Hi Linda,
I would highly recommend that you get in touch with an archaeological
conservator in the area where the excavation is occurring - is it in
California where you are located? It does not sound from your description
that you have very damp leather, but it should be slowly dried as you are
doing. There will be shrinkage, how much depends on how degraded the
leather is and how quickly it is drying. You can measure the leather
periodically to monitor this (two stainless steel pins placed in the
leather a good distance apart and the distance between them measured with
calipers), and you could use a moisture meter to measure.

The pelts can become quite stiff afterwards. The heavily charred leather
may be very fragile as well.

Regards,
Claudia


*Claudia Chemello MSc.(Cons), FAIC*
Co-founder | Senior Conservator
Terra Mare Conservation LLC
Charleston, SC USA
+ 1 734 358-4854
[log in to unmask]
Follow us on Instagram! <https://www.instagram.com/terramareconservation/>

Coordinator ICOM-CC Metals Working Group
www.icom-cc.org



On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 9:46 PM, Pentney, Sandra P <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Linda,
> How the leather gets treated depends on what you want to be able to do
> with it down the road.
> Karen Lacy, former collections manager at the San Diego Museum of Man, has
> started a consulting business and could probably give you some tips.
> https://www.musecuratorial.com/ourteam#!
>
> Sandra P Pentney, M.A., RPA
> Environmental Team Lead
>
> ATKINS
> Explore our world of opportunities –www.atkinsglobal.com/careers
>
> 3570 Carmel Mountain Road, Suite 300 San Diego, California 92130 I Tel: +1
> (858) 514 1083 I Fax: +1 (858) 259 0741
> Email: [log in to unmask] | Web: www.atkinsglobal.com|
> Careers: www.atkinsglobal.com/careers
> LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/atkins|
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of
> Linda Hylkema
> Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2018 4:27 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: archaeological leather
>
> Does anyone have any advice for working with buried leather that has NOT
> been submerged/waterlogged? Reports on other tanneries? We are working in
> an old leather tannery and have large hides that were found in a
> subterranean cement pit. The soils surrounding them are damp, but we don't
> want them to dry out too fast after removal. I believe them to be tanned
> with oak.
>
> For the moment, we have them loosely piled so that air gets in between,
> and they are wrapped in cotton sheets. We were misting the sheets with
> distilled water, but have stopped because they seem to be doing ok without
> it and are drying slowly. They are in an air conditioned room for now.
>
> Some are also heavily charred, owing to a fire in 1933.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide. There is very
> little information out there for the preservation/conservation of
> archaeological leather that isn't waterlogged.
>
> Linda
>
>
> Linda Hylkema, RPA
> Director, Cultural Resource Management, Santa Clara University
> W: *408-554-4513* | C: *408-219-5748* | Ricard Observatory | 500 El Camino
> Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053 [log in to unmask]
>
> ############################
>
> To unsubscribe from the HISTARCH list:
> write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
> or click the following link:
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__
> community.lsoft.com_scripts_wa-2DLSOFTDONATIONS.exe-
> 3FSUBED1-3DHISTARCH-26A-3D1&d=DwIBaQ&c=cUkzcZGZt-E3UgRE832-4A&r=
> RJyxQwXuHLVfIyPifmOaARKhJAgF845gZeJ1Z-h9E6E&m=
> H9dBvhW07HsY4E0KQUYKipBNbPNFtNhyRE1_bzFsP_Y&s=
> t1Sm1jSdRyg5Si1cd1DcKAEwNGvJEOqPQpNaFpWETo8&e=
>
> ________________________________
>
> This email and any attached files are confidential and copyright
> protected. If you are not the addressee, any dissemination of this
> communication is strictly prohibited. Unless otherwise expressly agreed in
> writing, nothing stated in this communication shall be legally binding. The
> ultimate parent company of the Atkins Group is SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
> Registered in Québec, Canada No. 059041-0. Registered Office 455 boul.
> René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H2Z 1Z3. A list of Atkins
> Group companies registered in the United Kingdom and locations around the
> world can be found at http://www.atkinsglobal.com/
> site-services/group-company-registration-details
>
> Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really
> need to.
>
> ############################
>
> To unsubscribe from the HISTARCH list:
> write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
> or click the following link:
> http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?
> SUBED1=HISTARCH&A=1
>

############################

To unsubscribe from the HISTARCH list:
write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
or click the following link:
http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?SUBED1=HISTARCH&A=1