RoadDog
Corporal
- Joined
- May 29, 2008
- Location
- The Great Midwest
South Carolina scientists have developed a new conservation technique that promises to save huge amounts of time in the conservation of artifacts taken from the sea.
It involves subcritical and supercritical techniques and was just a theory a decade ago. The first puts water under intense heat and pressure and the other does the same with carbon dioxide.
The Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, which is in charge of the Hunley, is at the forefront. They first experimented on shavings and bolts from the Hunley and have successfully conserved a ballast block from that submarine. Other ballast blocks, using tradional means, took 18 months, Using the new took just ten days.
A few years back, it took the center six years to conserve two cannons from the CSS Alabama and they figure it would now take six months.
That's quite a breakthrough if it works.
It involves subcritical and supercritical techniques and was just a theory a decade ago. The first puts water under intense heat and pressure and the other does the same with carbon dioxide.
The Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, which is in charge of the Hunley, is at the forefront. They first experimented on shavings and bolts from the Hunley and have successfully conserved a ballast block from that submarine. Other ballast blocks, using tradional means, took 18 months, Using the new took just ten days.
A few years back, it took the center six years to conserve two cannons from the CSS Alabama and they figure it would now take six months.
That's quite a breakthrough if it works.
Bringing the