Open Forum

I just received a large donation of military uniforms and was wondering if I could get advice on two issues:

1. Two of the WWII Army Air Force Officer Service caps have conservation issues:  the plastic lining inside the top of one is discolored and "sweating" (not brittle yet but well on its way) and the patent leather(?) bill on the other is soft and gooey in small sections.  It almost looks as if something may have been spilled on it as there is a thin line where this is occurring and there is one tiny section of loss which increases with the lightest touch of one's fingernail.

I don't have time to address repairing these issues at this time.  Can anyone suggest mitigation and best storage solutions?  Also, should these items be separated from other items?  What should I be watching out for?

2. As a general rule, how are uniform pins and badges addressed?  Being a different material, the logical solution is to separate them but I'd rather not as, even if I document what it looks like thoroughly, chances are they will never be placed back the same again.  Is there a barrier that should be placed between them like tissue or tyvek or are they usually just stored in situ?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions! 

------------------------------
Dana Neitzel
Curator
San Mateo County Historical Association
Redwood City CA
------------------------------

Hi Dana,

Your best bet on both issues would probably be to talk to a textile conservator.  Certainly that's where you would get the best advice on the plastic/patent leather issue.  The patent leather may also be a plasticizer problem; I've had patent leather on shoes from the 1930s get sticky too, and my advice would be to make sure the visor does not touch anything else. Tissue will probably stick to it, so you would want to use something else to isolate it--perhaps something like mylar, though a conservator would be a better judge of that than I am.   Or, if you can, you might consider just putting it into a lidded, acid-free box and not wrapping it in anything, so nothing touches the visor.  

A conservator is also probably the best source for an assessment of any condition issues connected with leaving the pins and badges in situ.  As a curator, I agree with you that it's preferable to leave them in place for historic and interpretive reasons but depending on what they are made from, there could be some inherent vice issues.

There is an excellent freelance textile conservator in the South Bay; If you want to email me offline (melissa@curatrix.net)I will be happy to connect you with her.
------------------------------
Melissa Leventon
Principal

Curatrix Group
San Francisco CA
------------------------------

Hi Dana:

For the hat liner at least, it sounds like what is happening is that the plasticizer is leaching out of the plastic. I don't know enough about patent leather to say what's happening there. Once the plasticizer starts to migrate, there is nothing to be done as far as treatment.  Disintegrating plastics can off-gas some really nasty stuff (vinyl for instance can off-gas hydrochloric acid), so I'd store them on open shelving so whatever it's throwing out can dissipate into the air.  You should find a place where you can separate it so the chemicals it's off-gassing won't start affecting other artifacts. I'd also keep it in a cool, dry environment because heat and high humidity can make the problem worse.

Best of luck with everything, and have a great Friday!

Geoff

------------------------------
Geoffrey Woodcox
Assistant Curator of Collections
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Bismarck ND
------------------------------

Dana, I agree with Geoff in general; the plastic bits (including the patent leather, which is a plastic in this case) are becoming more and more unstable, and there is nothing that will stop that. I have seen similar things in military collections, and it's not pretty. My suggestion for storage would be to box up the hats, possibly with a window-top box from Hollinger, so you can check on things without opening up the box or handling the artifact. Yes, containing the products of decomposition may hasten the demise of the hat, but in my opinion that is better than letting it out into the open, where it might affect other objects. 

As for the pins and badges, there is a good chance that corrosion may develop, and it is likely to happen where the items touch the uniform fabric, though it could occur anywhere. The only way to prevent that for certain is to remove the pins and badges from the uniform; with careful documentation, there should be no problem putting them back, if you decide to exhibit the uniform. You can form an isolating layer with thin mylar between the medal, ribbon, etc. and the uniform fabric, but the pin itself will still be in contact with the fabric, so that is only a partial remedy.

Best,

Bruce

------------------------------
Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus
Newport Restoration Foundation
Newport RI
------------------------------