SOP_Historic_Door_Conservation_0001.pdf

Standard Operating Procedures: Historic Door

Conservation

This document outlines the basic steps that have been taken to maintain and conserve the fabric of the Historic Doors at Fort Pulaski. All treatments are reversible and can be removed safely. Please follow the order of steps carefully and reach out to Preservation Staff if there any questions regarding treatment, chemicals, or coatings.

Desalination of Doors:

- Each door will undergo a desalination process to remove as much residual salt from the wood and exterior surfaces of the doors.

- Rinse each side of the doors with fresh water with a spray nozzle set to a fine mist setting.

o Do not use a high-pressure nozzle this will harm the historic paint and surfaces of the doors.

- Each rinse cycle should be for 30 minutes.

- Repeat this cycle 3 times per side, per door.

o If the doors have recently been inundated with large amount of salt water this process may need to be repeated additional times.

- Allow the doors to fully dry.

Ferrous Metal (Iron) Treatment:

- Remove any loose rust from rivets, hinges, hinge straps and hardware with a soft bristled brush or paint brush.

o Do not scrape or use an abrasive brush – Iron is lead positive.

- Brush surface with a bench brush to remove large particles of rust.

- Wipe surface of iron elements with mineral spirits on a soft rag (t-shirt rag).

- Using a small acid paint brush, apply 2 coats of Rust-O-Leum Rust Reformer to iron elements.

o Wait 24 hours between coatings.

o Do not coat under 50° or above 90°

Wood Treatment:

- Wood without Historic Paint:

o Where there is no remaining Historic Paint on the surface of the doors apply a coating of Floods CWF-UV Clear at full strength to the surface of the door.

▪ Do not apply the Floods at full strength over the Historic Paint that remains.

▪ Do not apply the Floods over the Ferrous Elements.

o Allow to dry.

- Wood with Historic Paint Remaining:

o Once the surfaces of wood without paint have received a full-strength coating of

Floods CWF-UV, apply a 1:1 Floods to Water coating over all the wood surfaces of the door. This includes areas with paint.

▪ Again, do not apply Floods over Ferrous Elements of the doors.

o Allow to dry.

Renaissance Wax Coating:

- After the application of the Rust-O-Leum and Floods CWF-UV to the ferrous elements and wood respectively, a final coating of Renaissance Wax should be gently brushed with a round brush over the surface of the entire door, hinges, hinge straps and hardware.

Treatment of the historic doors should follow a cyclic schedule of coatings that occurs once every two years.