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PHOTO GALLERY 8: OCTOBER 1999

The CRL wood conservation vat is well on its way to being completed. The vat is the largest wood conservation facility in the United States. For that matter, it is the largest wood conservation vat in the world that conserves wood by immersion. The vat incorporates a number of features, such as the lifting platform, not found in any other vat.  Our intent is to reassemble the Belle prior to its conservation to ensure that it goes together properly.

Installing one of four winches	Installing the fiberglass grating on the lift
The keel and keelson of the Belle are placed in the wood conservation vat to be cleaned prior to reassembly	Using the water to reduce the weight, the staff turn the keel over to clean the other side
Cleaning the keel prior to reassembly and conservation	Working this way is fine in the hot summers and the warm fall, but what about winter?
	Sometimes it's necessary to get really close to your work to get all of the crud out of the holes and the junctures in the keel.
Once the keel and the keelson were cleaned, the lift was raised to remove the keelson, since it will not be needed for some time.
	It's easy to see that a variety of equipment is necessary to move these delicate timbers safely.  Our small forklift is fine for many jobs, but at times, it's necessary to call on the Texas Transportation Institute - to bring in the 'Big Guy' for moves such as this.

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Citation Information:
Donny L. Hamilton
1999, Conservation of the Hull of the Belle, Conservation Research Laboratory Research Report #7, Photo Gallery 8, World Wide Web, URL, http://nautarch.tamu.edu/crl/Report7/hull8.htm, Nautical Archaeology Program, Texas A&M University; La Salle Shipwreck Project, Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas.

E-mail: dlhamilton@tamu.edu

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	RETURN TO HULL CONSERVATION PHOTO GALLERY INDEX
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	LA SALLE SHIPWRECK PROJECT (TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION)

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This page is maintained by the staff at the Conservation Research Laboratory, Nautical Archaeology Program, Texas A&M University (crl@tamu.edu). 
Updated: July 26, 2000

The contents of this site - text, images, and data - are intended for personal information only. Downloading of information or graphic images contained herein for private use is not discouraged; however, written permission from either the Nautical Archaeology Program or the Texas Historical Commission is required for the publication of any material. Any use of this information should credit the Nautical Archaeology Program. For additional details, contact Donny L. Hamilton (dlhamilton@tamu.edu).