Styrofoam for display please discuss

M

mravery

New member
Hello all,

I think there had been a little discussion on this before but I would like to open this discussion again.

I know some of you guys don't like styrofoam heads etc for display as there were comments about reaction to leather.

I've used them for display for 20+ years (mainly for visor caps) and have never had any issues with them. The only problem I ever encountered was with a brit cap that had the 'waterproofing' material in the top. The material stuck to the styro (as it would have to any material). to allieviate that situation I simply placed a small piece of wax paper on top.

I've searched the net for any threads/info etc about styro and reation against leather and could find nothing.

I think Gus mentioned to me in the past that he had an issue with a gas mask... of which I thought that they were all treated with some sort of chemical anyway which is what I figured stuck to the styro.

Please give me some feedback on this... good or bad. I'm in the process of making lucite stands (for me and I will also be selling some) and I can use styro 'half heads' and also plain lucite for the tops.......

Cheers
Mark
 
Hey Mark,
I have had two leather gas masks react with the foam (the oil used to treat the masks react rather quickly, melting the foam) , I now use polyvinyl film to isolate the mask from the foam, I have used laytex and acrylic paint to cover the foam on several of the heads that I use. I had a liner on a Haube deteriorate during the time it was displayed/stored on a foam head for a couple of years with out removal. I had owned this helmet for 25 years, and had not noticed any deterioration of the liner before I placed it on the head, I must admit that I do not have any proof that the problems were caused by the helmet, but after the negative discussions on the forum, I felt that it was a risk that I did not wish to take. The foam heads are rather nice for making mannequins, and I will continue to use them, but I will be more careful in the future.
Gus
 
I've never had a problem with styrofoam heads if the moisture and heat in the room was appropiate. I must have close to 300 in use now. I did buy glass heads at Pier One which did cause problems. A film occured, not like mold but tacky, and the leather wanted to stick to them. Candle sticks and wax paper also hold a helmet well. Corky
 
Mark,

I just had a conversation with some folks from one of the largest conservatories of tapestries/cloth items on the East Coast USA. Styrofoam will react over time with the enviroment. While it can certainly can be used for spot displays that are very short in duration, the folks did not recommend them for extended use.

Here's something I have done in the past for visor caps, I would recommed you make a base (where the actual hat is going to rest) of a circle of untreated cedar. Moths won't like the cedar too much and it won't give off any damaging fumes. In order to prevent the wood from touching the visor cap itself, and to fill out the form I made a pillow of plain unbleached muslim material, filled with cotton batting, similiar to pillow filling. You would staple this to the cedar base.

It worked very well for me.

John
 
Hey Guys,

I've spoken with an advanced helmet collector from Germany who has collected and displayed helmets for over 40 years and he actually makes custom fitted styro inserts for all of his helmets.... and has never had a problem.

I wonder if the environment variables play a big part in this .. i.e. humidity.

John, does your contact have any specifics or outside references for thier experiances or was this based on thier own experiances ?

The only reason I even bring this up is that Styrofoam is supposed to be completely inert (hence the reason it takes 10,000 years for the old McDonalds hamberger containers to decompose in landfills).

Cheers
Mark
 
mravery said:
Styrofoam is supposed to be completely inert (hence the reason it takes 10,000 years for the old McDonalds hamberger containers to decompose in landfills).
Click to expand...

Inert and indestructible are two different things. You can go decades with styrofoam heads, or wood heads. It is not what you see over this period, its what you cannot see. If you believe in temporary ownership and that once these artifacts that you have are passed on, who cares if they survive the ages for future generations, then use what-ever you want and crank up the heat to dry them out while you are at it (not aimed at you Mark, just a general rant :angel3: ).

My conservationist training was taken from the Canadian Conservation Institute in 1993. Since then, the CCI has lightened their attitude towards polystyrene which at one time they felt very strongly against. But polyester polyurethane foams are still the absolute worst. These are soft foams like in cushions.

http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/publications/cidb/view-document_e.aspx?template=print&Document_ID=82

So it seems to be acceptable for artifact compatibility. What is being missed by everyone if I may offer, is that the biggest problem with foam heads, is that they are heads. The leather and cloth liners of antique headgear is sewn with cotton thread which is prone to deteriorates over time, or becomes very weak. When a piece of head gear rests on a head made from any material, it will cause pressure on the threads. This is why I only use the coffee-can display method that I developed that are of a size to fit between the liners and the skull and the skull sits directly on the can support. The liner rests against the can all around and achieves support as well. No stress.

Personally, I think a room full of nice headgear on scores of white male heads with blank faces looks rather cheesy. Like those old quonset huts with a badly painted sign "Military museum" beside the highway. :puke:
 
Hey Tony,

That link you included was fantastic.... I have saved that for future reference :D

And don't worry about your 'rant'... I didn't think it was directed to me.... ... and besides...it wouldn't bother me.. as I wear my stuff around the house... when I'm outside mowing the lawn etc... nothing better on a hot Florida day than to be sweating inside a waffenrock and wearin a 'haube'... helps to add some 'age' to the tunics.. besides.. the general's never got them dirty to begin with... so I'll just help them long..... :D

Here are the stands I'm putting together..... one with an acrylic top and one with a styro top.




And here there are displayed



And ... one more thing...... can someone please tell me if there is a 'haube's anonymous' around here... cause they are reproducing very fast.. and I can't seem to have just one... must have more.. and more..... Argggggggg !!! :eek:
 
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