Part of a large loan going out to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall is a fully laden sledge used in the BGLE (British Graham Land Expedition) 1934–37 (read more about this expedition).
N.1079a – the BGLE sledge going on loan to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
On the front of the sledge is a curved bamboo band commonly known as a ‘cow catcher’. This is lashed to the main body of the sledge with a rawhide thong. However, as you can see from the image below the lashing has failed. As this failure impacted on the structural integrity of the sledge the decision was taken to remove the old lashing and repair it with a new leather lashing.
The broken leather lashing.
Fortunately for me I was able to enlist help from both within and without the Institute. In conservation we like to repair like with like and use the same techniques originally used wherever possible. For the rawhide lashing I was pointed in the direction of the company Snowsled Polar who very kindly supplied me with a length of lashing for free.
I had used leather in the past to repair armour, but sledges were new to me so I thought there must be someone in a Polar Institute who knows about these things and of course there was, Peter Clarkson.
The leather lashing looking worryingly like a tape worm.
Before we could use the leather I soaked it overnight in a jam jar (I think I mentioned before how useful jam jars are). Wet leather is used because as it dries the lashing shrinks and gives a good tight fit.
Peter and the sledge.
The broken lashing was removed and using a large needle fashioned from a bicycle spoke the leather was ‘sewn’ into the holes.
When in place the lashing was pulled as tightly as possible. The leather shrinking when drying will also give it a good fit. The leather was held in place with brass screws.
The leather does look bright into comparison to the other lashings (although they would have been the same colour originally). In conservation we never want to ‘hide’ any repairs but I may ‘knock back’ or reduce the brightness of the yellow by washing over it was a darker colour so it is not so visually obtrusive. However, by the time it is fully laden there will be plenty of other distractions.
G.C.L. Bertram's dog team and sledge, 20 October 1936. Photographer: G.C.L. Bertram.
Accession number: P51/8/C083
We worked out that Peter was repairing sledges at Halley Bay in the year I was born (and for both our sakes I’m not going to divulge which year that was).
(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)
