I guess I will weigh in again here and say that back in the late 80s and
early 90s I did a lot of work on determining how to preserve harness in
a museum.  
Some of the points I remember that were made by conservators were:
1. Never use neatsfoot oil, it is acid and will eat the stitching
2. Use something that is Ph neutral to clean and preserve, at that time
the best was Lexol cleaner and Lexol conditioner (does not mean there
are not others on the market now.
3. Try not to let it dry out too much or get moldy.
4. Try not to get metal polishes onto the leather - it can cause damage.
(Users will tell you this too.)
When I find the report I did then for the four museums I did them for, I
will try to send out an update if people want that on what I found then
There may have been new discoveries since then on what is the best
procedure but the harness I did then, at least at one place, is still
doing really well and looks great.
Hope this helps. 
Joan Goodbody
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Randy Hees
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 7:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Horse Harness storage


Be aware, there is a significant difference between the way you as a 
museum would care for harness,  and the way a user would care for the 
same harness.  You are (most likely) no longer using the harness as 
intended, and are planning on keeping it for many many years as a 
display or educational artifact.  A user is planning on placing it over 
a horse and using it to transmit force.  In the process of doing so it 
will be exposed to moisture, salt, and wear.  The user will care it by 
frequent cleaning, and treatment with a variety of concoctions, meant to

extend its usable life.  When it fails a user will patch it as needed.  
When it becomes too fragile for use a user will throw it away or just 
hang it in a barn where some years later it will be donated to a
museum....

Look to a conservator rather than a user for advice....

Randy Hees
Patterson House at Ardenwood Historic Farm

(Who uses harness...  )

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail
message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should
read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read
"Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).