Working on vacation

OK – when you get a free tour of gallery and vault spaces at one of the best military museums in the country, I guess you can’t really call it work.

A few months ago, I was contacted by the Registrar at the D-Day Museum. She had some questions about gun treatment, use, and storage as part of a museum collection and I gave her my opinions. I called her before going on Christmas vacation and she was able to show me around the place and pick my brain some more.

American arms of World War II

I do like how they have their guns mounted – either in small, supportive frames or hanging on cables as you can see in the picture here. Although I do like the use of the zip-ties, I still want to check with a conservator just to make sure. All-in-all, I think they are doing a great job and we identified some areas for collaboration in the future.

In case I don’t get a chance to post before then, have Merry Christmas!

Cheers!

Dave

XRF means X-Ray Fun!!!

Not really.

XRF is X-Ray Fluorescence. Essentially, it involves shooting low voltage x-rays at a target to determine the molecular makeup of the object.

Yesterday and today, we (staff of the BBHC) got to play with an XRF gun that we can use (for the next two weeks, at least) to determine the chemical makeup of everything from the alloy in a rifle barrel, the composition of gutta percha grips, and the type of brass used in a cartridge case. For non-gun objects, we looked at pigments in Native American clothing and accessories, individual pigments in a Remington watercolor, and the presence of arsenic in animal mounts.

Unfortunately, there is an expense that goes with the tool. I won’t go into it here, but if you know someone with deep pockets, send them my way!

Cheers,

Dave

Holiday Open House

Today is the day of our annual Holiday Open House – the busiest day of the year for the historical center with more than 3,000 people walking in the front door.

We have 15-20 musical groups, from grade school to professional, Santa Claus, Wyoming PBS, and all with free admission. The staff members who work today get a day off earlier in the week.

Later today, I am working as an emcee for a couple of the stages and sitting down for a book signing. Always a fun time.

It is always enjoyable as I get to show some of the gallery to some folks and I get to meet people from the area who would not normally have time to get to the museum during our regular work hours.

Well, time to get back to work!
Cheers,

Dave