School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemOur chemical cultural heritage: Hartung (1893-1979)(Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2010)The history and evolution of the chemical cultural heritage of Australia is discussed. The dream of Ernst Johannes Hartung for the establishment of a new purpose-built building for chemistry at the University of Melbourne was finally realized.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableOur Chemical cultural heritage: Masson and Rivett (1885-1961)(Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2010)A new phase for chemistry at the University of Melbourne began in 1886, featuring David Masson and Albert Rivett, who also had instrumental roles in the birth of CSIRO.
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ItemOur chemical cultural heritage: Macadam and Kirkland (1862-85)(Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2009)In the November edition (p. 20), I provided an overview of the Chemistry Collection at the University of Melbourne, its significance and various projects I have been involved with that aim to make the collection available to the public. I hinted at how many of the items in the collection are associated with key figures in the history of chemistry and science not only at the University of Melbourne but also on national and international levels. These early teachers of chemistry are featured in an inaugural exhibition in the foyer of the Chemistry Building. Here I will focus on the early days, when chemistry was taught through the Medical School and the two main chemistry lecturers of this time: Macadam and Kirkland.
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ItemOur chemical cultural heritage: The University of Melbourne Chemistry Collection(Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2009)The key issues covered and a description of The University of Melbourne Chemistry Collection is discussed. The collection is being temporarily housed at the university, until it is returned to its original home, The School of Chemistry.
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ItemIdentification of cellulose nitrate based adhesive repairs in archaeological pottery of the University of Melbourne's Middle Eastern archaeological pottery collection using portable FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and PCA(BMC, 2017-01-19)A previous study of the Cypriot pottery collection housed in the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne found approximately two-thirds of adhesive repairs are primarily composed of cellulose nitrate (CN). This is of concern as CN has a limited lifespan (6–20 years), which has implications for the strategic management of the collection. To gain a greater understanding of the prevalence of CN based adhesive repairs in the archaeological context, the original FTIR-ATR spectroscopic survey was extended to incorporate the University’s Middle Eastern archaeological pottery collection. Micro-samples were removed from artefacts using acetone swabs. Analysis of adhesive FTIR spectra identified CN to be present not only as the primary polymer in approximately one-tenth of repairs, but also as a secondary polymer in poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and acrylic adhesive formulations, observed as a weak peak at ~1656 cm−1. CN’s secondary presence in PVAc adhesive formulations is demonstrated using principal component analysis (PCA) and the diphenylamine spot test for CN. Re-analysis of adhesive IR spectra from the Cypriot pottery collection found CN to be present as a secondary polymer in this collection as well. It is concluded a combined methodology of collecting and identifying FTIR-ATR spectra of adhesive repairs from archaeological pottery collections followed by PCA analysis bring to light adhesive formulations which can inform the management of pottery collections.
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ItemTea: An Alternative Adsorbent for the Preservation of Cellulose Triacetate Film(Australian Institute for the Conversation of Cultural Material Inc, 2017)Cellulose triacetate (CTA) film, the main film base of the Twentieth Century, is inherently unstable, affected by autocatalytic deterioration through hydrolysis. The release of, and subsequent exposure to, acetic acid known as ‘vinegar syndrome’ accelerates deterioration, placing all cellulose acetate materials at risk or actively deteriorating. Preservation techniques rely on cold storage to slow deterioration or microenvironments with adsorbent materials to remove corrosives and/or pollutants. However, commercially available adsorbents can be expensive and difficult to access. This research investigated the potential for tea and tea waste to act as an alternative, low cost, accessible adsorbent for the preservation of CTA film. Adsorption capabilities of various tea varieties and treatments were compared with activated charcoal, silica gel and molecular sieves. Testing established tea as an effective adsorbent of water and acetic acid vapour, with an aversion to adsorption of the plasticiser dibutyl-phthalate. Use of tea waste also involves additional cost, sustainability and accessibility benefits along with lessened corrosive potential. These findings support tea as a potentially viable alternative adsorbent for the preservation of CTA film, requiring further research into optimum application systems.
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ItemA preliminary investigation into the influence of archaeological material on the yellowing of polyethylene storage bags(Routledge, 2021)Concerns around the degradation of plastics have been part of conservation discourse for decades. The spotlight is usually on art and objects, and conservation and display materials, however it could be argued that a significant volume of the plastics in museums is associated with storage bags. This study asked whether the condition of plastic storage bags might be influenced by what is stored inside them. If specific materials can be identified as more likely to affect plastic degradation, museums may have a lead-indicator for efficiently monitoring storage risks. This case study developed a methodology for applying multivariate analysis to collected data to answer this question. A subset of polyethylene self-seal bags used to pack archaeological material from the ‘Casselden Place’ assemblage at Museums Victoria was evaluated. Objective data were combined with subjective assessment of bag degradation features gathered during a collection survey and interrogated using multivariate statistical analysis. Results indicate (1) different levels of yellowing are associated with particular plastic bag stocks and (2) ceramic, slate and tile finds are more likely than other materials to be contained within yellower bags. The research points to future enquiry and demonstrates this methodology shows promise for extension to other large cultural datasets.
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ItemSurveys of Plastics in Post-1950 Non-published Book Collections(De Gruyter, 2023-03-03)Research over the past three decades has demonstrated that certain plastics in cultural materials are inherently unstable, displaying short lifespans and accelerating the degradation of neighbouring collection materials. Knowledge of the conservation of plastics is increasingly common in museum settings. However, less information is available on conserving plastics found in paper-based collections, and even less guidance on the materials and deterioration of plastic components found in book and document bindings. As plastics have been present in popular bookbinding materials since the mid-twentieth century, collection care professions require knowledge and methods for preserving these materials entering book collections. The aim of this paper is to determine strategies for the care of post-1950s books containing plastic. Collection surveys were conducted to determine the materials, structures, and degradation patterns of non-published books found in archive and archive-like settings at the South Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. A methodology combining condition reporting and infrared spectroscopy identified six plastic polymers in 35 binding styles that are summarised as 10 binding types. Recommendations are made for the use of preventive storage strategies responding to four categories of damage.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableIdentification of polymer-based artefacts from the former Wheeler Residence at the Mernda archaeological site in Victoria, Australia: A comparison of attenuated total reflectance and reflectance spectroscopic techniques(International Council of Museums, 2021)The purpose of this investigation was to identify the polymers in artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations at the former Wheeler Residence using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and reflectance spectroscopy. The results from both techniques are compared and discussed. Identification will assist with the long-term management and storage of these polymer-based artefacts. Evaluation of these two sampling techniques included whether the physical characteristics and polymer type of the artefacts favoured the use of one technique over the other. The inherent challenges of archaeological artefacts such as cataloguing conventions, awkwardly shaped fragments and soil encrustations complicated the analysis. Of the 270 samples analysed, 67% were identified as containing ten different types of polymers, with the remaining 33% consisting of unidentified polymers, encrusted polymers in which only soil bands or other materials such as glass were identified. Although reflectance achieved better results for certain types of artefacts, it also revealed limitations. The identified polymers are compatible with the proposed occupation of the site from 1852 to the 1970s.
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ItemShould we clean plastics like we clean paintings? A study in cleaning plasticised poly (vinyl chloride)(University of Cambridge Museums, 2023)Cleaning plastics poses a significant issue in cultural collections. Highly susceptible to attack from mech- anical, organic and ionic cleaning agents, it can seem impossible to find products that adequately clean plastic materials without causing damage in the process. This paper aims to address these issues. It explores how techniques, knowledge and decision-making processes used in painting conservation can be adapted and used to deliver sophisticated, inexpensive, and accessible strategies for cleaning plastics. Using plasticised polyvinyl chloride as a case study, this paper demonstrates how principles of pH, ion concentration, polarity, chelation, gel-formulations and colloidal interface can be used to arrive at optimal methods for cleaning plastics. Combinations of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), optical microscopy, colourimetry and accelerated ageing were used to determ- ine the effectiveness of and damage levels of the cleaning processes being evaluated. Ultimately it was found that neat solvents, detergents and acidic or basic aqueous solutions should not be used unaltered but should rather be tailored specifically to the needs of the polymeric material being treated.