A simple accelerated corrosion test has been used by museums for over 20 years to evaluate the suitability of showcase construction materials for use with artifacts. The authors report the stages of investigation which led to the development of a revised method for the so-called Oddy test . Two interlaboratory comparisons, supported by experimental work, showed that a consistent method must be used in order to achieve reproducible results. A standard procedure for the Oddy test is presented.