The Alaska State Museum in its efforts to preserve and exhibit the heritage of the Tlingit and Haida Indians enlisted the aid of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison Wisconsin. After the moisture content of the wood had been gradually reduced to about 16-17% it was desired to devise an effective consolidant to preserve the fragile surfaces of the carvings. A solution containing a number of compounds (including preservatives, water repellants, resins and waxes) in a mineral spirits solvent has successfully met the short-term trials. The process is reversible, produces minimal discoloration and preserves the lichen and moss growths which were on the totem poles at the original site.