page_title: Conservation and restoration of musical instruments
section_title: Pests
hierarchical_section_title: Conservation and restoration of musical instruments / Preventive Conservation / Pests
caption_attribution_description: Scolecocampa liburna
context_page_description: The conservation and restoration of musical instruments is performed by conservator-restorers who are professionals, properly trained to preserve or protect historical and current musical instruments from past or future damage or deterioration. Because musical instruments can be made entirely of, or simply contain, a wide variety of materials such as plastics, woods, metals, silks, and skin, to name a few, a conservator should be well-trained in how to properly examine the many types of construction materials used in order to provide the highest level or preventive and restorative conservation.
  The conservation and restoration of musical instruments presents an issue that is unlike any faced elsewhere in the art world. Unlike paintings, sculptures and photographs, musical instruments are functional objects that cannot be fully appreciated through their visual aspects alone - much of their artistic value comes from the sound that they are able to produce.
context_section_description: Many instruments are made of wood, therefore wood eating insects could damage them if left in a dark, damp, and drafty space. A careful way to get rid of the infestation is through “asphyxiation by carbon dioxide or nitrogen [because they] are the preferred methods, although some work still has to be done on the effects of changes in moisture content of artifacts during treatment.” Additionally, a conservator may choose to place an instrument in a freezer for a period of time as another method of pest eradication. Basic cleanliness of storage areas prevents larger infestations such as rats or roaches.
caption: Dead-Wood Borer Moth (Scolecocampa liburna)
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