Red rot - Call for leather samples for research project
6 August 2010A leather conservationist requires leather samples to assist with their research project on acid-deterioration in leather. Can you help?Acid-deterioration in leather is most commonly known as red-rot. Acid-deterioration occurs in vegetable tanned leather primarily manufactured from the mid-19th Century and onward. Many historical leather artefacts including screens, upholstery, and bookbinding leather manufactured at the time exhibit red-rot. Red-rot leather has distinctive odour, lower shrinkage temperature and a low pH, which is often found to be below 3.
The surfaces of the leather become powdery and as the deterioration progress, partial or complete lose of grain layer occurs. Environmental pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, and the leather making process are thought to be responsible for acid-deterioration or red-rot in leather.
A KTP-project (partially funded by the Technology Strategy Board), at The Leather Conservation Centre in conjunction with The University of Northampton, is currently being undertaken in order to develop a product to treat red-rot leather. The project also aims to have a better understanding about acid-deterioration in leather.
To carry out the trials and experiments in order to develop a product, we require historical leather samples with or without acid-deterioration. It would be much appreciated if you could send us any discarded leather samples to help us with the project to the address given below.
The Leather Conservation Centre, University Campus, Boughton Green Road, Northampton, NN2 7AN. (www.leatherconservation.org)
We are also looking for leather samples made from exotic species for our training collection. If you have any and you are happy to donate to us please send us to the address given above.
