Freeze drying is a method of preserving materials. It is an excellent stabilization technique for waterlogged wood, metals, bone and other materials, in addition to water-damaged books/paper, artwork and manuscripts. In addition, the chamber can be used for rapid freezing for pest abatement and mold remediation as part of a conservation treatment.
Cultural Preservation & Restoration, (CPR) offers freeze-drying services to Museums, Cultural Resource Management Firms, Historical Societies, Conservators, Governmental Agencies, Libraries, Florists, and Art Collectors/Handlers.
Our freeze dryer uses lyophilisation which is a dehydration process that involves freezing the object, lowering pressure, then removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by most conventional methods that evaporate water using heat.
Our freeze dryer chamber size is 24 inches in diameter by 52 inches long – 33.13 cubic feet. There are five tray levels and removable 10 trays to help maximize chamber space and freeze-drying efficiency. The vertical spacing between trays is approximately 4 inches in height. The freeze-dryer runs 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Freeze drying has many uses including
* Stabilization of water-logged materials
* Disaster recovery of materials damaged through flood, fire, suppression systems, etc.
* Drying of wet or water-damaged books, manuscripts, paper
* Stabilization of archaeological artifacts
* Pest management and insect abatement of objects such as books and textiles with insect infestations
* Mold, mildews, and fungus prevention through extracting molecular water; leaving the object a poor host for infestation.
Freeze-drying Service Fees
Fees for freeze-drying vary according to multiple factors, including overall condition of the object(s), degree of saturation or infestation, and number of days required to stabilize the object(s). Some clients have access to an in-house conservator and will only require freeze-drying services for their submitted objects. Other clients may find that some of the objects require pre and/or post-freeze-drying conservation treatment. These clients will need to make arrangements with our conservator for these services.
Our daily rate is $90, our weekly rate is $610 and our monthly rate is $2,400. The fees quoted in this should be used as a general cost guideline only. An object(s) specific cost proposal is generated upon consultation with the client. At that time a determination of the object'(s) condition, freeze-drying requirements, and the necessity for any conservation protocols will be made.
The following fees apply to freeze-drying services that are performed in a dedicated chamber. This means that the entire freeze-dryer space is used for treatment of an object or collection of objects, from a single client. Objects are frozen immediately and freeze-dried according to the specific needs and requirements of the object(s).