Suggestions for cleaning and preserving antique lampshade

[1918ColonialRevival]

A few weeks ago, we rescued a floor lamp from a local thrift store. The lamp has a double pull chain socket made by the Benjamin Electric Co (famous for their sockets that adapted multiple bulbs into a single socket). I have a 1916 electrical equipment catalog that has a similar socket pictured, so I am guessing the lamp dates between the mid 1910s and early 1920s.

I am 99% sure the shade is original. If it's not original, it's early. It's made of what I think is sheepskin, though it would be great to confirm this. It's dusty and needs to be cleaned, but there's no damage that I can see. I'm looking for suggestions on how to gently clean and preserve the shade. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Pictures are below.

[Gothichome]

You know, if it's just dust I would try a realy sold brush and a little bit of compressed air, blow the air gently across the shade while brushing to lift the dust out of the creavaces. A good vacuumed with the bristle attachment might also do the trick. I too believe that shade is original period to the lamp.

[1918ColonialRevival]

The compressed air is a good idea. I originally thought about using a paintbrush and a vacuum cleaner to get the dust off.

The skin is dry, but it's not to the point that it's brittle. Do you think that a leather dressing or a bookbinder's dressing would cause it any harm? I don't want it to get to the point to where it starts to split.

[lovesickest]

Leather preservative type products typically leave a residue on the leather. This is okay for shoes and boots(or saddles, harnesses, etc.) - where cleaning and polishing with other products is expected. It is not good for garment leathers, etc. where the "emollients" will leave a greasy/waxy layer that will actually attract dust, lint, etc.

A vacuum cleaner, paintbrush and soft cloth are probably all you need. You could try wetting a q-tip with water and a mild liquid soap, and cleaning a small out of the way area to see if that stains or stiffens the leather. The colours might run, depending on the product chemistry, too.

[phil]

sometimes when I work on old radios I have to clean dust out of tiny delicate spaces and clean old fragile grill cloths and things, speakers.

I picked up a little rig to clean computers. It steps down to a small hose, about 1/2 " it has an end like you;d see on a vacuum with a little cup brush but it's a lot smaller than anything on a regular vacuum cleaner.

with that I used a bulb that I can step on. it's from the windsheild wiper on an old car or something. all it is is a rubber bulb with a check valve. ( a one way valve) I run the hose into a container of soapy water

I hooked the little hose up to one of those red squirter things from a can of WD40 and drilled a little hole in the tiny cup brush.

so the little cup brush is hooked to the vacuum. the little squirter squirts out a tiny stream of water into the cup brush and it pulls any dust back into the cup brush. its kind of like a tiny upholstry cleaner. I don't do a lot of scrubbing with it but it's surprising how squirting just a tiny amount of water on it and sucking it right back up can clean fragile things without damage. I use it to clean up all the old cloth wire and intricate parts. you could probably improvise all of this from what you have around. maybe just use a little squirt bottle rather than the rubber bulb. anyway it's an idea..

after it's clean , if it's leather a bit of boot oil or Lexol creme might be ok. I wouldn't scrub it fearing damage but when leather dries out it cracks and flakes apart. If you can maintain the moisture it lasts longer and won't tear as easily.

Ive used this , it has a conditioner to restore the PH, you don't want it to be acidic or it'll break down the leather. and then a cleaner. you could likely find it locally perhaps there is something to the previous post that a leather creme might leave it greasy. i think they usually leave a bit of oil that needs time to absorb and then be dried down and Im not sure if I'd wan tot do a lot of rubbing on that shade. Old lamps are a lot easier to find than nice old original shades in nice condition.

https://www.amazon.ca/Lexol-0922-Leathe ... onditioner

[Mick_VT]

This seems relevant. http://www.biblio.com/book-collecting/c ... her-books/ I wonder if there is more advice and technique that might be gleaned from the book preservation community

[phil]

comparing it to restoring a leather bound book was a great idea.
Bookbinding was an actual trade. I sold my older tablesaw to a guy that actually served an apprenticeship in it with the library. I bet there are very few these days but Mick's right there is probably lots of good info when you start searching in that direction.

[lovesickest]

BUT - bookbindings are typically a sort of glazed leather, similar to what is used in shoe making. They are stiff, cut crisply and when the glazed finish wears off are sort of suedey underneath. Depending on the finish, some are more porous to skin oils, thus the patina of well handled books.

It is hard to tell from the pic, but this lampshade looks like it has a hard finish, similar to parchment v.s. a softer leather feel ?

This shade looks similar to slip-on book covers from the 1920's or 30's that were made from Morocco leather, with embossed designs, with different colours and some gilt. This was probably goat or sheepskin. If you wet a q-tip and touch the surface of the leather shade, and it darkens (ie absorbs the water) then the surface is porous. If so, proceed with caution with using any liquid or paste cleaning solutions.

If the leather is in good shape don't put anything on it. Dust it and it will be fine v.s. fighting the battle of gunk residue. Books are meant to be handled, with the covers bent, pulled by their spines, etc.. Lampshades are not. If it ain't broke don't fix it !

[phil]

I guess it's a pretty valid argument that you won't mess it up if you leave it alone and it made it this far.
who knows what the "dyes" were, they could even be water soluble. I've heard of more than one old radio owner that thought they'd give the station dial on an old radio a wipe , only to realize they wiped all the markings off - oops!

After what Lovesick wrote, I can't argue and it would be a shame if our armchair advice caused damage to this beautiful piece.