Connecting to Collections Care

Hello,

I work at a vehicle museum, and we have horse tack (reins, collars, buckles, saddles) that we are cleaning and treating the leather. Our plan is to keep the tack in long time storage. I have some questions: Should all the tack be stored flat? How often should the leather be treated if its in storage? What is the proper storage containers to use? Any additional information or advice is appreciated! Thank you!

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Felicia Schrader
Admin Assistant / Volunteer Coordinator / Archivist
Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles
Boyertown
United States
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Hi Felicia,

Thanks for reaching out to the C2C Care Community!  In general, avoiding sharp creases or tightly winding the reins is better for the leather, and adding tissue rolls to support curves or bends in the leather will help prevent creasing or breakage in the future. The general storage condition recommendations are to keep the temperature between 50-70F, avoiding sharp spikes of 10 degrees within a 24 hour period, and to keep the relative humidity between 40-60%. I've found a few additional resources for you for leather storage:

• The National Parks Service did a Conserv-o-Gram for a DIY saddle mount for storage that you may find of use.
• The Canadian Conservation Institute provides guidance on the care and storage of leather.
• The section on Storage and Display in Conservation of Leather and Related Materials by Marion Kite and Roy Thomson has a section on saddles and reins (attached).
• Ethafoam, Tyvek, acid free unbuffered tissue, polyester batting for supports can be found from conservation suppliers like Talas and Gaylord Archival. They also sell acid free cardboard boxes and trays for storage.

On the whole, the field has moved away from adding leather dressing to items as the fats and acids in the dressings can potentially cause issues later on. Once in storage, and if kept in consistent environmental conditions, items shouldn't need retreatment unless they've become dusty or degraded.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

All the best,

Liz

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Elizabeth Peirce
C2C Care Community Monitor 7/21-8/3
Conservator (Objects)
Library of Congress
Washington DC
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