FUMIGATION AND IMPREGNATION OF HISTORICAL WOODEN OBJECTS IN THE KLUKI MUSEUM OF THE SLOVINIAN VILLAGE, BRANCH OF THE MUSEUM OF CENTRAL POMERANIA IN SLUPSK (Polish title-below)

(Title in Polish - ' Fumigacja i impregnacja zabytkowych obiektów drewnianych w Muzeum Wsi Slowinskiej w Klukach oddziale Muzeum Pomorza Srodkowego w Slupsku'). The Kluki Museum of the Slovinian Villagn is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Central Pomerania. Unfortunately, just as in every Skansen museum, the wooden objects of rural architecture and ethnographic monuments on display are threatened with the destructive impact of, i. a. harmful insects such as nobium punctatum and Hylotrupes bajulus. Conservation surveys have confirmed the active presence of the pests. Conventional attempts at eliminating the insects have not brought the expected results. The Museum storehouse now contains more than a thousand infected objects; methods of lubrication and ULV spray proved to be only superficial, baths were impossible due to the sizes of the exhibits, and injections were much too time consuming. It was decided, therefore, to fumigate the storehouse and four brick and timber cottages with a cubature of about 1 300 cubic metres (all these buildings house museum collections ). Since fumigation alone does not protect wood for the future, this method was 'supported' by impregnation. In view of the high toxcicity of the applied chemicals the work was carried out by a specialist firm. The employed chemicals included Quickphos in tablets, containing an active biological substance - aluminium phosphide. The hydrogen phosphide produced as a result of the chemical reaction affected directly all the development stages of the insects. In the case of the brick storehouse it sufficed to seal all the windows, doors, chimneys, etc., but the cottages had to be 'packed' in foil, in this way turning them into 'quasi-happening' forms. The composition of the liquid insecticide Antox B used for impregnation was based on permetrine and aliphatic solvents . Applied as a gas, hydrogen phosphide is not only highly toxic but also possesses another fault - due to its reaction with copper it causes the latter to darken; it was thus necessary to remove all threatened exhibits. Increasing popularity is being enjoyed by nonactive gases with non-corrosion and nontoxic properties, including nitrogen, which in Poland is still not used in Skansen museums. A year has passed from the completion of the titular work in the Kluki Skansen and we can confirm the effectiveness of the undertaken initiatives. Fumigation combined with impregnation gave the anticipated results. Fumigation makes it possible to destroy the harmful larvae and mature beetles in the timber, whole impregnation protects the objects from further damage.