ACRA Webinar: Metals Managed: Using X-radiography to Identify, Document, and Sample Corroded Iron

Archaeologists are in need of better strategies for managing assemblages of corroded metal artifacts, especially nails. There is an affordable middle ground between storing artifacts that will never be properly identified or conserved and discarding without proper documentation and identification. X-radiography is a cost-effective method for identifying artifacts obscured by corrosion, documenting diagnostic attributes, and helping collections managers and conservators work together to prioritize artifacts for treatment.

This seminar will cover the applications of x-radiography for archaeological collections managers, with a specific focus on cost savings. The program instructors will share their experiences using x-rays to create more accurate artifact catalogs and craft responsible discard strategies which reduce curation fees and result in cost savings for the overall project budget.

Participants will learn:

• How to “read” an artifact x-ray (how much core metal is present, what kind of metal is it, what do artifacts look like in two dimensions, etc.)
• How to use x-rays as documentation of bulk metals (i.e. nails) so that these can be discarded with minimal loss of important analytical information
• About the availability of x-radiography services, the costs of these services, and how obtaining x-rays can lead to cost savings for CRM projects.

Note: This webinar will occur on Eastern Time

Presenters

Sara Rivers-Cofield has been the Curator of Federal Collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) since 2004, working alongside conservators to develop a survey and x-radiography strategy that allows the MAC lab to comply with the requirements of 36 CFR Part 79: Curation of Federally Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections. Rivers Cofield specializes in the identification and interpretation of metal artifacts. She is the former Chair of the Curation and Collections Committee for the Society for Historical Archaeology, a member of the Society for American Archaeology’s Curation Interest Group, and Past Chair of the Archaeological Collections Consortium, a cooperative group comprised of collections professionals from SAA, SHA, and ACRA.

Kerry S. González is currently the Chief of Cultural Resource Management at George Washington Birthplace National Monument & Thomas Stone National Historic Site. Prior to entering into this role she worked in CRM for over 20 years. She is very active in the collections management field and is a strong advocate for improving and updating regional and national curation standards. She currently serves on collections committees for the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA), the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), and the Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA), and engages in public and professional education and outreach through social media, professional publications, workshops, and webinars. Most recently Ms. González served as adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington teaching American Archaeology for the Spring 2023 semester.

**Disclaimer: we are not conservators, so when it comes to the technical side of x-ray, like what settings to use, etc., you need to work with someone who has that expertise. We do not do the x-rays, but we are all about the applications of x-rays for metals.**