case linings

[joelhall]

hi guys,

im starting a business making fine wooden custom display cases, cabinets, etc purpose built for militaria, coins, and so forth.

my question regards base linings. for example what fabrics would be safe to use for say medals, so that the ribbons wont be affected by chemicals in the material?

whats safe to rest iron or brass on so there would not be discolouration of the metal?

ive seen some information on here but where can i find a list of suitable linings for different materials being displayed?

thanks guys

joel

[Paul R.]

It sounds like a great idea. A couple of things to consider before hand is. The type of wood and staining/finish. Both the wood, and wood finish could out gas. If using a pine or other soft wood they can out gas a lot. A hard wood would be prefered. Consider an non varnishing or staining. A more natural finish is best. The fabric of choice would be fleece. Fleece fabric is inert and comes in a lot of colors. Paul

[Stahlhelm]

Joel:

That sounds like a great idea, for sure! I'm glad to hear that you're also interested in producing archivally-safe cases. That sure is a niche that has not been filled very well at all, up to this point. If you set up a booth at militaria shows, and advertise the archival quality of your cases, you could well be the only one selling such a product. In all of the many shows I've attended over the years, I've never seen such cases for sale. All I ever see is the standard, laquered cases with that ever-unsafe foam rubber substrate. So, this is good news to me too!

Chris

[joelhall]

It sounds like a great idea. A couple of things to consider before hand is. The type of wood and staining/finish. Both the wood, and wood finish could out gas. If using a pine or other soft wood they can out gas a lot. A hard wood would be prefered. Consider an non varnishing or staining. A more natural finish is best. The fabric of choice would be fleece. Fleece fabric is inert and comes in a lot of colors. Paul

way ahead of you on the wood mate obviously finish is going to be applied to the outside only. woods ill be using will be kiln dried, decorative hardwoods, such as walnut, mahogany, etc., plus there will inevitably be some type of air drying involved, such as a silica gel cell build into the inside of the carcass etc. fleece is a good idea. ive been thinking about wool or silk too (obviously id rather use natural materials as anything with chemicals added en masse or anything synthetic) any thoughts on these?

ive noticed too what stahlhelm pointed out about trays and cases at militaria fairs. for the most part they are usually pine or a white hardwood and stained and covered in cheap generic finish, with man-made bases and lots of chemical glues seeping in and rayon covers.

im obviously generalising, but i know of some people who are numismatists, and its always seemed that while they often have large showy chests for coins and cabinets, militaria collectors seem to scrimp when it comes to displaying their items. just seems to take something away from the presentation in my opinion as well as often being a bit dodgy for the items themselves like dyes leaking into ribbon fabric or moisture attacking metals

another point is the glues used. obviously with evaporation drying this is going to leak gases into the inside itself, so has anyone any ideas what would be safe for long term archival storage. im guessing fast hardening apoxies will be best!?

[Paul R.]

Joel, Another item to consider for the interior is ethafoam. Ethafoam is an inert high density closed cell white polyethylene foam which is acceptable for the use in preservation of historical items. I use this in a acrylic frame that I have medals stored. If the frame is deep the ethafoam is cut for the frame interior. I next cover the ethafoam with a fleece or muslin fabric and place the medal on the fleece or muslin. Wash the frabric twice with No soap to remove any mfg.antistatic material on the frabric. Ethafoam comes in many sizes thickness from sheets to planks. Paul

[joelhall]

thanks ill look that up