dk nkf - Nordisk Konservatorforbund Danmark

2. The factor of scientific value after applying a
conservation treatment – An object’s original
surface treatments can have great interest and
value for visitors, education in the museum
collection and research. Samples of the original
surface can be taken, or in some cases, it can be
safe enough to leave areas untreated or select a
coating with some reversibility.
3. The aesthetic factor – Iron to be displayed in
open-air museums or as outdoor (sheltered or
unsheltered) industrial heritage is often required
to look much as it did when in use. Neither a full
re-paint nor layers of modern clear coating seem
absolutely truthful in the display of historical iron.
As illustrated in figure 1, painted surfaces can
look more realistic than lacquered when surfaces
are viewed from a distance, as museum visitors
do. Waxy coatings are however less shiny than
thick layers of lacquer can be.
Having no published decision-making model
specifically for items in cultural history collections
for metals, for this purpose we tested the one used for
modern art [4] on a farm implement. The threshing
machine (Fig. 7) for the National Museum’s new
permanent exhibition is the subject for this short
example:
1. Data registration: A threshing machine,
museum no. 157/1988, NM, DNT, was
produced by Dronningborg Machine Factory in
Denmark. The company produced many similar
and slightly larger machines for Danish farmers
of that time. Further data are available in the
exhibition. The machine consists of a painted
wooden body, steel mechanical parts and thin
sheet iron painted
with some texts and lines. The rotating parts are
connected by leather and textile straps.
2. Condition: The wood and painted wood parts
are quite well preserved even though it has
faded. The surfaces of the mechanical steel
parts are evenly rusted but the axles were
to some extent protected by lubricant. The
thin sheet iron with its even rust layer seems
quite mechanically stable but is looking more
mistreated than the rest. The painted text and
line ornamentation on it is damaged by rust but
Fig. 7 The threshing machine had been in the museum’s collection
since 1988 and been stored at an acceptable RH and room
temperature. It had to be cleaned and assembled for display.
is best preserved where it has been stained with
lubricant from rotating parts.
3. Meaning: The machine represents a quite wellpreserved
piece of equipment from the start of
industrialism in farming. The materials used in
the machine are traditional and thereby valuable
for showing that simple systems also work.
The quality and importance of the machine for
the farmer is underlined by the paint decorated
wooden body and line ornamented sheet iron.
The red painted text information on the sheet
iron has served a practical purpose.
4. Possible discrepancy between condition and
meaning: (The model’s subsections as 4a-d are
here described in one). Rust damage and fading
of the painted areas shows that the equipment
is old and real. The fading paint on wood is
therefore very acceptable. The mechanical
parts are functional. The exhibition climate
planned will be at moderate RH as has been
its storage conditions in the museum for two
decades. The remaining paint on the sheet iron
will over time be lost as rusting continues.
A planned treatment should be effective in
conservation for controlled indoor climate and
not too time-consuming. The machine must not
be dangerous for visitors of the exhibition, so
rotating parts must be blocked.
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