I wanted to bounce this idea off of the more experienced collectors here and get an idea of it's merits. I collect USMC, and while the field uniforms are cotton HBT, the dress uniforms are wool. I keep the uniforms in a cedar wardrobe cabinet with a few cedar blocks in the bottom of the cabinet to bathe the uniforms in their fumes. I haven't noticed a problem yet, what do you think? Thanks in advance.
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Ah - the war on moths. I've had a fair amount of experience in this, both in the museum field and as a collector and seller of wool uniforms ("moth bait").
Cedar is great - I lined my office in it where I have my collection on display. It smells wonderful and looks nice. It is not, however, a cure for moths. Aromatic cedar, tobacco leaves, mothballs, and all of the other preventatives are really just deterrents. The moths do not particularly like the smell, so they will (sometimes but not always) search out an easier target.
Back when I believed in the power of mothballs, I used to seal uniforms up in trunks with plenty of them thrown in. Uniforms that went in clean came out clean. Uniforms that went in with hidden moth eggs came out with big holes in them. In fact, we once had a stuffed horse that we noticed had a few moths on it. I sealed it in doomsday plastic with enough mothballs to preserve all of Scotland. When we opened it up about a year later, the moths flew out of the horse like winged monkeys pouring out of the wicked witch's castle.
Later, I learned that in spite of all of the folk remedies, there are only two ways to get rid of an active problem. If you freeze potentially infested material and then let it heat up after a few days, you trick hidden eggs into reacting to a season change and hatching. Then BAM! Back into the freezer. You can't hurt them until after they hatch, so you have to trick the little buggers out. I normally repeat the process a couple of times just to be sure.
The other method is chemical. We have a professional come and treat our office and warehouse a couple of times a year. It is A LOT easier to prevent a problem than it is to solve one that has already 'hatched.' Well worth the small expense of $$ and big expense of time (everything has to be moved so that they can get the stuff everywhere.) Fortunately, the chemical they use is safe for humans and house pets.
Prevention is the real key. Keep your house CLEAN. A dirty house means food, and once they are in they are hard to get rid of. Use the vacuum cleaner regularly on all carpeted surfaces. You also want to get your uniforms out and inspect them regularly. A good 'tripwire' are pheremone traps available from www.insectslimited.com. They attract (males, females - one or the other) to a sticky trap. If you see moths in the trap, then you know it is time to call in an airstrike.
The worst problems that I normally see in this business is where someone has felt the need to have every item in his collection out on display all the time. Once the uniforms are on mannequins, they tend to blend into the scenery and get ignored for a long time. When you inspect them, you often find heavy damage under belts, equipment, pockets, etc. that the owner had no idea was occurring.
A better plan is to keep some of your collection on display, and the rest sealed up in storage. Rotate your items out once every couple of months - changing your display. This keeps items sealed up and out of harms way most of the time, but more importantly gets you to look at the items on display as well as those in storage regularly and you can catch a problem early instead of after a bunch of damage has been done.
When you get something new in, treat it like a trojan horse. Do not put it in the collection until it has made several trips through the freezer. New uniforms are guilty until proven innocent!
Remember: If you rely on moth balls or cedar to protect you and do not follow a good preventative maintenance program, do not be too surprised when you open your cedar closet one day and see moths circling like a squadron of tiny brown Corsairs in the landing stack!
Good luck. Let me know if you have any trouble and I will be glad to help as much as possible. -
Excellent post. Another issue with displaying tunics out in the open is the dust-factor. I have had my Marine Officer Dress Blues on display in my home office, and I recently noticed it'd become quite dirty. I took it to be dry-cleaned, and it looks good as new. Unfortunately, you shouldn't do the same for a 3rd Reich era tunic. If you don't like big display cases, consider getting one of those air purifiers for your collection room. It will keep the dust down.Comment
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Outstanding thread with some valuable information for the collecting community. Thanks...
Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't dare express themselves as we did. Quote - Sophie Scholl - White Rose resistance groupComment
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I agree, great stuff. I need a bigger freezer, now!Comment
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And I thought all I needed a bigger collection room...but like you said in your last post...it's now a freezer too...
Originally posted by ParamarineSomebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't dare express themselves as we did. Quote - Sophie Scholl - White Rose resistance groupComment
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textile conservation handbooks
nice to see a well thought-out exchange on a good topic
you might also check out:
Bachmann, Konstanze, ed. Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Curators and Collectors. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.
Mailand, Harold F. Considerations for the Care of Textiles and Costumes: A Handbook for the Non-Specialist. Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1980.
tcComment
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TC - Thanks for posting the two books about preservation and your comments...
Originally posted by echoeSomebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't dare express themselves as we did. Quote - Sophie Scholl - White Rose resistance groupComment
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Intresting information Jeff! What temperature is effective to freeze your cloths in and for how long? And when you take them out and heat them up...is room temperature (20 degree Clesisus) enough? Or do you need a tourch?
No...serious. There just came in a couple of jackets and uniforms. So I am very interested how to prevent an outbreak. I appreciate it if you can answer my questions.
Thanks,
FransComment
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HI-
I know some of you may scream, but I just got off the phone with one of the textile conservators at the Museum of the City of New York. She gets old items dry cleaned by a guy in New York whose business is called Museum Quality.
http://www.mcny.org/
So I guess the Pros do get items dry cleaned....not sure what to think???Last edited by AZartman; 03-03-2006, 04:01 PM.Comment
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Don't dry clean these items!Comment
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Are wool eating larvae moths a problem in Scotland (where I live) or is it more of a problem with overseas species?Comment
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Greetings,
I've worked with both the US Army Quartermaster Museum at Ft. Lee in Va as well as the Confederate Air Force Museum (Slaton Wing) in Texas and will agree with Jeff that prevention (and chemical spraying) are the keys to preservation. Cedar and mothballs DETER pests but DO NOT kill. Easy enough. I know alot of folks want to remain "green" but there is no better regular substitute for eliminating moth and silverfish.
The freezing method is a must for any new additions of the cloth variety to your collection. This is not limited to uniforms and headgear. I noticed someone asked about the "warm-up" process. Room temperature and then back in the freezer after a few hours (unless you live in Milwaukee, then just hang it in the garage in February for a few days
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I've been working with a textile conservationist on a "best methods" technique for the past three years in the Mid-west and currently our assesment is controlled environment is the best medicine. Preferably dry (but not TOO dry) and cool. It inhibits, larvae growth and incubation and with the exception of spiders (who boogie on when there's no food source) most of the multi-leg exoskeleton-type creatures avoid this environment.
I also read a question about dusty, dirty uniforms on display. A nice, cotton bed sheet will help remedy this problem (but not entirely). I agree with Jeff in that if you want to display, consider rotating items keeping in mind , though, that everytime you stretch and button/unbutton a tunic or zip/unzip a flight jacket you are causing stress and wear. Overkill? Probably on a nifty Nomex flight jacket from the 70's but certainly not on a French tailored WWI US Army officers tunic.
On dry cleaning, I've seen a nice service jacket ruined by dry cleaning. Sometimes items are best left alone or cleaned by the old fashioned method of brushing. While contrary to my "nuke the bastards" diatribe regarding bugs, dry cleaning solution comes in direct contact with fibers. Sometimes you're better off running a heavily soiled garment under a cold shower flow rather than treating it. (sometimes; experience dictates). You ALWAYS run the risk of loosing color no mater the cleaning method so weight the risks.
Anyways, just my two cents. Everyone has prefered methods and every piece of textile is different. Bottom line: freeze it Jeff's method is best.
PeteComment
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Does anyone use clear plastic suit bags ? I found some at Walmart, but they are not clear enough! (opaque)Comment
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I collect wool and felt pennants and I have found the freezing method is best. I put them into freezer bags and remove the air, a bit impractical with larger items. Seems to keep the blighters at bay, none have any more damage than when I first received them.
Regards;
JohnsyComment
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