For this project we had to stabilise the different materials. For the metals I brushed away the surface dirt and removed any active corrosion products using a 15t scalpel blade under magnification. It was important not to make the piece look brand new as excessive removal of corrosion could destroy the shape of the objects due to the fact that they were so corroded. As a result a patina of inactive corrosion remains. The longer iron piece was coated with a protective layer of 10% paraloid B72 in acetone. The smaller copper item (circle) was immersed in a vacuum with the corrosion inhibiter 3% Benzotriazote in IDA and then coated with incralac in toluene as a barrier. The leather was cleaned with distilled water and then soaked in PEC 400 in distilled water to rehydrate and protect the material against mould growth. All are now stored in acid free tissue.
