Leather chaps

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We have a pair of leather chaps that are causing me some
conservation concern... Hopefully someone can help.

The chaps were worn in the 1920s in Saskatchewan and have been well
used. They are medium brown colored, with intricate designs in the
waist belt. The outside of the legs on the chaps have been decorated
with (buffalo?) hair, and although some of it has obviously been
sewn on as a fringe, much of it is either original hair or has been
imbedded into the hide very naturally. Some of the balding patches
have unfortunately been replaced with black yarn which has been
glued to the hide. The legs of the chaps are beginning to crack and
lose their hair. The inside of the chaps are lined with canvas and
machine stitched. At the waist and along the seams there are metal
studs and buckles, some of which have corroded and stained the
leather. There are no signs of infestation, mould, or red rot.

I plan to surface clean the leather, support it with Fome-Cor, to
wrap the buckles in tissue to separate them from leather as much as
possible, and to store in a large plastic bag within a textiles box.

Any suggestions regarding coatings for the metal, leather
treatments, and possible removal of glue and yarn. Also, should the
chaps be frozen (we have no fumigation hood)?

Krista Cooke
Curator
Sam Waller Museum
Box 185, The Pas, Manitoba R9A 1K4
Fax: 204-623-5506

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:22
               Distributed: Thursday, September 30, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-22-017
                                  ***