Carrie,

    I'm sorry for not replying sooner, but I have been out of town. Your
problem is a difficult one, especially for objects such as the chaps
which can be very heavy and be difficult to grab, especially if not in
good condition. You have not said whether this is a temporary show or
long term exhibit, but you will need to consider this as the longer
things will be on display, the better the mounts should be for the
safety of the objects. Short term displays, especially if in the open
air, can get by with materials which are less conservationally
acceptable from an off gassing perspective.
    I find the best substrate for clothing mounts to be 2" plank
Ethafoam (polyethylene), especially that of heavier densities. It's main
disadvantage is that it can be spendy and difficult to come by in a
place like Cheyenne. Check with places that supply insulation for
possible sources. It is easy to carve with a heavy snap-blade type
utility knife or the old style electric carving knife (usually available
for cheap at thrift stores). It can be built up using hot melt glue.
This is then covered with a layer of Polyester batting and a layer of
cotton knit fabric such as t-shirt interlock knit which can be secured
by slitting the underside of the foam and tucking the fabric into it.
This all gives wide areas of support and a bit of "tooth" to help keep
stress off of shoulder seams and the like. Wood reinforcements can be
hot glued in place for attachment of hanging hardware. Don't depend on
the strength of the glue bond for hanging, rather place reinforcements
inside or under the structure.  If your exhibit is not long term, you
might be able to use Blue board type insulation foam, but it is harder
and more brittle and of more questionable suitability from a
conservation point of view. Always have a barrier layer in place over
any material.
    The chaps are a bigger problem to support. I just finished a mount
on a set of heavy fleece style chaps and was able to use the belt for
support as it was in good condition. I would recommend cutting an
appropriate sized oval form from plywood and padding the contact
surfaces. You can build up the upper surface with a thick layer of
Ethafoam (2") and carve it to taper inward to give the belt something to
tighten around. This will put a lot of stress on the garment, so only do
this if all stitching is sound. If possible, you should also provide a
hooking device for the lower edge of the belt, especially where it joins
the leggings. These should be as wide as possible to spread the load.
You could make them out of 1/4" plex bent with a heat gun and then
screwed to your substrate. Plex is ok for object contact, but all other
materials should have some sort of barrier layer.
    Hanging the garments can work well, but swinging is a problem. Don't
rule out supporting from below. Copper pipe, conduit, and other bendable
metal pipes can do a good job if painted black and placed to run
through legs or in their shadow. Supports coming from the wall can also
lie in the visual shadow and be quite unobtrusive. Simple welding of
support brackets such as a plate with two posts sized to mate with the
pipe can be reasonably priced and may even be gotten as a donation. Take
stock of your volunteers and see who has special skills and/or
connections you can use. Above all, if you make it as inconspicuous as
possible, the eye will accept it and focus on the garment.
    I hope this helps a little. Please feel free to call if I can answer
any more questions for you.

Jamie Hascall
Mountmaker
Hascall Museum Services
3052 15th Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
206-352-0728

Hello!

I am the registrar at a smallish museum, and somehow got roped into
doing an
exhibit featuring historic rodeo wear (!). We are temporarily without an

exhibit designer, so I your need help!

My biggest problem is mounts. The objects are shirts, skirts, pants, and

chaps. ...Final details: This is supposed to be up by May 1 (ha!) and we
have a slew of
construction volunteers, but very tiny budget. Buying anything
prefabricated
is taboo.

I will be EXTREMELY grateful for any suggestions on- or off- list.
Thanks!

Carrie Beauchamp
CFD Old West Museum
Cheyenne

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