UCLA

The selection of storage and display materials is a critical step in the successful preservation of material culture. While their purpose is to protect cultural materials from deterioration, they themselves can act as a source of pollutants and acidic vapors. To make the use of both archival and non-archival materials more reliable, conservators have developed standard methods of materials testing. The most ubiquitous of these assessments is the Oddy Test. However, its high cost and specialized equipment prohibit many smaller museums and archaeological projects from conducting the Oddy Test. Frustratingly, it is frequently such contexts in which untested, non-archival materials are used. Drawing on her experience and collaboration with the conservator and collections management staff at El Museo del Sitio de Pachacamac in Lima, Peru, the author proposes a potential solution to the challenges of materials testing. The Multi-Test is a two-step, multi-component assessment based in materials identification and acidic off-gas monitoring. This novel combination of assessments, as well as the standard Oddy Test, was conducted on a range of storage and exhibition materials collected in Lima. Comparison of the results of the two testing systems suggests that the Multi-Test may be an accurate and consistent method of materials testing.