Conservate board

conservationchap

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CB22 4QR
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Museum Conservation Services Ltd.
I recently surveyed a small institutional collection for their conservation, mounting and framing needs. Several artworks were marked as having 'Conservate' board. This looks like a trade name but searching the internet for this board gives no positive hits. Does anyone know what this board was and even better have a specification? It is clearly trying to imply it is a conservation quality board but is it? Another sheet was labelled 'Conservatek'. I know very little about this board other than that it is discontinued.
 
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The 5 actual major manufacturers in North America of "meets the Library of Congress standards" are Crescent/Bainbridge(the same ownership), Risling, Strathmore, and the Canadian Peterboro. The name "Conservatek" appears to be a reseller. All are made from 100% cotton fibers. They come either buffered or unbuffered depending on their use.

There are at least 2 European manufacturers as well. One of these companies is based in Sweden while the other is in the UK(Colormount).
 
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Thanks. I'm not sure the board is necessarily of a particularly high standard. That's really what I'm trying to find out.

I'm pretty sure the name Conservatek refers to a type of board from a particular supplier rather than something that was simply rebadged. I subsequently found a UK framer's reference to it being 'expensive', only used for 'conservation jobs' and being no longer available.
 
Conservatek was a fluted board lined with foil, made, or at least sold by one uk framing supplier, Byron mouldings. It never caught on and they are also long gone.

Conservate board isn’t a thing, whoever you surveyed must have made it up or misspelled it.
 
Conservatek was a fluted board lined with foil, made, or at least sold by one uk framing supplier, Byron mouldings. It never caught on and they are also long gone.

Conservate board isn’t a thing, whoever you surveyed must have made it up or misspelled it.
Thanks. I did wonder if 'Conservate' was simply 'Conservatek' without the k. The foil lining will help in some circumstances but fluted boards tend to give low puncture resistance and minimal protection in a fire.
 
Tomato...............Tomahtoe...............................Conservation.........................Conservate

A long time ago when the earth was green.....................spell check/auto correct didn't do its job.

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Thanks. I did wonder if 'Conservate' was simply 'Conservatek' without the k. The foil lining will help in some circumstances but fluted boards tend to give low puncture resistance and minimal protection in a fire.
Well in the case of glazed work there would normally be at least one layer of mount board underneath the backing board, that's in UK. In the US there would be a paper (probably paper) dustcover, foam board and then mounting board, so maybe a bit less puncture resistant and no more fire retardent, maybe even less?

Most framing jobs do not put emphasis on bad handling (e.g. the possibilty of being struck by a sharp object, and if that was a possibilty, then what about the front!). The emphasis is on protection from other things, acids, pollutants, dust, insects, light etc. But if rough handling and fire was specified, it could be catered for, up to a point.
 
Fire resistance is an interesting digression (polymer mouldings are the worse choice as they rapidly distort and so fail to protect their contents but this should be a separate thread).

Although perhaps not widely considered, I do include handling and the potential for impact as a factor when framing. Sometimes I'll use toughened glass, laminated glass or acrylic (of various types) depending upon the exact circumstances. It all depends upon the artwork, the circumstances of display and the client's budget. I've never had to use bullet-proof glass but you never know!
 
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