Mould on leather

[Mat Holloway]

Hi all
looking for some advice on a couple of leather items i recently bought.
The items are a dispatch case and a belt, both have a light mould on them in places but are not perished. What should i do with them? just give them a wipe clean or preserve them with something?
i have recently bought a dehumidifier and hygrometer for my collection room so dont want anything damp in there!
cheers
matt

[Paul R.]

Matt. First of all you made a wise choice on the purchase of a dehumidifer. It will save you a lot of headaches for future problems down the road. Second never treat any leather items with cleaners or preservators dispite any claims as a mircile cure. Take the leather items outside on a bright and sunny day. Get a clean cotton cloth and start to wipe of the mold. Every inch or two turn the cloth in to itself (containing the mold spores in the rag. When wiping the mold is completed. Lay the items outdoors on a windy sunny day for several days. keep an watch on it
This will help rid the items of mold. Mold hates sun, and wind. It may take several days to make a difference Paul

[Paul R.]

Hi Matt, I forgot to add this to my last thread. Wear lytex gloves use them once for this job only. You don't want to spread this stuff around. Paul

[Mat Holloway]

cheers paul
mind you getting a sunny day or 2 in england can take some doing!

[ChrisCook]

Mold

I have been told that a light wipe with white vinegar will kill the mold without harming leather? Has anyone heard of this. Also, I've thought about radiating the mold spores, wondering out loud if radiation would kill them off. I'm an Xray tech, so no problem with being able to do that, just haven't tried it. Chris...

[Paul R.]

Hi Chris, The mold fungi can cause loss of protein in leather, and paper material. It can cause them to absorb water more easily. These growths can result in scattered spots, known as foxing, on paper prints or drawings. On leather it can cause a ghosting effect. Fungi can also eat the epidermis layer of leather. Leather is particularly susceptible to mold fungi, and can be stained and weakened by it.
I am not a fan of vinegar. Vinegar is a acid and can further damage leather by asorbing it to the leather. I have used ultavilot and it was okay, but still was a slow process. I have not personally used radiation but some museums have. The first thing to do is drop that RH factor and get some air moving around the items. Paul

[ChrisCook]

Mold

What about this product, and by the way this company offers quite a bit of products....
http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catal...roductID=17166

I was told that Talas is the supplier of conservation materials to the Smithsonian, don't know if that is true, but??? Chris...

[Paul R.]

Chris, Thanks for that link. As a conservator I have use that company for many of my conservation needs. However getting back to the mold issue at hand. There is no product out there on the market that will stop mold growth 110% unles you lower the humidity.The mold has a source to grow on, and that most likely 70% of anyones collection. The mold fungi has a feeding source, and that's is leather, wood, cloth, paper, cardboard.
You can not chemically treat, or wish mold fungi away from your collection. You may want to concider the way in witch you are storing your items. Like the room that they are in, boxes, wood cabinates, musty basement, old carpeting, and humidity. Remember not one product is 100 safe. It could cause further damage like a more rapid deteroration of a leather item Paul