An aged and heavily
corroded horizontal iron rim lock for the left side of a door was examined at
the request of the director of the Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center (SERC). The lock was reportedly found by a contractor on SERC’s
property during renovation, and the iron corrosion is typical of exposure to
the elements. It was anticipated that the lock would date from the time of the
oldest part of the Sellman/Kirkpatrick-Howat house constructed in 1735 or its
Greek Revival enlargement in 1841. Examination of the lock included
x-radiography. A recommendation was made to not conduct further conservation treatment, such as removal of iron corrosion, because it would
threaten the structural integrity of the object. Instead it was advised that
the lock be exhibited in a case with conditioned silica gel and regularly
monitored, which should keep it in stable condition.
Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC)–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources
