Behind the scenes at RAMM – 1930s ice skates conservation

Conservation student Rocio Gonzalez-Oyarce has been with us since October 2023. She is doing her professional practice as a requirement for her MA in Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects at Durham University. During Rocio’s time at RAMM she has been working on getting objects ready for our new exhibition Are we nearly there yet? A history of transport. In this blog she tells us about the conservation process for a pair of ice skates from the 1930s.

The creation of a museum exhibition involves a lot of work before its installation. Curators are in charge of weaving the story, while conservators are responsible for taking care of the objects chosen for display.

Conservation tries to stop the deterioration of the objects and help keep the stories around them alive. The ice skates were a quite challenge. They are made from at least five different materials, each with specific conservation needs. These needs give clues to the object’s story.

 The boots are made of leather, most likely sheep, with a wooden sole and heel. They required a very gentle approach, as they had signs of past water damage. We cleaned these areas with a soft bristle brush and sponge, which prevents dust build-up compared to other methods. Dust can carry harmful pollutants and spores which can damage objects, therefore its important we try to prevent it.

 Cleaning the boots allowed us to appreciate the attractive white colour of the leather. The colour of the leather gives us a vital clue to the date of these skates. White skating boots began to become popular in the 1930s, after Sonia Henie, a well known skater of the time, wore them in competition.

Across the front of the boots, we can see two types of steel and copper alloy eyelets. Both were covered by iron corrosion on the outside and a green crust made of copper corrosion on the inside. Also, the blades, made of plated steel, showed signs of corrosion (the green and dark-brown crust). The corrosion contains dirt and salts, which can cause problems and weaken the underlying metal, so we removed as much corrosion as possible without damaging the rest of the blade.

Conservators use all kinds of tools to do their work. Some especially developed for specific tasks, others borrowed from other disciplines. You can see some examples of the tools used below.

Conservation revealing clues to the past

On the blades, we can see “HUDORA FAGAN” stamped on them. This highlights a commercial relationship between the UK and Germany. FAGAN was the name of the representative of HUDORA in Britain at the time. Most interestingly, HUDORA was a blade manufacturing company. So, it was most likely that FAGAN added the boots as the inside of the tongue reveal with the inscription (“W.H. FAGAN & SON. British Made”).

In the past, ice skates were made from bone and used to travel over frozen rivers and lakes. This pair allows us to see how the design and use of skates has evolved over time. From merely a functional object—to carry a person from one point to another—to being used for sport and leisure. Come along and see these skates and explore more transport related objects in Are we nearly there yet? from 15th June – 29th September 2024.