Does anyone have any experience building structures containing time capsules? Here’s why I’m interested:
I have volunteered to be the historian for our local community church, and for the past couple of years have been the keeper for photos, historical documents relating to the founding of the church, etc. Later this year I intend to build and install a historical monument in a corner of the church lobby to house these items. The sides will consist of 2 hollow rectangular (about 8″ X 24″) oak support columns. I intend to provide access to the inside of the columns through removable front panels, and to encourage members to place additional personal items, such as photos, documents, current newspapers, etc., inside the columns with the plan to have them opened sometime in the future (50 years maybe).
I know these items should be stored in some type of containers to preserve them as much as possible, but what would be the best to use? I know red oak has a lot of tannic acid; is it liable to erode the paper documents? One thing I have considered is placing the items inside sections of large diameter PVC pipe with glued on end caps. I know this is kind of an oddball subject but I sure would appreciate any advice anyone has on this. Thanks. GP
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I think you should be looking at stainless steel or aluminium cylinders with a threaded cap (fine threads, possibly sealed with plumbers tape). Fitting the top and bottom with a large diameter nut (say 2 - 3 in) will make opening the canister easier in 50 plus years. Pack the contents with a couple packs of silca gell and possibly use nitrogen to flush out most of the oxygen. products designed to extend the shelf life of a partly used can of paint may also be useful but I don't know what is in them.
hope this helps
Ian
Part of my duties as a Project Coordinator for a new building at an Ivy college was designing and coordinating a time capsule. There is a ton of good stuff out on the web including purchasing capsules. ( for example: http://www.barrtek.com/) We used a custom stainless steel box, cold welded closed and flushed with argon. There were some issues with PVC but I can't remember them right now. We put copies of everything in a box in a library to be opened in 50 years and a plaque on the wall that housed the time capsule to open it in 100 years. Don't forget the plaque, once you leave, it may be forgotten!
You have your work cut out for you in the types of things you're putting in; if the paper is not acid free, it must be sealed. Try to find a local Librarian, museum curator, or historian to help or advise.
With all of that said on the cautions of elements that destroy photos and paper, about 20 years ago we tore down a 75 year old rowing club that sat on pilings out in San Diego Harbor and found a photo in great condition of the original crew in one of the walls, all framed and sided with redwood. Salt air, humidity, redwood....... go figure! We put a copy of that photo along with a photo of our crew (we rebuilt the building as a Chart House restaurant and is on the Historical Register) in the same wall, hope is lasts as long.......
Oh yeah, if you are putting in media besides photos and printing, consider that there might not be anything to play it in 50 years. Remember 8 track tapes?
Good luck, its a great project!
Norse
Stay away from PVC ,it can sometimes outgas chlorine.
gp,
Welding supply stores carry rod carriers, a plastic tube with a screw on end sealed with an O-ring if you should want to go the plastic route. Some of the "survivalists" out there have tubes and vaults made for burying things, might check "Soldier of Fortune" magazine, I think thats what its called. Just some low cost ideas for water tight containers, I have no idea about the use of plastic for this application though, so listen to some one elses advice there.
I have no advice but it sounds really neat. Just think of all the top of the line woodworking machines for sale today that will probably be obsolete by then. Will some woodworkers still be cutting their joinery by hand or will it become a lost art! BT
Lee Valley Tools sells these as well as tools:
http://www.leevalley.com/gifts/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=32454&category=4,104,45468
Why couldn't you just go to Walmart and buy stainless steel pots with stainless steel lids and seal them with epoxy? Get some bags of those crystals that absorb moisture and put in before sealing. Once sealed, then get a spray can of pickup bed liner and give the pots a good thick coat.
ps - leave the Walmart receipts in the pots!
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
It may sound silly, but lexan Nalgene bottles would fit your shape and probably do the job. It also makes a statement in and of itself. You may want to look into filling the bottles with an inert gas so that molds and oxygen thriving things can't bloom (mold spores on paper, etc.). They're also cheap, easy to find and each person could supply their own.
As for PVC, I have a friend that makes small personal time capsules out of PVC and plastic welds caps on the ends. His family places them all over the world and creates "treasure maps" for the kids and future generations to find. Sort of a geocaching game. I'm not sure how I feel about this from an ethical standpoint, but that's not the subject here.
Good luck!
Seth
mistake. There is no win
and there is no fail . . . there is only
make."
John Cage
Ammo boxes! These are metal boxes with an airtight seal, designed by the military to hold ammunition. White-water rafters use them to hold their most-essential stuff, and they are just about indestructable. They open and close and seal easily, so church members could fill them without any special skills. They are also quite inexpensive, so each family could have their own.
Thanks to all replies, you have given me some good ideas. Now, I know one thing for sure: I'm going to decide on the containers before building the columns. Don't want to wish later I had built them 1/2" wider. Thaks much. gp