NPS Metal Conservation

Since 2008, the National Park Service has been collaborating with the Warren Lasch Conservation Center to research, design, and implement innovative conservation and preservation approaches to select ordnance and architectural elements at NPS sites, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter. 

The conservation team from the Warren Lasch Conservation Center is using a state-of-the-art technique which utilizes a new system that has been specifically imported from the United Kingdom for this project. This system, ThermaTech®, the first of its kind in the United States was initially donated to the lab by Restorative Techniques. The process uses superheated and pressurized water to remove failing paint layers and corrosion from the artifacts and is very effective, while remaining gentle to the substrate and limiting the use of chemicals. Corrosion inhibitors and a three-step coating system are then applied to preserve the artifacts. 

Beginning in 2013, conservation work incorporating this technology has been undertaken on some of Fort Moultrie’s unique ordnance pieces and historic architectural elements including the grave fence of the Seminole leader Osceola, iron architectural works original to the fort and several cannons. As of 2021, the WLCC has performed conservation treatments on 19 cannons across the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park sites. The NPS have been integral partners in the success of these preservation efforts and in aiding the development of new and improved treatment protocols for historic metals in a marine environment.