Leather

Mary Miller <memiller<-a t->umn< . >edu> writes

>One our special collections staff asked about yellow stains on
>contemporary white leather furniture.
>
>The furniture (which is functional, not an exhibit piece), is
>exposed to light, but not direct sunlight. But yellowing occurs in
>spots, rather than all over.  To the best of our knowledge, the
>stains aren't the result of spills.

It is hard not seeing the object, but, having looked at the photos,
a few questions come to mind: is the sofa near any vent?  This could
be a reaction with the leather dye and an outlet of some kind.

Another possibility is that I see some very dark wood going into the
sofa.  Can the zip be opened to investigate?  The stains seem to
follow a possible timber frame for a sofa, especially at the zip, it
is worth a look and could be down to contact with the wood, or a
finish on the wood.

It is also worth investigating the verso of the leather to see what
is going on in the actual construction of the leather cover. Perhaps
some adhesive or strengthener has been used that is now degrading,
although this would not explain the central round stains.  I hope
this helps, but in any case, I look forward to the solution.

Isabelle Egan
Conservator of Art on Paper


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 28:3
                  Distributed: Tuesday, June 24, 2014
                        Message Id: cdl-28-3-002
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