Interesting Reading for Collectors, et al

Stony · Aug 19, 2009

I found this an interesting read on the subject of historical collectables. It has some significance to jacket collectors also.

http://blog.militarytrader.com/jagfile/ ... ction.aspx

bfrench · Aug 19, 2009

Stony said:
I found this an interesting read on the subject of historical collectables. It has some significance to jacket collectors also.

http://blog.militarytrader.com/jagfile/ ... ction.aspx

Excellent find - thanks for the info.

Cheers,
Bill French

dadgad · Aug 19, 2009

My same sentiments for most parts of it, nice.
Thanks much.

navvet · Aug 19, 2009

Does that mean no-no on Pecards? :?:

TankBuster · Aug 19, 2009

navvet said:
Does that mean no-no on Pecards? :?:

:lol: I think that's a safe assumption. I have not used pecards for
years now, and more than likely will not again. When I heard museums stopped using it, and recommended that collectors stop using it, that was enough for me.

Roughwear · Aug 19, 2009

Has anyone done any scientific research on the long term effect of Pecards on leather compared with the natural decay of leather over time?

havocpaul · Aug 19, 2009

Interesting reading and only reiterating what antique dealers have been saying for years, leave things alone! It is well known antique furniture and metals (brass, copper, silver) can lose most of their value when cleaned or messed with. Just as an old table is cherished for its marks, scars and wear so should any item of militaria. Many jackets in recent years have been over-Pecarded to the extent they reflect the owner's reflection from their glossy shine!

rich · Aug 19, 2009

It's unsettling to consider that some of us may have inadvertently damaged our jackets by using Pecards. There are reasonable counter-arguments here, which champion its use. I don't know if there is any commercial interest by the authors, they read in part as though there might be.

http://www.oldnautibits.com/features/aerofeature4.shtml

http://www.german-helmets.com/LEATHER%20BALMS.htm

I would have thought that if Pecards was truly damaging, there would by now, have been many widely available and credible examples as to its detrimental effects. I don't know what time-scale is being considered here, ie Pecard your jacket and it'll last 100 years, leave well alone and it'll last 200? I don't know how you could qualify this with certainty and I think opinion regarding it's use will be split down the middle. Here's a case in point..........

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ ... opic=24966

Which is no bloomin help..........

TankBuster · Aug 19, 2009

Regarding the USmilitaria forum thread, Jeff Schraeder really knows his stuff. He does alot
of work with museums around the U.S. He's the one who really got me thinking about not
using it years ago. I have since seen the famous Pecard bloom effect in person on a friends original jacket. I hadn't really used Pecards all that much in the past, and haven't used it at all for over 3 years. I'd rather be safe then sorry I guess. I'll wait until there is solid proof that there is no ill effect until I resume using it.

Andrew · Aug 19, 2009

Thanks for this Stony, it's great reading, had a laugh at the "relic sex" bit- you see a lot of that.

His other posts are great as well, this one about what happens to your collection after you croak is useful (he says just ticking over another year...)
http://blog.militarytrader.com/jagfile/ ... 07-30.aspx

Andrew · Aug 19, 2009

TankBuster said:
Regarding the USmilitaria forum thread, Jeff Schraeder really knows his stuff. He does alot
of work with museums around the U.S. He's the one who really got me thinking about not
using it years ago. I have since seen the famous Pecard bloom effect in person on a friends original jacket. I hadn't really used Pecards all that much in the past, and haven't used it at all for over 3 years. I'd rather be safe then sorry I guess. I'll wait until there is solid proof that there is no ill effect until I resume using it.

I read that one as well Jeff, plus the article on permanently identifying fakes (I can think of some painted jackets that could do with the indelible marker).

I recently applied a little pecards to my flying helmet collection as it had been about 2-3 years since i'd even inspected them- the best 4 sit permanently on wooden hat blocks. I had noticed that the leather on all of them was quite dry and to me it looked stressed. As ususal after application the appearance was a lot better, but having read this article I do wonder about the merits of using the stuff and It does darken the leather.

I think in future i'll follow his advice and just use the damp cloth. This is what I did to my 21996 and it maintained much of the lovely light highlights of the worn areas- I suspected that applying pecards would forever change the character of the leather.

rich · Aug 19, 2009

Seems the sensible option Jeff. Any idea how long it takes for this bloom to appear - I ask because I Pecarded (lightly) 2 original Irvins and they didn't change colour or produce the residue that's been mentioned. Well, not yet anyway..............

I wonder how much climate affects things like this?

I guess if collectors like to wear their vintage jackets, treatment is a necessary evil to prevent them from tearing ?

rich · Aug 19, 2009

Andrew said:
Thanks for this Stony, it's great reading, had a laugh at the "relic sex" bit- you see a lot of that.

His other posts are great as well, this one about what happens to your collection after you croak is useful (he says just ticking over another year...)
http://blog.militarytrader.com/jagfile/ ... 07-30.aspx

He's writes well doesn't he, engaging stuff!

Hawkeye · Aug 19, 2009

Really interesting stuff, really makes you think twice, and I know I've certainly been guilty of gooping up quite a bit of leather

. After reading this I'm not sure if I'll ever use the stuff again...at least not on vintage leather.

capt71 · Aug 19, 2009

Deleted

Andrew · Aug 19, 2009

Hey Bill, now that your Dad's jackets not worth much i'll give you a couple of bucks for it!

I can fully appreciate your point of view after having gone through what you did to find it again.

I guess this conditioning dicussion is just speculation unless we had a contribution from someone who worked in that field- i'd like to know what the opinion is of Smithsonian or similar, but their preservation method's probably based around climate and microbe control.

capt71 · Aug 19, 2009

Cheers Andrew,
Hey, even though I said it's not for sale, I'd be willing to make a special deal for you only--$30,000.00 USD and it's yours. :twisted:
Bill

deeb7 · Aug 20, 2009

Hawkeye said:
Really interesting stuff, really makes you think twice, and I know I've certainly been guilty of gooping up quite a bit of leather . After reading this I'm not sure if I'll ever use the stuff again...at least not on vintage leather.

Great .... some of us have tried to tell you before, but you weren't having it.

viewtopic.php?p=38421#p38421

deeb7 · Aug 20, 2009

capt71 said:
.... I'd be willing to make a special deal for you only--$30,000.00 USD and it's yours. :twisted:
Bill

Nooo, don't be making crazy offers to Andrew.

He'll be wanting us all to chip in.

Andrew · Aug 20, 2009

deeb7 said:
capt71 said:

.... I'd be willing to make a special deal for you only--$30,000.00 USD and it's yours. :twisted:
Bill

Click to expand...

Nooo, don't be making crazy offers to Andrew.

He'll be wanting us all to chip in.

If it were at all possible to take up Bill's offer he'd rightly increase his price anyway.

Dave, $300 was possible with "The Crabtree Mob", but for the additional zeros i'd need more volunteers!

Interesting Reading for Collectors, et al

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