========================================================================= Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 15:44:06 +1000 Reply-To: Radiocarbon Mailing List Sender: Radiocarbon Mailing List From: "SMITH, Andrew" Subject: advice on pretreatment methods for animal glue, shellac & leather MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Dear List, we have been asked to help pin down the time of manufacture of what could be one of the oldest church organs to be imported into Australia. It is apparent that this organ was built in the UK from components taken from a number of older organs; it is thought that the oldest could be ~ 1714 AD, although it could be as recent as the mid-1800's. Aside from the difficulty of providing a calibrated date in this time period, we have run up against some unexpected difficulties with sample preparation and I'm wondering if list members may have advice to offer. We started with what I believed to be the most promising samples, shellac from the casement and animal glue holding the pipes in place. My assumption was that both the shellac and glue would have been made from ~ contemporaneous material (insect resin and hide/animal bones) from much the same time as the organ was assembled. The shellac was simply scraped off the underlying wood and combusted (along with a small amount of wood); earlier attempts to separate it from the wood using solvents picked up gums, resins and oils in the wood. Maybe there are techniques to strip the shellac from the wood involving alkalis? The animal glue underwent extraction with diethyl ether. The residue was thoroughly dried and combusted. Both measured way too old, giving radiocarbon ages of 1493 and 980 radiocarbon years BP, respectively. It would seem that some extraneous carbon was added to the glue and shellac in the organ builder's workshop, possibly some kind of filler in the case of the glue or the residue of a solvent in the case of shellac. Any advice or comments? Next, we are going to attempt isolating carbon from cloth and leather. One expert believes the cloth to be very old - pre-industrial revolution - from the weave and nature of the fibres - and thought that it was probably made from flax. The flax should be fairly straightforward to process, but any suggestions on how to avoid chemical that may have been used in the tanning process for the leather would be appreciated. best regards, Andrew. Dr A.M. Smith, ANTARES AMS Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation PMB 1 Menai NSW 2234, Australia email: ams@ansto.gov.au tel. +61 2 9717 9054 fax. +61 2 9717 3257 http://www.ansto.gov.au =========================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send the command SIGNOFF C14-L to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU, or send a request to C14-L-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 12:12:33 +1000 Reply-To: Radiocarbon Mailing List Sender: Radiocarbon Mailing List From: "SMITH, Andrew" Subject: Quantalus counters wanted for ANSTO MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Dear list, our tritium measurement group have a need for a further two Quantalus counters. Does anyone know of any available machines? cheers, Andrew. Dr A.M. Smith, ANTARES AMS Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation PMB 1 Menai NSW 2234, Australia email: ams@ansto.gov.au tel. +61 2 9717 9054 fax. +61 2 9717 3257 http://www.ansto.gov.au =========================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send the command SIGNOFF C14-L to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU, or send a request to C14-L-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:56:24 -0700 Reply-To: Radiocarbon Mailing List Sender: Radiocarbon Mailing List From: Mark McClure Subject: VIRI reminder MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_003C_01C67D86.0B40E5D0" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_003C_01C67D86.0B40E5D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit VIRI reminder This is a reminder that the results for the VIRI bone samples are now due. In light of the more complex nature of the pretreatment required for such samples, an extension has already been granted. However, please try and ensure that results are submitted by 18th June as this will allow their analysis in early summer and the next set of samples to be distributed in early September. Stable isotope analysis (C and N) of the bones would be very interesting, and could form the basis of an analysis in addition to the C-14 analysis. Please report these measurements if you have them available. Best wishes Marian=================================================== === Professor Marian Scott marian@stats.gla.ac.uk Department of Statistics www.stats.gla.ac.uk/~marian University of Glasgow Phone: +44(0) 141 330 5125 Glasgow G12 8QW Fax: +44(0) 141 330 4814 ====================================================== Mark McClure RADIOCARBON Managing Editor Univ. of Arizona, Dept. of Geosciences 4717 E. Fort Lowell Rd, #104 Tucson, AZ USA 85712 520-881-0857 phone 520-881-0554 fax www.radiocarbon.org =========================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send the command SIGNOFF C14-L to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU, or send a request to C14-L-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. ------=_NextPart_000_003C_01C67D86.0B40E5D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

VIRI = reminder

 

This is a reminder = that the results for the VIRI bone samples are now due.  In light of the = more complex nature of the pretreatment required for such samples, an extension has = already been granted.  However, please try and ensure that results are = submitted by 18th June as this will allow their analysis in early summer and the next = set of samples to be distributed in early = September.

 

Stable isotope = analysis (C and N) of the bones would be very interesting, and could form the basis of = an analysis in addition to the C-14 analysis.  =

Please report these measurements if you have them available.

 

Best = wishes

 

Marian=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

=3D=3D=3D

Professor Marian Scott           = marian@stats.gla.ac.uk

Department of = Statistics   www.stats.gla.ac.uk/~marian=

University of Glasgow      Phone: +44(0) 141 330 5125

Glasgow G12 = 8QW            = Fax:   +44(0) 141 330 4814

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

 

Mark McClure

RADIOCARBON Managing = Editor

Univ. of Arizona, Dept. = of Geosciences

4717 = E. Fort Lowell Rd, #104

Tucson, AZ  USA = 85712

520-881-0857 phone

520-881-0554 fax

www.radiocarbon.org<= /font>

 

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To unsubscribe from this list, send the command SIGNOFF C14-L to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU, or send a request to C14-L-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. ------=_NextPart_000_003C_01C67D86.0B40E5D0--