We have set up partnership projects to collaborate with conservators within specialist fields across museums, to compare treatments of similar collections, to develop or improve conservation techniques, to utilise analysis techniques and to investigate issues relating to the deterioration and treatment of objects.
For example, we might be unsure why a varnish remains soft on a wooden surface years after the varnish should have hardened. Through our partnerships we consult colleagues from other organisations to explore similar issues, analyse the varnish and work together to discover the reasons behind these anomalies.
Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands
A conservation collaboration project was established between the National Maritime Museum and the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) in 2015, as part of an on-going project to consolidate literature regarding the conservation of ship models.
The reference database was established by ship model conservators from both museums and also aims to promote the specialist field of ship model conservation.