A comparison of some treatments for excavated leather

Abstract

The nature of excavated leather, the degradation processes, delamination, stiffness, brittleness, and cracking are detailed. The conservation procedures undertaken for cleaning are described. Various methods used to plasticize the leather before drying are described and results given. Materials investigated include Baron, polyethylene glycol 400, sorbitol, and glycerol. Drying from acetone, alcohol, and freeze drying was examined.