Civil War Lecture: Keeping It Cool – Using Dry-Ice Cleaning in the Conservation of the USS Monitor Artifacts

Presented by Will Hoffman, Conservation Project Manager and Senior Conservator, and Laurie King, Assistant Conservator, USS Monitor Project

The conservation of artifacts recovered from a marine environment can often be quite challenging; largely because of the unique seafloor burial conditions of the objects. Therefore, during the conservation process, new techniques and methods are developed to overcome difficult treatment challenges. This presentation will discuss the use of dry-ice cleaning to remove corrosion from archaeological metal artifacts from the USS Monitor. Hear about how conservators identified the technique was safe, for the artifacts and the conservators, as well as how it will accelerate the Monitor conservation project.