在 - 的里面Monitor的炮塔有一系列薄的锻铁板，覆盖了一排排的坚果和螺栓，这些坚果和螺栓将炮塔装甲固定在一起。这些盘子的目的是防止螺母从螺栓上拆下，然后在战斗中遭受猛烈打击时在炮塔内飞行。盘子被称为坚果守卫，约为1/8^Th英寸厚的滚动铁板，几英尺宽，长几英尺，侧面像深饼干一样弯曲。每个饲养员都用盘子顶部和底部边缘附近的一对螺栓固定在适当的位置。坚果守卫后面的空间充满了泥泞的沉积物，而Monitor坐在海底。

最近的一个螺母警卫被撤the turret so that the sediment could be carefully removed. The plate was then isolated in a small treatment tank where it underwent desalination. The nut guard did not fare well in the ocean because the plate is made of relatively thin wrought iron sheet. Numerous holes have rusted through the sheet and the curved edges are very fragile. It has been soaking in a pH 12 sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution while undergoing mild electrolytic reduction. The chloride level extracted into the solution has been stable for several weeks. On Tuesday we changed the solution one last time. We also washed away quite a bit of soft surface rust and corrosion flakes in the process. The surface looks surprisingly good after having spent a hundred and forty years on the bottom of the ocean. Conservators are now soaking the artifact for about two more weeks prior to rinsing the artifact to remove residual sodium hydroxide. The artifact will then be removed from its rinse and then dried. The next challenge is to create a supportive mount to store and display this heavy but very fragile artifact.