An arctic sealskin float: To inflate or not to inflate

Abstract

A sealskin float, an important part of the equipment of the Arctic hunter, had been identified for display in new ethnographic galleries at Liverpool Museum. It was believed that the deflated float would be more easily understood if inflated. To allow an informed decision about this proposal it was necessary to determine whether such floats were traditionally kept deflated or inflated between use; the identity of the sticky, shiny substance on the surface of this float had to be investigated; methods needed to be found that would sufficiently soften the skin to allow inflation. A discussion based on these findings then took place to decide if such drastic changes to an object could be ethically justified. After addressing these issues it was decided to inflate the float. This was achieved by softening the skin by immersion in 10% industrial methylated spirits (IMS) in water for 24 hours, which did not result in excessive loss of the surface deposit that had proved to be original oils. Immersion was followed by inflation with compressed air and controlled drying.