Metal Corrosion in Musical Instruments Induced by Material Combinations: a Survey in Museum Collections

Metal parts corrode when mounted in direct contact or proximity to organic materials in musical instruments. In an ongoing long-term survey, around 1260 musical instruments from 12 museum collections in eight European countries have been investigated to date. In 13.8% of the instruments, a contact corrosion phenomenon was observed. The affected instruments included all instrument families, independent of their provenance, production date or state of playability. There is a considerable risk for loss of material on stringed and keyboard instruments where steel strings corrode in contact with fabrics, leather, wood or plastic despite a controlled climate. Results from the survey will be continuously updated with a customised analysis tool available on a dedicated website, where further contributions are welcome via an online questionnaire. The survey identifies key materials which are specifically at risk, thus enabling prioritised conservation measures and more targeted conservation research.