Leather chariot cover

I am beginning the process of stabilising a large group of leather
fragments from an Egyptian chariot cover. It is oil tanned goat skin
with painted red and green painted grain surface decoration. When
tested, the pH was found to be low at around pH 3 and dangerously
sensitive to water. The purpose of conservation treatment is to
stabilise and rehouse the terribly fragile leather and if possible
to unfold some very creased up fragments to allow it to be studied
and drawn. Ultimately we hope to create a to-scale copy of the
chariot cover which can be displayed alongside some of the original
fragments.

I have found that Klucel G 1% in ethanol consolidates the powdery
flesh surface very effectively without darkening. However, the
leather becomes stiffer following consolidation which is not a
favourable property when I wish to remove creases from a fragment.
Both pre and post-consolidation, I have been placing the leather in
an ethanol saturated environmental chamber to try to soften the
fibres. This does soften the leather slightly to allow some
manipulation and unfolding but the technique is not especially
effective. Any suggestions for alternative consolidants or treatment
to strengthen the leather without stiffening it, and a more
effective technique for unfolding the leather without using water
(humidifying would I believe be fatal for the degraded leather),
would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, just to make it even more challenging, I am also restricted
to working on this material within Egypt and have limited access to
resources and materials.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:21
                 Distributed: Monday, October 24, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-25-21-010
                                  ***