Preserving water recovered cork?

[Ethan S.]

I found this perfectly preserved canteen stopper amidst a pile of cleaner bullets today in a tributary of the Rappahannock river. Is there a way to preserve the cork so it doesn't fall apart? I have it sitting in the same muck I found it in, sealed from air for now.

 

[UCVRelics]

Great Find. That is a tough question as its cork. I would say that once its dries you will have to coat it with something to keep it from deteriorating. Most of the ones I have found had only small portions of cork left.

 

[Joe Whitworth]

I'd keep it in a vial of water, preferably distilled water. If it dries out it will most likely crack and crumble to the touch. The water will keep it safe for now. Sweet find by the way.

 

[Ethan S.]

After consulting with an archaeological preservationist, it was decided to slowly just let it dry and monitor it for deterioration. It's dry, and no deterioration occurred and it's almost good as new, save for some rust.

 

[Joe Whitworth]

That is one cool artifact. Nice to know you can successfully dry out 150+ year old cork. I would have bet on it splitting.

 

[R. Porter]

I thought the practice for waterlogged wood was to keep it wet and then replace the water with some sort of resin mixture. As wood dries out it usually shrinks; the resin mixture is to help the wood retain its size and shape as found in its waterlogged state. I once found the neck and upper part of a mid 18th century wine bottle at low tide in the Pamunkey River with a cork in it. I kept the neck upside down in a glass of water for years before I turned it over to state archaeologists. I don't know what they did with it to preserve it.