parts of the object itself? As an interim measure until a conservator can come examine and clean the piece, I'd recommend placing an oil absorbent pad (or a strip of one) beneath the area that's leaking, with a layer of polyethylene sheeting beneath it to prevent the oil from getting on the shelf or other parts of the object --- and then monitoring it closely to make sure the pad isn't becoming quickly saturated, and switching it out as needed. Oil absorbent pads should be easy to find online (often called 'pig pads'). 

I hope this is helpful,

Rebecca