Tunic display

[Marc Garlasco]

Gents,
I just got a tunic and I am displaying it on a manequin in my war room. Do I have to do anything special to keep it safe, besides keeping my kids away?
Thanks!
Marc

[Ralph P]

Marc - Good question. One thing I do when I am not showing my collection to others is to keep my maneguins covered with a sheet so nothing gets on them. Also, I use a cotton t-shirt between the manequin and tunic. Not sure if that does anything for protection, but gives me piece of mind. It will be interesting to read what others say or done with protecting their tunics on manequins.

Gents,
I just got a tunic and I am displaying it on a manequin in my war room. Do I have to do anything special to keep it safe, besides keeping my kids away?
Thanks!
Marc

[John Huff]

Light is the enemy to the long-term preservation of uniforms. Make darn sure you don't have any direct sunlight streaming in a window nearby -- and check this throughout the day. (may look fine at 10 A.M but bad at 4 P.M.). I actually black-out my windows in my display room with tape. I've seen a political tunic fade by about 3 shades lighter by being in a window for 6 months.

[blinky]

Ralph has a good idea. Unless it's a conservation mannequin you have to remember most of them weren't made for long term display. If they are foam or cardboard covered with cloth often times the glue holding the cloth in place can vent some fairly nasty gasses or even worse leach through the cloth and affect the garment. It's a good idea to have a separate body stocking or shirt between the garment and mannequin and it should be replaced at least once a year or given a good wash. In the grand scheme of things it's not a major concern but every little bit helps.

Another thing, make sure the mannequin form fits the tunic. Even a little tight can put a lot of stress on seams over time. Even if you end up with a mannequin that's too small you can always pad it out with a little ethafoam.

And as John said, light is a real killer. It's possible to reverse almost any other type of damage but fading.....nope. It even pays to watch what type of lighting you use in that room.

eric

[TJ Suter]

Everything mentioned so far is right on target. I don't cover my mannequins so I have to drag out the vacuum once every six months, put on the hose attachment, and vacuum off the dust.

[macki]

The biggest killer is sun lite
I my self have 55 mannequins set up in a room with windows blacked out
I never cover and I have filters on the lite's to keep the IF down from them
I use a soft and expensive finish paint brush to clean them
tried the vac but found it can and did do damage to some of the more fragile parts of a uniform

[David C]

Moths?

[bnz. 42]

Make darn sure you don't have any direct sunlight streaming in a window nearby -- and check this throughout the day.

My room, for example, never sees the light of day - blinds are dead-shut, plus I put a bed sheet on the window. It should work now

[Marc Garlasco]

I am buying a former missile silo in North Dakota. It will piss my wife off, but them's the breaks. I will become a troglodyte and never again gaze upon the fiery sun for fear of its damaging rays...

[blinky]

ahhh.....then you have to worry about dampness and mold.

For a couple of thousand bucks you could build a nice cinder block bunker without windows.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Moths?

Hi David, you can buy a product in the UK called "Raid". £2.99 for two packets. Most supermarkets stock it. It is a lavender based moth repellant with a insectacide. The smell is not unpleasant. These can be hung up or stood up on a shelf. I have these placed within cabinets for my caps and hung around the room in general. They last a few months.

I make sure I inspect all my items every few months.

Another important point is to inspect carefully and brush any new item introduced to your collection.

Cheers, Ade.

[Marc Garlasco]

Bush? In what way and what am I brushing away?
Marc

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Marc, in brushing the tunic you are getting rid of any dirt and dust and any possible insect pests

You can use a vac cleaner if you are very careful. I have done this in the past. But I once sucked the top off a British button off one of Lez's ATS Officers caps! I had to empty the hoover bag to find it!

Cheers, Ade.

[macki]

I check out under any over lay at seams and clean out any lint and dirt were the eggs like to hide .I also keep it in Guarantee for a week or two to make sure there is nothing living in it and give it a moth treatment
windows are blocked off with cardboard and shades so no lite at all gets in at all

[Marc Garlasco]

What is a moth treatment?