archival storage boxes

Here is a good write-up on the care and preservation of textiles on the Henry Ford Museum website.

http://www.thehenryford.org/research/caring/textiles.aspx

This article inspired me to buy some acid-free lignin-free boxes to store some of my older, more fragile camouflage. I have stored uniforms in these boxes for over ten years and highly recommend them. They offer secure, flat storage and keep the uniforms safe from pests and light damage. Also, being acid free, the boxes will be less likely to damage fragile fabrics. The boxes are expensive but are worth the money in my opinion.

http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/textile-storage-boxes-archival/


Photo of boxes with uniforms:

W-what kind of uniform is that there..?

Another one to drool over, what else?

Thanks for the pics and link. For sure delicate examples should be stored like this. Although I put almost all of mine on hangers wide wooden hangers (well, until I got too many to hang) the delicate ones are stored flat in dark well ventilated storage. The boxes might be a good idea for a few of my uniforms. Far more practical than the optimal screened drawer method, yet probably almost as good.

The Henry Ford Museum advice is identical to that of a friend of mine who is a conservator (there's a thread with her advice somewhere on this Forum). The problem is flat storage, done right, is impractical for even most museums. Definitely impractical for people like us. Erick's storage is, however, something that should be considered for delicate high value items.

One interesting note is that the Henry Ford Museum's recommendation of hanger types is rather superficial. For sure metal hangers, of all types, should be avoided PERIOD. However, a quality wooden hanger is vastly superior to a crappy plastic one on a number of fronts. As the article itself says, you're looking for the most amount of surface area possible so as to spread out the effects of gravity. Every single plastic hanger I've ever had offers less surface area than my wooden hangers. Every single one. On top of that, the crappy plastic hangers that are readily available tend to sag and deform over time. That's not good either.

The optimal hanger is the wide padded type, usually wood based in my experience. The problem with those is they take up 2-3 times as much space as a wooden hanger, which presents logistical problems for those of us with more items than we have space for. They are also far more expensive, though that shouldn't be a big issue for someone who is willing to invest a lot in their uniforms.

Notice that the Henry Ford Museum does not mention stacked folded items as a method of storage. There's a reason for that as my friend's advice dives into. Some of you might remember that it was that advice that partly resulted in me cutting ties to another collector group.

Steve

Hello Steve,

I agree that hanging storage is the most practical way to preserve uniforms. The padded wood hangers being the best hangers. Plastic hangers sag after time and, because they are molded, can have edges that can scrape and snag uniforms.

I only use the archival boxes for the more delicate Soviet oversuits like the one-piece sparse leaf pattern in the photo above.

Here is a link to your excellent write-up.
https://iacmc.forumotion.com/t540-storage-considerations-for-preserving-cloth-items-long-term

The comment on the cumulative weight of stacked uniforms makes sense and stacking should be avoided.

I too left that other collector group after my link to the Henry Ford Museum preservation page got deleted. Apparently stacking uniforms 10 deep in a giant plastic bin is the only acceptable storage method over there.

Erick

escammo wrote:I agree that hanging storage is the most practical way to preserve uniforms. The padded wood hangers being the best hangers. Plastic hangers sag after time and, because they are molded, can have edges that can scrape and snag uniforms.

Yeah, some of the plastic hangers I have are almost sharp enough to cut skin if you rub along it the wrong way. I also can't count how many I've had break over the years. They're a bad investment all around.

I only use the archival boxes for the more delicate Soviet oversuits like the one-piece sparse leaf pattern in the photo above.

Even professional, well funded museums don't have the space or resources to do all curation correctly. The value of knowing the ideal is to know what to shoot for. Just like knowing what the worst practice is so one can avoid it. I definitely should have a few more items off hangers or out of piles and into boxes like the one you showed. Not surprisingly the ones I'm thinking of are sniper oversuits

Here is a link to your excellent write-up.
https://iacmc.forumotion.com/t540-storage-considerations-for-preserving-cloth-items-long-term

Thanks for digging that up!

The comment on the cumulative weight of stacked uniforms makes sense and stacking should be avoided.

I too left that other collector group after my link to the Henry Ford Museum preservation page got deleted. Apparently stacking uniforms 10 deep in a giant plastic bin is the only acceptable storage method over there.

I'd ask if you were kidding, but I have no doubt you're serious. Wow. Apparently expert information isn't valued if it runs contrary to someone's comfort zone.

Which I don't get. NONE of us store our uniforms according to "best practices". Some better than others, sure. Some parts of a collection better than other parts, sure. But it's not like putting this information forward is trying to rub things in anybody's face. It's as I said above... know what the idea is so you can be well informed in your own decision making process. I'll never understand the psychology of someone who finds knowledge threatening.

Steve