A plan was drawn up in 1996 to maximize the resources and efforts devoted
to artifact conservation. First, the objects recovered were grouped by material:
wood, leather, glass, metal, textiles, stone and so forth. Composite objects
were assigned to more than one category. For example, a leather pouch containing
ammunition was placed in two categories: the bag itself was grouped with
leather objects, while the lead shot it contained was classified under metals.
Two pistols were associated with wooden objects, while larger firearms that
were covered in concretions were placed in a category of large objects sent
to Parks Canada's laboratories in Ottawa. Wood and leather artifacts were
examined first because they generally require treatments involving long
periods of immersion in water.
The objects in each category were studied separately. Information gathered
in the field was combined with that uncovered in the laboratory through
photographs, X-rays and so forth. For example, an X-ray of a pistol revealed
the presence of a trigger guard, or the band of metal that protects the
trigger (No. 13 on the drawing below), in a concretion beneath the firearm.
Once all the objects in a given category had been documented, it was possible
to choose appropriate treatments and to begin applying them to several objects
at a time.
Pistol
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Salt Removal
The length and complexity of salt removal operations depends on the type of materials involved, their porosity and volume. For example, leather is thinner and more porous than concretions, which are a mixture of sand, stone, iron oxide, and so forth. Therefore, it takes much less time to remove salt from leather objects than from concretions.
It is possible to monitor the progress of salt removal operations using a method based on the following principle: when water with a high concentration of salt is mixed with water that contains no salt, its salinity is reduced since the salt is redistributed throughout the total volume of water. Similarly, when an object containing salt is immersed in a tank of fresh water, the amount of salt in the object decreases while that in the storage tank water increases. After a while, once a chemical equilibrium has been reached between the water and the object, the concentration of salt in the object is the same as that in the tank. By measuring the amount of salt in the tank water, it is possible to make a rough assessment of the progress of salt removal operations. An object is considered completely desalted when its salt content has been reduced to about 20 ppm (parts per million). Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove all the salt from an object, and often, it is necessary to use chemical and electrochemical extraction methods in addition to immersion in water. These methods can also be used to accelerate the desalination process.
Transportation of Objects
Most of the objects uncovered in 1996 were shipped to the Centre de conservation du Québec, an operation that involved major difficulties. Steps had to be taken to prevent the objects from drying out during transportation, keep the risk of their knocking together to a minimum and cut down on vibrations caused by road conditions. Certain objects, such as firearms, had to be wrapped in two layers of material to ensure their mechanical stability. Although the trip went smoothly, the physical and mechanical state of the artifacts, particularly fragile ones, was checked as soon as they arrived in Québec City by comparing the objects with the original description drawn up in the field. This made it possible to determine whether they had suffered additional breakage during transportation.
A Fascinating Artifact
| In 1996, one of the conservators became fascinated with a sword haft that seemed to have been repaired by its owner. The haft, or handle, was covered with a finely woven strip of material, in turn wrapped around an assemblage of leather and brass. The conservation centre had already treated a sword handle of this type after the 1995 field season. It consisted of a wooden core wrapped with cord and then covered with a piece of leather. The cord formed a raised design that was highlighted by small brass chains placed in the ridges between each strand. The sword haft found in 1996 may have had a similar structure beneath the strip of material added to reinforce its various components. The owner of the weapon probably used the material to repair the handle after part of the leather had come off or the small brass chains had been broken. | 
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