Services Overview

Wherever your collection or artwork is located and whatever your preservation needs may be, contact us today to see how we can help! We offer a variety of services related to workshops and training opportunities, consultations, professional advice, assessments and treatment. See below for more details.

 
 

CONSERVATION ASSESSMENTS

When was the last time your artwork or collection was evaluated for the condition or conservation needs? We are available to complete surveys and assessments on individual objects or entire collections. Conservators can provide useful advice and evaluations on storage conditions, facility examinations and provide information on the display of your collection to maintain best practices.

 
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CONSERVATION TREATMENTS

We are available to perform conservation treatments on a variety of objects and material types. The length of treatment time depends on the amount of deterioration and the type of treatment. Whether it is one object or 1500, contact us today for an estimate.

Treatments include a condition assessment, before treatment and after treatment visual documentation, treatment report and suggestions for future display and storage conditions. All information will be provided electronically to the client unless requested otherwise. 

 

Maritime and Waterlogged Materials

With over 15 years of experience working with maritime materials and waterlogged wood, we can offer advice and treatment in caring for these special types of objects. From humble beginnings on shipwrecks along the Florida coasts to iconic vessels such as the H.L. Hunley and U.S.S. Monitor, using our experience we can provide realistic solutions in caring for your heritage. 

 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD CONSERVATION

We can assist your project with on site advice and consultation, in situ consolidation and preservation, and establish a field laboratory including an option of training students. With our certification in recreational and technical diving, we can also meet your needs in underwater cultural heritage management. 

 

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND DISASTER RECOVERY

When you experience a disaster in your collection, it can feel overwhelming. The New Zealand Conservators of Cultural Materials Disaster Recovery site has information on how to respond to an emergency in your collection and disaster recovery. We are available to assist with these situations, are First Aid & CPR certified and have emergency scenario experience and training for situations involving people, structures, and collections.

 
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WORKSHOPS   TRAINING   presentations

We are available to perform community or professional training workshops. Training opportunities can be tailored to a time frame and location. Topics can vary and include: 

·      Handling Objects (1/2-1 day)

·      Metals Identification and Deterioration (1-2 day workshop)

·      Museum Objects Identification (3-5 days workshop)

·      Introduction to Conservation (1/2-1 day)

·      Introduction to Microclimate Environments for Artifact Storage and Display (1/2-1 day)

·      Preventative Conservation (1/2-1 day)

·      Introduction to the Conservation of Archaeological Materials (1-2 day)

·      Introduction to Environmental Surveys for Museums (1-2 day)

·      First Aid for Archaeological Finds (2-3 day)

·      Material Culture Theory (1-2 day)

·      Introduction to Maritime Material Culture (1 day)

·      Chemistry in Conservation (1/2 day), aimed at high school students

·      Objects and the Historic House Environment (1/2-1 day)

·      Introduction to Organic Residue Analysis for Archaeologists (1/2-1 day)

·      Moulding and Casting for Historic and Archaeological Materials (1-3 days)

We are also available to speak at functions or public events. Workshops include the cost of travel and accomodation, personnel time, handouts, supplies and the use of a projector and laptop.

 

Materials Analysis & Characterisation

Susanne is a certified operator of the Jeol JSM-6610LA Scanning Electron Microscope with a variable vacuum (also known as an environmental SEM) and Elemental Dispersive Spectroscopy for inorganic elemental analysis and surface mapping at Victoria University Wellington. Applications for heritage materials includes:

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  • Ratio percent composition of metal artefacts and materials

  • Metal identification

  • Cellular structure of wood to identify deterioration factors and the extent of degradation (chemical or biological)

  • Surface characterisation of skeletal materials

  • Detection of the presence of chlorides in metals and organics to determine if salt corrosion is an issue

  • Fibre classification for textiles

  • Ceramic composition and inclusions

  • Paint layer composition and pigment analysis

  • Detection of the presence of arsenic in historic collections

  • Surface anatomy of fossils

  • Ratio percent composition of inorganic components of inks and dyes used on paper

  • Characterisation of modern leather tanning elements

  • Verification of coatings

  • Research and development for conservation treatments and processes

All services include sample collection (if needed) and sample preparation. Sample size is limited by the size of the chamber.

We also have relationships with other research facilities and can facilitate the analysis of organic materials.