Well founded difference of opinion?
Lifted from military trader
http://www.militarytrader.com/military-t...at-and-humidityMilitaria preservation: More than heat and humidity
By: Peter Suciu
Even with acid-free cases and inert materials, there are other factors that can play havoc with collectibles. These are heat and, far worse, the humidity. This is especially true for leather goods. The problem is that most leather goods are only designed to last for a short period. Those vintage German Pickelhauben (spiked helmets) were actually intended to be replaced in a few years. Little consideration (if any) was given towards their future value.
Heat in itself isn’t that bad, at least in normal conditions that you’d consider comfortable. No item should be stored in harsh winter conditions, such as in an unheated cabin. Generally it isn’t so much the heat but rather the humidity. This is especially true in the eastern half of the country, where humidity can be quite high in the summer months. Humidity over 60 percent can cause leather goods to start to rot, so it is best to maintain a constant humidity below a relative humidity of 60 percent.
Where many collectors can only agree to disagree is in how to preserve old leather. The best advice is that if the leather is already soft and pliable to do nothing. Leather that is in good shape should just be properly stored. If, however, the leather is dry and old that is another issue. While some swear by various treatments such as Pecards, there are just as many who say to never use any treatment, as the “cure” can be worse for the disease over time. The fact is, most leather treatments were designed to keep leather soft for daily use, but not intended to “preserve” the leather for the long haul. So, use at your own discretion. Better yet, don’t use it at all.
Beyond the quality of the leather, and the materials used to preserve the items, there is the issue of air quality. The first thing to know—despite what the various commercials and infomercials tend to recommend—air purifiers really aren’t necessary if the air quality is already good. Collectibles don’t do well even with “fresh” air, which can contain dirt, pollen and pollution. Keep them away from smoke, food and even cleaning products.
LEATHER DRESSINGS DEVALUE RELICS
Dear MT:
I wish to applaud D.L. Adams for the “Caring for Leather” article in the April 2008 issue of MT. As a collector, I was once an ardent believer in treating leather with Pecard and other leather dressing. As someone who has been a full-time dealer in militaria for the last 10 years, however, I have seen the error of my ways!
Accoutrements and helmets that were owned and cared for by collectors who simply made sure that they were stored and displayed properly, remain in nice condition and tend to be a valuable investment. Items that were owned by collectors who were convinced that they could reverse the aging process by applying various leather ‘treatments,’ tend to be artificially dark, dirty, sticky and in overall less-desirable condition. More often than not, other items in a collection will also exhibit damage suffered just from proximity to ‘treated’ leather.
Whenever I am buying a collection, the first thing I look for are the tell-tale signs of amateur conservation treatments, especially on leather. These collections tend to be far less valuable than comparable collections that were not subjected to these treatments, and I make my buying decisions accordingly.
Whoever is marketing eather dressings to the collecting community should be held liable for their role in causing significant damage to once-vaulable artifacts. I strongly encourage all collectors who are using these products to stop immediately. You have been misled, and your collections have paid the price.
—Jeff Shrader
Advance Guard Militaria
And still more from military trader
http://www.militarytrader.com/mailcallMail Call or john.adams-graf@fwpubs.com :
Thank you, Jeff. You have certainly put a “dollar and sense” twist to the discussion.
Like you, I once slathered leather dressings liberally on my collection. However, after completing my training to become a museum professional, I saw the error of my ways. What I perceived as “preserving leather” was actually destroying it! Sure, it looked pretty, felt “moist” and gave me a sense of well-being, but none of that counteracted the science of applying dressings to historic leather. To hear from a dealer, though, that he would pay less for an item that had been treated with a leather dressing than he would for an item that had not, is a pretty good reason for folks to stop destroying their collections!
I realize many are passionate about what they perceive the “conservation value” of treating leather with “miracle dressings.” Therefore, I thought it might be useful for them to see what the National Park Service, Library of Congress and conservation professionals in the United Kingdom have to say on the topic:
“Unfortunately, the application of dressings can produce unexpected and serious problems for conserving the leather. While dressings may improve overall appearance, current research indicates that these oils and lubricants are not effective in preserving leather.”
From: “The Degradation and Conservation of Leather” by Vicki Dirksen, Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies, No. 3, November 1997
Online at:
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/jcms/issue3/dirksen.html#ref16“Leather dressings were at one time thought to be useful in extending the life of leather bindings. Experience has shown, however, that its benefit is primarily cosmetic and that the use of leather dressing by someone without professional expertise, does more harm than good. Studies have shown that leather dressings can cause the leather to dry out over time. Dressed leather may become stiff, and will be accompanied by darkening of the surface or staining. If too much dressing is applied, or if it is applied too frequently, the surface of the leather may become sticky and attract dust.”
From: “Leather Dressing,” published by the Library of Congress
Online at:
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/leather.html“It is evident that the dressing of leather is a popular and well established procedure, yet there is a fair amount of experimental and practical evidence that suggests it has little or no effect on leather’s rate of deterioration. The regular dressing of leather is hard to justify in terms of conservation principles since it has little or no preservative effect when applied in a customary uncalculated manner and there are so many potentially dangerous side effects.”
From: “Leather Dressing: To Dress or Not to Dress” published in Conserv O Gram, no. 9/1, July 1993, by the National Park Service.
Online at:
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/09-01.pdfAnd finally, the National Park Service’s directive to all of its museums says it short and sweet:
“Avoid the use of leather dressings on museum objects.”
From: “National Park Service Museum Handbook (Part I), Appendix S: Curatorial Care of Objects Made From Leather and Skin Products.”
Online at:
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/MHI/Appendix%20S.pdf I only provide this info because I agree with it so wholeheartedly because of my personal experience with old leather!
blairbunker
GDC Gold #0238
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