Product Care
Fiberskyn (synthetic skin) drums are extremely resilient to all weather conditions and extremes of temperature and humidity. They require no special care other than sensible respect.
Skin drums are a little more temperamental, as rawhide can tighten or loosen appreciably due to atmospheric moisture. It's not a good idea to get these wet, and certainly not advisable to hurry any drying process by using hair dryers or standing them near radiators, as such techniques can split the skin or crack the hoop. Some skin drums appreciate a little bit of wax or leather food - or even a very small dose of good moisturizer for human faces - from time to time.
Carved and tooled leatherwork is tanned using natural oak bark and is almost a living entity. As such, colours will change gradually over a period of time - becoming slightly browner. Every effort is made in manufacture to fix the colours to enable them to stay as bright as possible, but this has its natural limitations. The best way to look after leather products is to feed them with some good quality leather food or soft wax polish and buff gently with a soft, lint free cloth.
Feathers can be best looked after by not allowing them to collect dust by leaving them exposed on a shelf. They can be preened back into shape by your fingers, and gently steamed to help them regain their natural shape and shine.
Vintage jewellery and silver rarely needs aggressive cleaning, as the patina that naturally occurs on this metal can be beautiful and evocative in itself. The cleaning of these items with silver polish is totally down to the personal preference (and responsibility) of the client.
Unvarnished wood usually appreciates a bit of linseed or Danish oil in accordance with the instructions on the container.
Stencilled fabrics (such as in robes and tabards) have always been washed prior to stencilling to remove any size. The fabric paints have always been fixed by ironing, and the garment pieces washed again prior to assembly - so they can be put in a washing machine on a cool cotton wash without any trouble. Tumble drying is possible but it should be limited. All fabrics are safe to iron, although it is best to iron large flags on a cool setting.