Iron corrosion in leather boot

Valerie Tomlinson <vtomlinson<-a t->aucklandmuseum< . >com> writes

>Andrew Hawley <manticle<-a t->hotmail< . >com> write
>
>>I am working out some treatment options for a leather boot found
>>under the site of a small heritage centre during construction. ...
>
>Archaeological leather often is excavated wet or damp, and ideally
>is not dried out until treated. ...

Thank you for your advice.  The boot was found some time ago and is
completely dried. The client does not have a large budget so I will
test with a magnet as suggested.  If there is no metallic iron
present, I will likely just consolidate the remaining corroded areas
to prevent further loss.  The centre does have some limited
environmental control but anoxic display would not be a viable
option for them.  At best, I could create a microclimate using
silica gel within the display case to further control the humidity..

Depending on other suggestions, the simple consolidation and
display/storage seems like the most sensible route given the
client's budget and expectations.

Andrew


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:28
                 Distributed: Saturday, January 4, 2014
                       Message Id: cdl-27-28-003
                                  ***