A Safe Ride for the Sloop Clearwater Model

Last year, Spicer Art Conservation was asked to protect the model of the Sloop Clearwater for transportation from its home to New York City. The Sloop Clearwater is the floating icon for the successful citizen-driven environmental effort to clean up the Hudson River. The sloop is one of the first vessels in the U.S. to conduct science-based environmental education aboard a sailing ship.

Model on display at the Hudson River Maritime Museum

Here's a bit of its history:

In 1966, folk music legend and environmental activist Pete Seeger, in despair over the pollution of his beloved Hudson River, announced plans to “build a boat to save the river.” Seeger, along with many other concerned individuals, believed that a majestic replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries would bring people to the river where they could experience its beauty and be moved to preserve it. 

Seeger and friends played dockside concerts up and down the river, passing the banjo case for donations to raise funds to build the sloop. As an awareness of Seeger’s vision grew, so did the crowds. In 1969, the 106-foot sloop Clearwater was launched at Harvey Gamage shipyard in South Bristol, Maine. On her maiden voyage she sailed to South Street Seaport in New York City, and then ultimately made her home on the Hudson River.[1]

The model was made sometime in the 1970s, by Bernhard Schulze, who created the hull, and Anneliese Schulze, who made the riggings with great attention to detail.

Model images from the Clearwater.org website.

The task was to fully condition the model before it left the Hudson River Maritime Museum, carefully support it for transportation in a box and support that into a sturdy wooden crate. The work was performed at the barn of the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

Support tray with attached ethafoam supports. All labels with instructions.

The model was in quite good condition and was well secured to a solid wooden base. The model's hull extended beyond the base. Due to the many fragile elements, it was the base that required full support by way of a slide-out tray. 

The model safely secured inside its travel box.

Ethafoam support at the main mast.

Wooden shipping crate with the interior travel box.

Resources

[1] History of the Clearwater from the Clearwater.org website.

Shipping or traveling by air with Rare Earth Magnets

Recently, when I purchased some magnets, I noticed the box that they came in was labeled: "Not packed for shipment by air." What does this mean?

The box was small, only holding a few rare earth magnets in a zip-lock bag and the entire box was filled with crushed paper. I began to think, "what more was needed to ship this package by air"? Is there a concern with the pressure in the baggage compartment of the plane? Could the few magnets in the box effect flight instruments? Neither seemed possible or a significant issue. 

So, I looked into it further. First, I found that magnetized material is NOT regulated as a hazardous material when transported via ground/surface transportation. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation has determined that rare earth magnets pose a safety risk when shipped by air unless they are specially packaged. Many suppliers do not provide such specialized packaging, and therefore do not transport via air. Perhaps they do not want to take the time to concern themselves with the added time to determine this. We know of one trusted supplier who does, to see how they ship their magnets via air, see the link below for K & J Magnetics.

It is important to realize that when groups of magnets are in close proximity to one another, their field forces unify and thus increase. Therefore if a large or moderate quantity of magnets are shipped together, shielding of some sort could be necessary.

Is it safe to take magnets on airplanes? Yes and no. Magnets can affect the navigational equipment on an aircraft. However, most single small magnets are not capable of significantly affecting these instruments from a moderate distance. But to determine exactly how strong a magnet(s) would have to be to affect the instruments, and how close they would need to be to do so, the US Department of Transportation and the International Air Transport Association have set precise guidelines for the transport of magnets by air. If the magnets you are transporting exceed certain thresholds, they will be considered Class 9 Hazardous Materials and should only be placed on an aircraft by trained and certified personnel. 

So, what are the rules?

According to K & J Magnetics,
"There are two important measurements of a package containing magnets. Rule #1: If the field strength is 2 milligauss (0.002 gauss) or more at a distance of 7 feet from the package, the IATA (International Air Transport Association) says the package needs to be labeled as Magnetic (see below). This is especially applicable for international shipments.

This label would be placed on a package containing magnets being shipped via air.

Magnets are often shipped in a steel-lined box to remain below this limit.

If there is any chance that the arrangement of magnets could change, or any package shielding could be damaged so that a measurement exceeds this value, it falls under the Dangerous Goods category and should be labeled as Magnetic.

Rule #2: For any package shipped by air, whether it is labeled magnetic or not, the field strength must be 5.25 milligauss or less at a distance of 15 feet from the surface of the package (FAA Title 49, Part 173.21 Forbidden materials and packages). If the package measures above this value, don't ship it by air.

Why are these rules so important? The magnetic compass. Despite all the fancy GPS navigation systems, the basic compass is still an important part of aircraft navigation. If a cargo of magnets alters the compass readings, accurate navigation might be compromised.

Remember, your magnets are competing with the magnetic field of the Earth, whose strength is only about 0.5 gauss on average."

So the short answer is that a magnetized material is considered a hazardous material and is regulated as a hazardous class 9 material when it is offered for transportation by air and when it has a magnetic field strength that is capable of causing the deviation of aircraft instruments. 

This image from K&J Magnetics shows a packing
method to keep magnets as far from the box walls as possible.

So how do you put this into practice? Well one way is with the use of a compass. That's right that ancient tool that was invented when the mysteries of magnets and Lodestone were first put to use. With your compass you can also measure the field distance of the magnets inside a box. (The first link below also includes a great youtube video showing this!) Remember, the farther away from a magnet you are the more the field force drops.

Read more of K & J Magnetic's article at: https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=shipping
some other sites to visit:
http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com/t-safetyinformation.aspx

http://www.mceproducts.com/knowledge-base/article/article-dtl.asp?id=10

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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Learn more about magnets and their many uses in the new publications Magnetic Mounting Systems for Museums and Cultural Institutions. Available for purchase at www.spicerart.com/magnetbook.

Preparing and packing artifacts for shipment

"Have artifacts. . . will travel"

By Gwen Spicer

Any time an artifact travels, there is a great deal of risk.  However, travel they must.  Especially since part of the mission for a museum is education and displaying the artifacts to the public, and sometimes the public is far away, perhaps even on another continent.  Such is the case with collections from several New York State institutions that are traveling to Germany for the exhibit: On the Trail of the Iroquois, to open in Bonn, Germany later this year. This is an opportunity for a broader audience to see these amazing artifacts.

Spicer Art Conservation has been fortunate to be part of this great exhibition.  Several former posts have discussed some of the artifacts that are included in this exhibit.  But this particular post is less about the content of the exhibit, and more about the logistics of getting rare, unique and exceptionally delicate artifacts packed up, put on an airplane, and ultimately delivered to the other side of the world.  And then of course displayed before being packed up and flown back home.

The important part of such an endeavor is for all of the artifacts to safely arrive and then return. That is where the experience of Professional Art Packers and craters come into place.

First the individual artifacts need to be carefully supported. Then they and their supports need to be boxed and placed into sturdy creates.  It is a mathematical and geometrical problem that needs to be worked out in three-dimensions.  It also must be performed so that all the parts can be easily understood.  Standard systems have been worked out over the years by specialized Art Packing companies.  However, since each artifact is so individual, there is also a lot of custom work that is necessary.

Below are a few examples of such packing techniques that were designed by professional art packers.

One type of packing is called cavity packing.  It consists of foam that is carved slightly larger than the size of the artifact, the cavity is lined with polyester batting and covered with a layer of soft Tyvek.  The foam fills the inside of a box, and several boxes fill a create.  The individual artifacts are arranged to fit a specific area.

The small artifacts were kept in place with small pillows attached to twill tape.

Cavity packing of a larger artifact.

Larger three dimensional artifacts are boxed.  Below are several stages of a support for a basket.  The box is made of Gatorboard.  Both the base that the basket sits upon, and the support mid-way up, slide out.

Basket being fitted.

Internal support for the basket.

Below is the inside of a box for a ceramic pot.  The pot is secured and surrounded with the same materials and methods as Cavity packing.

The pots rests on a cushion and is secured with two halves that surround the neck
of the pot. The front sides pulls out, using the tabs. The pot can be safely removed.

The smaller boxes fit inside of this create.  The larger box is for the basket and the two smaller boxes are for two ceramic pots.

Create with the boxes installed.

The vertical box behind is only to fill the space.

As you can begin to see, the artifacts are grouped by their needs, shapes and sizes.  For this group of artifacts, size was a determining factor, as well as weight.  One long crate was created for all of the long artifacts that included javelins, arrows, and a pestle.  The storage trays for each of these artifacts were incorporated into the packing.  Some additional supports were added.  The heaviest item, in this case the pestle, was positioned as the bottom tray.  The vertical Ethafoam sides of the tray supported the tray to be placed on top.

Detail of buckle support.

Each tray's height was pre-determined.  So, when all of the trays were placed inside the crate and the lid is closed, all of the inside layers are precisely stacked and supported without too much pressure, but also not loose, for that would cause additional vibrations.

The Cane and Blow gun.

Another crate was sized for two larger artifacts, one being an overdress.  Other mid-sized artifacts were groups to fill additional trays.

The Ethafoam frame work is incorporated in the design to
support the upper trays when placed in the crate.

Individual bumpers were secured to the underside of the straps
that secured the mounted Snowshoes.

Straps were not used with this artifact, instead an Ethafoam
beam was  used to provided overall gentle pressure. 

A Volara layer was secured to outer surfaces of the Ethafoam bumpers.

Archival packing and crating is a geometric three-dimensional puzzle.  The individual packing occurs on site, but before the professional art packers arrive, there is extensive work that is done first.  A full plan is mapped out where all of the artifacts are to go.  Each tray and the amount of space is predetermined and pre-cut Ethafoam pieces are provided that are pre-sized.

It is critical that an institution provides as many accurate dimensions as possible. The dimensions must include not just the standard, height and width, but also depth.  If storage trays or other supports are present, these too need to be disclosed.  No company that is being asked to perform this task can know the size of these, and communicating as much as possible is necessary.

So many steps exist prior to an exhibit opening.  The orchestration of borrowing artifacts from several institutions, and then conserving, conditioning and packing these artifacts will be for nothing if they are not transported with the utmost care by the experts.

_____________________________
Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Creating mounts with magnets for the exhibit "Uncommon Threads"

by Gwen Spicer

I LOVE MAGNETS! There, I said it.  Magnets are perhaps the most amazing and versatile tool in a conservator's toolbox. The more I work with them, the more I am amazed at their possible uses for mount-making, display, transportation, treatment, etcetera. I am sure my love of magnets was solidified  a few years ago while working on the exhibit, "Uncommon Threads", at the Maine State Museum in 2006. A group of us came up with a mounting system to secure artifacts by using rare earth magnets and "attach" them to moveable mounts that were not able to accommodate sewing. This group of individuals included Linda Carroll, Ron Harvey, Judy Mayer, Toosie Scharoun, Dona Smith, and myself. And while this was not a new idea, it was used exclusively throughout the exhibition, which might have been a first.

The exhibit was to travel. So the concept proposed by the conservators and curators was for each artifact, or group, to be mounted to a panel that could be lifted from the travel box, placed in a display case, and then put back in the travel box. In this way, the artifacts themselves would not be touched, just the panels, therefore lowering the handling and potential damage of the artifacts.

Each mount was supported with a layer of DiBond, on top of which were two layers of 1/4" thick Volara. For artifacts that required an additional recess, 1" thick Ethafoam was placed below the Volara layer. The mount size was determined by the grouping of artifacts as some would be alone, and others would be in a small grouping. Once positioned, the upper 1/4" layer of Volara was removed in the outline of the base of artifact. (see photo below).

Cutting out the recesses of the upper layer of Volara.

Each artifact required a different selection and arrangement of magnets due to the artifact's weight and size. We used Rare Earth Magnets (K&J Magnetics), grade N42, nickel plated, in a range of sizes: 1” x 1/8”,  ¾” x 1/8”,  5/16” x 1/16 “,  ¾” x 1/32” and we used galvanized fender washers. Also in a range of sizes.

Washers of various sizes to accommodate various
sized magnets

various sized magnets, separated with containers or bumpers

To create the mount, a paper template of the artifact's interior was made first and then transferred to a blue board. The desired locations of the washers were cut into the top layers, leaving the lower most paper layer intact. Hot melt was used to secure the washer in place, then twill tape ties were created for ease of removal of the boards.  

Internal support with fender washers

The magnets were secured to the mount panels. A hole was cut out for the magnet and hot
melted in place* (please see note about hot melt below). Mylar was used as a separator for positioning.



The edges of the foam were cut slightly larger than needed, they were then adhered together, and lastly a scalpel was used against the DiBond to make the final trim.

A 1” wide Beva strip is applied to the back side of the panels. A strip of ¼”, double-sided, tape is also applied to the inside edge of the Beva strip to give initial hold to the fabric, as well as room for adjustment before the final securing with the Beva. 

The cut out recesses for the each band box before the display
fabric was attached. The magnets are fitted into the lower layer.

The finished mount with the band boxes in position.

Notice the placement of the magnets above. They are in the base of the mount, not left with the artifact.  This is important because the magnets can be recycled and used in a different mount, not left in storage.  Rare Earth Magnets are no longer as cheap as they once were and using them is more efficient than storing them.
For moccasins, a blue board was fitted with a fender washer: one for heel, one for toe. The bottom of the heel muslin support was filled with resin-free polyester fill. The viewing side of the muslin was machine-stitched in a U-shape. The toe was supported with a separate pillow of folded muslin and fill. 

The construction of the internal moccasin
supports with lower supports for the washers.

For the silver gorgets (see image below), the internal shape was created with layers of needle-punch batting. Each layer tapered out from the next. A Magnet/washer was positioned at the center and was fabric covered and secured to the reverse with double-sided tape and hot melt glue*. The Gorget was secured to the mount with Skala thread.

Preparing mounts for the Gorgets with domed batting layers

*An important point needs to be made about hot melt. Rare Earth Magnets have a "Curie Temperature" which means that exposure to heat at (or above) a certain temperature will demagnetize the magnet, therefore rendering it completely "powerless". In our testing, hot melt, when placed directly on these magnets, did in fact demagnetize them. So, to circumvent this, we would place the hot glue on the surface the magnet would be adhered to, wait for it to cool to a temperature where we could put our finger to it, and then place the magnet on it. This worked great, the temperature posed no danger to the magnet and the strength of the bond was not compromised.

Another important point to make about this type of mount is that the magnets were meant to hold the objects in a horizontal position. Therefore, this is very different from using magnets in a vertical mount.  Supporting the weight of an object poses very different demands from the magnets where its full pull force is needed. To support the weight of an object one must evaluate the size and strength of the magnet, the object to be supported, and the angle at which it would be displayed, to name a few.

Since my time in Maine, I've successfully used magnets in several other projects and I've learned enough about magnets to fill a book! If you are a conservator who is not using magnets, you should.
And once you start, I bet you'll love magnets as much as I do...well maybe as much.

The AIC Annual meeting in Indianapolis, IN was a great time to learn more, at the hands-on session: "Ferrous Attraction: The science behind the magic" permanent magnets were discussed and rare earth magnets were tested in small groups.  

_____________________________
Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Look for Gwen's book, "Magnetic Mounting for Art Conservators and Museums",  available in 2018.

The conservation of Edison's Tin Foil - the lost recording now found.

How does an art conservator, conserve sound?  Sound is made of waves that penetrate the air, that move and bounce, not something that one holds in their hands or sits on your work bench.  Sound is motion that creates vibrations in our ears, not an inanimate object that one observes, cleans, or consolidates:  all of the typical activities that an art conservator performs.

The Edison tinfoil before conservation.

This was the dilemma that was confronted by Art Conservator, Gwen Spicer, earlier this year, when Chris Hunter, Curator and Director of Collections at miSci, (formerly the Schenectady Museum) brought the earliest known full sheet of Thomas Edison's tin-foil to the conservation lab.

Typically when treating an artifact, a conservator can visually observe the changes that are occurring as the treatment progresses, and how these changes are effecting the end product.  All types of tools are used in order to enhance this ability, the use of specific light, magnifiers and microscopes.  But when the end product is the auditory aspect of the artifact, these modern tools are ineffective.

Edison's phonograph serves as the marker for modern sound recording.  It is the beginning of the technology to preserve sound.  Ironically, Gwen Spicer with every tool and technological advance known to conservators, must use the most rudimentary of tools to painstakingly flatten the tinfoil by hand.

It is not what the foil actually looks like that will determine if the sound can be retrieved.  The technology that is used to retrieve the sound will not rely on the surface being absolutely perfect, which is of benefit since the "found" condition of the tin-foil, and the way it was stored, make it impossible to completely flatten.  The tin foil itself is like an archive, with its importance lying in the information that it holds, as opposed to the actual "beauty" of the sheet its self.

When treating this tin-foil, there was a two part aspect to the project.  There was the flattening of the sheet and removing or lessening the folds and creases, which allowed the new technology to better be able to read the surface of the sheet.  The second part was the creation of the sound that was in the bumps and dips of the surface that creates the sound.  As a conservator, you must consider, how much do you touch or hold the sheet so as not to disturb its ability to create the sound?  But of course, that answer is unknown.  In fact, during the treatment there was no real method to know how the treatment was effecting the final outcome.

A next set of experts at California's Berkeley Lab,who would enable the world to finally know what was hidden in this sheet of tin-foil, would ultimately determine if the treatment was effective.  It would only be evident, once they began their attempts to "uncover" the sound.

Tonight, at the GE Theater at Proctor's in Schenectady at 6:30pm, the world will hear the full contents of this Edison tin-foil.  Right now, we know it is a bit longer than one minute, there is some music and a male voice reading "Mary Had a Little Lamb", but the rest is unknown until later this evening.

_____________________________
Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of objects and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Update: Edison's tinfoil, can the sounds on it be retrieved?

by Barbara Owens
When we first talked about SAC having the honor of doing the conservation work on Edison’s tinfoil back in April (see the blog entry from April 19th), we said that the foil was being prepared for digital scanning in an effort to retrieve the sound imbedded upon it more than 130 years ago.  As we at SAC researched Edison’s life, we discovered that when this particular tinfoil was made, Edison had only one phonograph, and it was he who traveled the country, demonstrating it in hopes he could find buyers for his fabulous new invention.  The bottom line is that Edison’s voice is probably on it.  

How exciting is that?

Edison's tinfoil before treatment.

As far as we know there are only two complete tinfoils in existence: the one that we treated, which is owned by "miSci" the The Museum for Innovation and Science (formerly the Schenectady Museum), and a second, which is owned by the Smithsonian.  Here’s the interesting tidbit, the one at the Smithsonian had been glued, facedown, to a board.  Getting sound from it is going to be a challenge.

The Schenectady tinfoil, that SAC treated, which had been folded several times and then crammed into an envelope, required extensive flattening before it could be scanned.  And so, after some nerve-racking and incredibly delicate treatment, it left SAC’s studio and has traveled to California where the sound is being carefully coaxed from its surfaces.  So the big question is: who is on it and what did they say?

Scanning the Edison foil. photo from Schenectady Museum

The short answer right now is that the tinfoil has been scanned and they definitely found sound on it.  Who is speaking?  Right now we know there is a conversation between a man and a woman.  Could it be it Edison?  Stay tuned for information as it unfolds, and visit the miSci (The Museum for Innovation and Science, Schenectady NY) for more information.  

THOMAS EDISON'S TIN FOIL RECORDING

by Barbara Owens

What does a conservator do with a one-of-a-kind piece of American history from the greatest inventor of all time?  Let me tell you.

The date is June 22, 1878. 

Thomas Edison is perfecting his phonograph, a machine that will literally change the future and the recording of voice, music and sound, as we know it.  Edison is not without his critics.  Then, just as today, people resist change and many are not sure about Edison’s new device.  Edison however knows that his invention will change the world.  It is not known for sure where Edison is on this exact day.  But it is believed he is in St. Louis, one of many stops he makes to demonstrate (and hopefully find buyers for) his revolutionary new device. 

The following is an excerpt from an interview Edison had given earlier in 1878 when he spoke to a Washington Post reporter in Washington DC.  Edison speaks to the reporter while at the Smithsonian where he is to demonstrate his new invention.  Here Edison describes in his own words how the phonograph works, including the role of the tinfoil in the recording of sound:

When do you give an exhibition of your phonograph?"

"At 4 o'clock.  Have you ever seen it?  Well, come in and I'll show it to you."  And leading the way, he (Edison) entered the room adjoining the secretary's office, uncovered the wonderful "Sound Writer," and began to explain it.

"Here the phonograph, you see, is a thin disc or diaphragm of iron, beneath which is this fine steel point, which moves up and down by the vibrations of the disc.   Beneath this is the revolving cylinder, on which is this spiral groove.  On the axis of the cylinder is a screw, the distance between the threads being the same as the distance between the grooves on the cylinder.  The cylinder is covered with a sheet of tin foil--you will see it operate by and by--and when the cylinder is revolved the steel point presses the tin-foil into the spiral groove.  If now the diaphragm be made to vibrate by the voice the steel point makes a series of indentations in the tin-foil grooves, corresponding to the sounds uttered.  On going over again the same groove with the steel point, by setting the cylinder again at the starting point, that is, by going over the same ground, the indentations in the tin-foil cause the membrane again to vibrate precisely as at first, thus reproducing the sound originally made.  The same sound wave you first made is returned to you in whatever shape you made it.   Your words, for example, are preserved in the tin-foil, and will come back upon the application of the instrument years after you are dead in exactly the same voice you spoke them in."

"How many times?"

"As long as the tin-foil lasts.  This tongueless, toothless instrument, without larynx or pharynx, dumb, voiceless matter, nevertheless mimics your tones, speaks with your voice, utters your words, and centuries after you have crumbled into dust will repeat again and again, to a generation that could never know you, every idle thought, every fond fancy, every vain word that you choose to whisper against this thin iron diaphragm."

"How old are you, Mr. Edison?"

"Thirty-one."

"Very young yet."

"I am good for fifty; and I hope to astonish the world yet with things more wonderful than this.  I think the world is on the eve of grand and immense discoveries, before whose transcendent glories the record of the past will fade into insignificance.  This is a very poor specimen of a phonograph, however.  You see how simple the mechanism of this idea, and how simple the idea itself; and yet, after all, it is curious."

And the reporter, turning away to record the utterances of the sages in the room adjoining, thought of that passage of Holy Writ which says, "every idle thought and every vain word which man thinks or utters are recorded in the Judgment Book."   Does the Recording Angel sit beside a Celestial Phonograph, against whose spiritual diaphragm some mysterious ether presses the record of a human life?

Spicer Art Conservation has the pleasure of restoring a full page of Edison’s “tin foil”!  This particular piece of foil was given in July of 1978 to General Electric’s Hall of History and then later was moved, with the entire Hall’s Collection, to the Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium, which later was renamed the Museum of Innovation and Science ("miSci"). 

The object’s current condition is clear from the photographs.  It has been folded for some time into a 5” x 1 7/8” package.  Upon folding, the edges were left unsupported; this resulted in distortion and perpendicular tears.  Further damage occurred when the tinfoil was opened at some point in the past.  The tinfoil then experienced additional creasing of parallel folds between the tears.  Two narrow sections at one end are more tarnished than the other six sections, this occurred because these sections were located on the outside of the folded package.

The tinfoil has resided in the climate-controlled archives of the Schenectady Museum.  It is housed in a flat, acid-free box and lies flat while in the cabinet.

SO WHAT DOES IT SAY????!!!!

The answer (right now) is that no one knows.  The goal of Spicer Art Conservation’s treatment of Edison’s Tinfoil Recording is to flatten as much of it as possible.  The foil was originally going to be sent to England to be digitally scanned.  It will now be sent to the Lawrence National Laboratory where equipment has been adapted to scan and reproduce the sound from this incredible American treasure.

Spicer Art Conservation will also create housing for transportation of the piece.  While all of this is very exciting, it is a bit daunting in that next to nothing is known about this particular material due to its rarity.  The foil must be flattened by hand with utmost care to preserve the surface “ticks” that create the sound.  The restoration is time-consuming and painstaking, but more importantly it is an honor to work on such a rare piece from an iconic figure and legendary inventor.

This recording is one of only two believed to have survived in its entirety.  The other is housed in the Smithsonian where Edison demonstrated it some 134 years ago.

Want to read more about this piece and see some additional pictures?  Check out this article from the Albany Times Union: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Here-s-the-oldest-voice-you-never-heard-1331323.php

And look for more details on the restoration of Edison’s Tinfoil here in our blog.