Susanne- From my own experience I have found that any humid environment just trashes bridles. The metal corrodes at an astonishing rate. I would keep these items in the dry storage (preferably about 55% rh to keep from totally drying out the leather).  I would wax the bridles with a waterproofing wax made especially for leather to keep it from cracking. Beeswax can be applied to metal, too, to protect against corrosion. This would probably work for the shield too, but perhaps you should ask a conservator just to be sure. You can contact the American Institute for Conservation at http://aic.stanford.edu. Good luck!

-Janna

>From: susanne c jost <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Conservation of leather/skin with metal
>Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 00:32:03 +0100
>
>Does anybody has experience in the conservation of shields made
>mainly of leather/rhino-skin with parts of metal?
>We have two storage rooms in our museum, one with dry, one with
>humid climate (both about 25 degree celsius). The shields are part
>of
>a collection from Central Asia dating from the late 19th, early
>20iest century.
>We do not have much experience with the material of hardened skin
>and
>leather and are also concerned about the metal applications (if
>stored in
>the humid section). I would be grateful for any suggestions on what
>would
>be best for them.
>There are also other items in the collection where we find it hard
>to make
>a decision since they feature a combination of leather and metal
>(e.g. bridles).
>
>Thanks for your advices in advance
>
>Su
>
>
>
>--
>*******************************************************
>Susanne C Jost
>Social Anthropologist (Lic.Phil., MSc by Research)
>
>BERNISCHES HISTORISCHES MUSEUM
>Ethnographic Collection
>Helvetiaplatz 5
>CH-3000 Bern 6
>SWITZERLAND
>
>[log in to unmask]
>
>*******************************************************
>
>=========================================================
>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).

Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: Click Here
========================================================= 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).