TECH TALK Caring for musical instruments: Part 2

This is the second of two Tech Talk articles about the challenges of caring for musical instrument collections. Paul S. Storch, the Minnesota Historical Society’s senior objects conservator, looks at common types of instrument materials and how they react to their environment. Part 1, in the May Interpreter, covered instrument coatings, leather and plastics. Part 2 covers instrument wood, metals and textiles and discusses how to handle, display and store musical instruments. Wood Wood can be found in many familiar forms in musical instruments – from drum bodies and sticks to the violin family and other stringed instruments (see figures 1 and 2). The type of wood used for a particular instrument – whether hard wood from deciduous trees or soft wood from coniferous trees – is chosen for its sound qualities, durability, regional availability and appearance. The physical characteristics of this versatile material are discussed fully by R. Barcla