the unmesser dresser

Artifact cleaning is slow.

How can we make it faster, without damaging artifacts?

the research

we talked with experts

In the UNEARTHED season, FIRST asked us to identify a problem faced by archaeologists, and develop an innovative solution.

So we reached out to archaeologists in our area to understand problems faced in archaeology, and they helped us identify several problem areas.

Paige Bump

Outreach Coordinator

Kansas Historical Society Archaeological Department

Kevin Cupka Head

Director of Archaeological Research

Missouri State University

we chose a topic

learned about it

and dug a little deeper

then we tried it ourselves

We visited the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka, KS and cleaned real Native American artifacts using toothbrushes.

We couldn't believe they do this for every single artifact that comes in. It could take days to clean what they find at a single dig site!

That means archaeologists are using a LOT of their valuable time and resources on cleaning. We wanted to find a way to help.

designing and prototyping

we DREW UP SOME IDEAS

cARCHAEOLOGY WASH

We thought something like a car wash could work, where artifacts move down a conveyor belt. But it would be big and expensive, and would be hard to fit inside a small archaeology lab.

It had an awesome name, but the solution had some flaws.

a system of cleaning drawers

We had an idea to make it smaller, by putting all of the cleaning functions inside drawers. Each drawer had its own function. This wouldn't work well for large artifacts, but we learned that 80% of artifacts are smaller than 12" x 12".

So this idea could make a big impact for small artifacts!

then we started building

SOLUTION

We listened and learned. We tested and iterated. And we came up with a solution we're really proud of.

tHE uNMESSER dRESSER

A 3-drawer artifact cleaning system.

It's portable, and can be easily transported to a dig sites. It even has wheels so it can be easily moved around.
It's efficient. All 3 drawers can be used at the same time, so the archaeologist can work with 3 sets of artifacts at once.
It's inexpensive. The whole system would costs a few hundred dollars. If you consider how much time archaeologists are spending cleaning artifacts by hand, this is a great savings!
It's battery-powered, so it can be used at a dig site or in a lab.
It's modular. The drawers can be swapped out for other types of cleaning drawers. We've discussed making a drawer for electrolytic rust removal, or one that is oxygen-free to store very delicate artifacts. An archaeologist can customize the drawers for their needs at a particular dig site.

The Air Cleaning Drawer uses a battery-operated air blower, and a tube with holes to move air quickly around the drawer, blowing off dirt.

The Drying Drawer uses built-in CPU fans to dry artifacts quickly but safely.

The Ultrasonic Cleaning Drawer uses sound waves traveling through water to gently clean artifacts.

The Strainer can be hinged opened or closed to make it more compact. It can be used for pre-washing artifacts.

feedback

We called Paige Bump and Kevin Cupka Head back to show them our solution, and to see if it's something they thought would help them.

They loved our design and said it would definitely be useful!

Kevin had the idea to make it modular, so it could be customized with different cleaning methods for a particular site. He loved that they could get started at the dig site, so they can see what kinds of artifacts they're working with even earlier.

Paige Bump

"This would definitely be a lot faster than what we're doing now. I think you guys nailed it."

Kevin Cupka Head

"This is so cool! I'm going to tell all of my colleagues about it."

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