This is 2022 as told through my work as a Paper Conservator working for the diverse and fascinating, love my job!
#Conservation #PaperConservation #HappyNewYear #ScienceMuseum #WomenInSTEM #MyYear #Museums #Archives #CollectionsCare
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Behind the scenes with the conservation team at the Science Museum Group. We tweet about caring for our world-renowned collection, both in store and on display.
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Check out these attendees drawing with their very own ink and feather quill! Many important manuscripts dating back to the fourth century have been written with a similar recipe. Paper conservators have the job of preserving them.
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They also used a UV torch to detect modern fills and previous repairs of ceramics, and an infrared digital microscope to detect images below layers of paint on canvas. This activity introduced attendees to some of the analytical techniques used by conservators.
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Earlier this month, our team came together to champion #Conservation at the Skills Fair. Attendees examined objects, made medieval ink and identified creepy crawlies using different methods and equipment to learn about the science and art of preserving history.
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🎥 ...and here's how they did it!
Timelapse footage shows the final stages of the restoration - when they signal was raised back onto the platform, ready to be redisplayed.
🚄 Don't forget to look out for it the next time you're travelling north from York station!
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Wow! The Great Northern somersault signal, National Railway Museum, was refurbished to its former glory thanks to work from Network Rail and our talented Conservation team.
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The museum would like to thank James Fordyce and his team from Network Rail who showed such care and enthusiasm to restore the signal in the way they have.
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What's red and festive? It's this photo of a Conservator working on one of the larger objects from our collection, a hydrogen fuel cell bus of course! Read more about this object here collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8089
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Today in 1919, the plane which completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight came to the Science Museum. The Vickers Vimy is still on display in our Flight gallery today, and is cared for by our team, using scaffolding towers when they have to clean/conserve it.
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It doesn't feel like five minutes, but it's actually been 5 years since our Mathematics Gallery opened . Throwback to our team installing this beautiful gallery back in 2016.
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#OTD in 1909, the patent for Bakelite granted. Our collection contains lots of this manmade material, which you can read more about in this fab blog blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/bakelite-the-f
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#OTD in 1963, the first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast. Did you know that we have some objects relating to the series in our collection? This Cyberman costume often gives our team a fright in the stores . See more here collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8407
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What are your Friday jobs? Laura, our Conservation Assistant, has been getting the Space Gallery in 'Peake' condition today by cleaning the Soyuz capsule which carried and other astronauts in 2015.
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#DKY that #AskAConservatorDay is held today as a remembrance of the devastating flood of Florence on 4 November 1966.
Today we celebrate the developments in the field of conservation & encourage social media engagement with conservators - so please ask away!
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It's finally here! It's #AskAConservator day and our team is, standing by all day to answer any questions you have!
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Tomorrow is #AskAConservator day and we are taking part! Send us any questions about what we do and how we do it and we'll be standing by to answer. #conservation
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Want to know the coolest thing we've ever worked on? The most dangerous object in our collection? The most expensive thing we've ever touched? Join our team here next Thursday 4 November for #AskAConservator day where we'll be answering your questions live!
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From screeching violins to haunting piano, children singing to dark synths, the soundtracks to horror films create atmosphere, tension and are almost a character of their own.
As Halloween approaches, we’re taking you through some of the most iconic horror scores 👻🧵
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#OnThisDay in 1971, the first satellite carried by a British rocket launched. It was also the last.
But how did an R4 rocket become suspended in parts from our ceiling?
Take a closer look: bit.ly/3EkVAeD
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Our Paper Conservator Jessica has been condition checking this copy of Stephen Hawking's submission for the Adams Prize and look at this wonderfully poetic dedication!
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Standard Friday night: setting up a giant inflatable orca in ready for .
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Bring on the wknd!
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Conservation and Gallery Services to the rescue! A child had dropped their ball behind one of the barriers this morning and luckily we had just the tool to successfully recover it.
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The #AskAConservator day will happen on November 4th!
#AskAConservator day follows the spirit of international collaboration and exchange of knowledge. We work to provide a holistic view of what conser. entails—from conservators working in private practice to large institutions.
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Spotted this morning, Conservation Assistant Laura cleaning the prototype of the Brougham carriage. Our teams get lots of important work done early in the morning before our museums open! #conservation
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Do you have experience of working with a range of hazardous museum or historic objects? We are recruiting for a Collections Hazards Officer based at - take a look and apply here sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/work-for-us/
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Objects from our collection that look like they've got faces - a thread.
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We are delighted to announce that we have received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund () to begin the development of our new Sound and Vision galleries. [1/4]
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Happy #NationalPoetryDay! 🎉 To celebrate, we invited poets to write a piece inspired by an object in our collection. From satellites and telescopes to badges and condom packets, discover them all on our blog: bit.ly/3AoC4eJ
We hope you’ll be inspired to write your own!
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Did you catch this fascinating blog by #TopSecret exhibition curator exploring the secret codes used by Mary, Queen of Scots, through to women working in cyber security today?
Read it here ➡️
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#OTD in 1735, Jesse Ramsden, British mathematician, astronomical and scientific instrument maker was born. You can check out this fab blog from our Photography team about how we prepared and captured these for our Collections Online pages. blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/photographing-
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Do you have practical conservation experience, knowledge or a relevant qualification? We are looking for a Conservator for our Air & Space Gallery Project based at the NCC. Full details and how to apply on our website sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/work-for-us/
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Wow, look at this fabulous piece of work by Conservator Marisa!
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Today in the @SMGConservation lab.. Feast your eyes on these very satisfying 'before'/'during' photos of an in progress glass reservoir treatment by Marisa Kalvins 
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To celebrate the release of #NoTimeToDie, we've got some real life spy cameras from our collection to share with you 🧵 👇
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Do you want to be part of a project which will improve public accessibility to a nationally important collection? Apply to join our team at as Collections Care Assistant working with the Daily Herald Archive - full details and apply online bit.ly/3u38pGL
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Ooh, check out our beautiful boxes! 🤩
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Rehousing makes me so happy! Bespoke box made for one of the books in our collection, dating from 1566 #conservation #Rehousing #book #paperconservator #bespokebox #ConradGessner #vellum #NCC @SMGConservation
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She is also investigating the best material to cover the holes. She is testing a few types of Japanese tissue paper and colour matching these to create an invisible finish. 3/3
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The parchment lid has a few areas of damage which Lauren is repairing. She is using a consolidant first to prevent any further pieces of parchment coming away and being lost. 2/3
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In our lab this week, Conservator Lauren is working on a repair of this pharmacy jar. It's an 18th century tin-glazed albarello used to hold black hellebore root. 1/3
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#onthisday 1839 John Herschel took the first glass plate photograph 📷
It was of his father, William Herschel's telescope and the negative is in the collections: collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co1702
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It's not the heat, it's the humidity inside Hans Haacke's "Condensation Cube" in our . Conservators explain how they take care of this conceptual, damp piece differently than a painting, and answer if that's really water inside (spoiler: yes).
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Yesterday, our London teams made the most of the nice weather with a Conservation & Collections Care picnic in the park.
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