Problem Camel Saddle has mold???

LWells

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Bay City, MI
Ok, we have an antique Camel Saddle to frame. It's been in my shop for about 1 month, stored in a wood crate (our crate) with bubble wrap beneath & on top, loosely. Crate not sealed, in a neutral area with no abnormal moisture or dryness.
I took it out of the crate to begin working on it & found a white powdery substance on it, like baby powder. It wipes off with a dry cloth but now I'm concerned about encasing it in a frame!

I spoke to my client & she said it was used as a footstool for about 40 years, and when not in use it was stored in a closet in a garage, she's never seen this happen to it.
Have any of you come across anything like this and if so what would the remedy be?
 

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Was it inspected when you received the item andor placed it in a crate?

I would just wipe it down with a dilute solution of rubbing alcohol and water and let air dry for a day or 2.
 
Hi Jerry,
It was thoroughly inspected when she brought it in, there was no sign of any powdery anything. While looking up some ideas I came across this on Wikipedia. Under an area where they talk about "dressings" for leather and how if they have inappropriate ingredients or are applied too heavily the following happens...doesn't say how to treat that issue though, that I could see anyway

Conservation and restoration of leather objects
"Some may contain inappropriate ingredients or over application may lead to spewing. Spewing is the rise of white deposits of free fatty acids to the leather surface which is often mistaken for mold. Dressings should never be applied to painted leather of any kind."

I've also found while researching that many people are saying to use "vinegar" to inhibit mold growth, but I'm afraid to use anything on it yet!
Without having any experience with this issue I'm apprehensive to proceed with framing, but I really want to do this project...it's pretty awesome!
 
I spoke with the very knowledgeable folks in a leather shop about a similar problem and they suggested lemon juice, diluted in water. Wipe on with a damp sponge and set out in the sunlight.
 
Sunlight is your best weapon against mould. It's not uncommon for leather to have that kind of problem, especially when places in a dark environment with little air flow. If the saddle had been hanging out in a garage then it's definitely possible mould spores got onto it then (or even before then) and were just waiting for an opportune time to grow.

For horse saddles with a bit of mould on them, soapy water on a soft cloth, well wrung and gently swiped over the surface of the leather works great, especially in combination with sunlight. (within reason of course, don't let it roast in the noonday sun in a desert) If the leather seems dry afterwards, then using a leather conditioner is a good idea, but run it by the customer first. I mean, it was used as a footstool all this time, so it would be a bit odd to be fussy about it's treatment now if the goal is to improve it, but hey.
 
I talked with our local shoe cobbler & he said the same things as you have all mentioned, but also said the same about it being used as a footstool for so long, just clean it off with a soft brush, skip the sun bathing since we have no sun here for a few more months, gently rub on a leather lotion (he even said Vaseline or hand lotion would work) wipe, let "dry", gently buff a little & voila!!! Should keep the mold from collecting again, not for a long time if ever anyway. I've kept my client in the loop the whole time & she want's me to move forward.....and have finished by Christmas! No problem :cool:

Also, anyone need about 6 pounds of Egyptian cotton? I'm replacing with batting
 
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