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Author
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Topic: Sokol spacesuit glove care, maintenance
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Ianhetho
Member Posts: 157
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018
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posted 10-13-2019 05:52 PM
   
I'm looking for advice on the best way to maintain a Sokol spacesuit glove. I am concerned over time the rubber may perish or crack. I live in a hot, often dry climate. I have it displayed in a plexiglass case. I was thinking O-ring grease or some type of auto interior protector. Thoughts? |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4284
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 10-14-2019 02:50 PM
For what it's worth, I have found the rubber composition on the Sokol gloves, compared to their Apollo counterpart to be pretty durable. But I would avoid adding grease or such to the rubber. There may be some unforseen chemical reaction that causes the gloves to deteriorate quicker that would otherwise be the case.Ideas for preservation that once were considered appropriate have often proven not to be so over time so the less intrusive the measure the better in my opinion. A good airflow is usually recommended for Apollo gloves but given your hot dry climate that might not be such a good idea. My advise would be to place the Sokol gloves is a perspex display box along with a discreet container of clean water. Keep the water container from drying out and the moisture in the air will help. Then monitor the display at regular intervals. I would also suggest reaching out to the conservators at the Garber Institute in Washington for some advice. |
oly
Member Posts: 1121
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 10-14-2019 03:35 PM
A quick look at the MSDS for automotive upholstery treatments shows that there is a percentage content of mineral oil, a material that will damage rubber products over time and may cause discoloration to fabrics.You may want to avoid using any products that may react with the glove material. The biggest risk would be UV exposure. Keeping the glove away from exposure to sunlight (direct and indirect) and fluorescent lights would be a good start. If the case that you use to display the glove is air tight, the natural fumes from rubber products outgassing become corrosive to the rubber itself, resulting in the material becoming brittle and decomposing. Clean/dry airflow is important. There is a video online of Adam Savage visiting the NASM to look at Armstrong's spacesuit preservation. details of what steps the institute went to in constructing a display case designed to preserve the suit are covered.
https://youtu.be/m2esyN4fuiA products such as o-ring grease may contain silicone, which is inert, they may also contain hydrocarbons and other ingredients that react with the glove materials. Review the product dada sheets and MSDS, while the ingredients may not be listed, if the product caused skin irritations, is harmful to the environment, or cautions over prolonged exposure, it probably would not be wise to use on your collectable.
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Ianhetho
Member Posts: 157
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018
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posted 10-15-2019 01:49 PM
Sounds like good advice, thanks you both. |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4284
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 10-15-2019 03:17 PM
I concur with oly's observations particularly regarding UV. Airflow is a tricky one. On the one hand out gassing is an issue for Apollo gloves. I own both Apollo and Sokol gloves and have visited ILC and Garber: Apollo stuff does certainly have a "rubbery" smell associated with it: perhaps this is part and parcel of the out gassing. So some air movement would be beneficial. But my Sokol gloves don't have any such smell and seem pretty inert.Such airflow in the hot climate would only hasten any drying processes associated with the rubber. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1490
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 10-15-2019 04:14 PM
Rick, Bogangar NSW is nowhere near that hot. Near the east coast, it's very mild by comparison to the inland.  |
oly
Member Posts: 1121
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 10-15-2019 11:17 PM
The matter of airflow has been a point of conjecture over the storage of rubber and rubberised goods in aerospace and aviation for many years. There have been two schools of thought on the matter. The first is that airflow dries out the environment, causing the rubber materials to deteriorate. The second is that sealing the material in containers results in the outgassing from the material to cause damage to the material.The material that makes up the "rubber" can be of many different natural and synthetic products, and each material reacts to environmental conditions differently. In an ideal world, it would be great to have a container purged of air, especially oxygen and ozone. Having a vacuum-sealed display case is not something everyone can have (but maybe something a Fitter and turner may have fun constructing), and the next best thing would be to flood the container with dry nitrogen gas, as the inert gas would delay the decomposition of the rubberised materials. This again is not practical for most amateur collectors. The aerospace industry solution for the use of rubberised goods was to use the tracking of manufacturing dates and item service life so that aged materials are not used in service, and that rubberised parts of value are packaged in sealed bags made of UV blocking material and purged of air, preventing the deterioration of the material until use. This is not practical for the display of any item, and unless the reason for obtaining the item was purely for investment, most collectors would like to look at their items from time to time. In Australia, as is in many warm climates, we experience the effect of leaving locked vehicles in the summer, and most Australians have discovered how hot seat belt buckles and steering wheels can get. We also become familiar with how clean windscreens can become contaminated on the inside when a vehicle is left with the doors and windows closed. The outgassing of the interior materials, combined with the oils and gasses from human expirate contaminate the glass surfaces, leaving many to wonder how the inside of their vehicle windows get so dirty. The same happens with rubberised items stored in confined space, and the outgas contains chemicals that exacerbate the deterioration of the materials. We also have the option of using desiccant materials such as silica gels to absorb moisture. These materials are commonly used by photographers who rely on the hygroscopic material to protect their equipment from the problems that mold and fungus can play on delicate items and glass lens surfaces when stored away. Some of these materials can be dried and recycled, reducing the expense over time. For these reasons, I would advise that keeping a container of water in the display case to avoid the materials "drying out" would be unwise, as the problems that mold and fungus could cause to the glove materials, including the rotting of stitches and fabrics, would be worse than the glove becoming hard over time.
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Ianhetho
Member Posts: 157
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018
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posted 10-16-2019 02:26 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Dixon:
Bogangar NSW is nowhere near that hot.
That's true Mike, it's not as hot as out west but we do get 40+ from time to time and with the house locked all day it gets pretty warm.Its deffinately not as dry here as else where in the country Considering all this advise, ventilation seems to be the key here if in a display case. I have not finished the display yet as I intend fitting the glove to a Maniquin hand, or will this be an issue also with all that extra PVC in the case? Thanks for all this advice guys this is great. |
smh99
Member Posts: 13
From: Australia
Registered: Sep 2015
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posted 10-17-2019 01:05 AM
You may also want to get in touch with the South Australian Museum. They had Andy Thomas' MIR flown space suit on display for a couple of years until recently, so they may be able to assist with any special precautions or conservation tips for the climate. Good luck. |
AJHT
New Member Posts: 5
From: Norway
Registered: Mar 2017
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posted 11-29-2020 08:49 AM
Rick and Mike, did you conclude on how to store and/or display the Sokol glove, and have you accumulated more experience you may share through the last year?I have a Sokol glove myself, allegedly flown. Live in a dry climate as well (Oslo, Norway), and was hoping to have it on display. I was thinking something like this glass dome from IKEA could have been an idea, if the glove is structurally supported from the inside, but I do have some concerns on out-gassing of the rubber. (The dome would be inside a glass display, and away from direct lights.) |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4284
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 11-29-2020 01:43 PM
My Sokol gloves are in a bog standard Ikea Detolf display cabinet. I've placed a piece of inert ethafoam in each, long enough to raise each glove a few mill off the shelf, more in hope than expectation of a little airflow through the gloves.I've had them for nearly 20 years and they are showing no signs of degradation. |
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