As with many experiences, seeing Mt. Rushmore "up close and personal" (as
in, across the valley in real sunlight) is much better than in pictures -
sort of like "The book was better than the movie."  I haven't paid much
attention to all the bru-ha-ha, since all my news comes either as radio
snippets or what I glean now from RSS feeds, I'd hate to think that one of
the presidents might lose a nose to leprosy.

- Pam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gabriel Orgrease" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 09:34
Subject: Re: [BP] I like Lichen!


> c
>
> My conjecture here is that once again we have an example of conservators
> not having a clue what they are talking about.
>
> Though I consider Simon more alert than Bud. Either they do not
> understand business, or logistics, or often their own professed
> 'materials science.' Bud wants to go w/ his database, that is, by the
> book which indicates to me that he has no practical perspective on
> masonry cleaning. The effect of 1,500 psi pressure wash on granite from
> guys hanging from ropes is going to be nano-miniscule to the point that
> worrying about it is a perversion.
>
> The crux is that what happens in practice is not what happens in
> laboratory or theoretical environments and that those who actually do
> masonry cleaning rarely want to tell the pundits what the hell it was
> that was done. Case in point a recent exchange where a mechanic of 30
> yrs. experience was talking with a conservator of 2 months experience
> and conveyed a masonry cleaning technique that they had picked up from
> an unattributed architect of 20+ yrs experience (and a damned solid
> practitioner at that), a technique not-by-the-book, and the conservator
> looked at the mechanic as if they were Dracula incarnate. This caused
> the mechanic to react with a suspicion that they were talking to an
> idiot and subsequently in the relationship it shut down all further
> opportunity of an educational exchange.
>
> Bud should spend his time considering if the original carving techniques
> may have created micro-fracture lines in the stone that would eventually
> result in nose loss.
>
> As Mt. Rushmore is a visual experience... not too many people get to
> hang out on it and get a feely touchy -- my assumption is that the
> lichen removal is more of an aesthetic and political issue driven by
> tourism & national symbolism than one of conservation. I find that
> conservators tend to disdain political motivations until the check
> arrives. This causes me a bit of ethical pangs of regret as a portion of
> our business is to enable them.
>
> With recent mass-transit experiences re: terrorism & knapsack searches I
> am beginning to believe that the world will never be the same.
>
> ][<
>
> >
> > >I do believe we may lose chunks of our one-of-a-kind mountain
> > >sculpture Mt. Rushmore to an unsafe "cleaning" operation.
>
> --
> To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
> uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
> <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
>

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>