AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center (HFC) recently conserved an historical lifesaving vessel referred to as the “Life Car.” This early 20th century galvanized steel marine watercraft belongs to Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA) and is exhibited inside the open-air, historic Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station located approximately 100 yards from the Atlantic Ocean. The Life Car was originally used in oceanic surf rescue where passengers would be loaded inside the enclosed, top-latched vessel from a foundering ship. Rescue crew members from the Life-Saving Station would pulley the vessel between the ship and shore by a line tethered through two arched iron bails welded to the structure, with one end of the line anchored to the shore and the other attached to the ship.

During examination, conservators tested the multiple campaigns of flaking white paint on the exterior of the vessel using a portable X-ray Fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) and results were positive for the presence of lead (Pb). This required conservators to wear specialized PPE and construct a custom lead remediation room to safely treat the Life Car without contaminating the surrounding lab space. Mechanical and chemical tests were performed for the removal of unstable paint, biological growth, and topical corrosion from the oversized object. Factors such as safety, efficacy, efficiency, and overall success of treatment method were assessed. A form of micro-air abrasion called “sweep blast cleaning” was selected for the surface treatment of the Life Car. This treatment technique is strong enough to clean and profile the metal surface while being gentle enough to prevent excessive removal of the galvanized zinc coating by utilizing a specific PSI and blasting media grit and mesh size.

Other treatment steps included corrosion removal from iron bars and rivets, stabilization of interior wood components, and finally the priming and recoating of the Life Car with a white colored high-performance marine-grade coating. The coating served a dual function of protecting the metal surface in the marine environment while also preserving the original appearance of the vessel, which was traditionally painted white. The final step of the treatment involved the installation of reproduction bumpers along the gunwales of the vessel. This poster will outline the treatment steps performed, PPE selected and the adjustments made to mitigate lead exposure, results of mechanical and chemical testing, and the decision-making process regarding the selection of the final primer and topcoat.