Instructions for Making Customized Ethafoam Hangers

Padded hanger.

Garments in good condition are commonly stored by hanging from padded hangers.

The padded hanger provides support but only if the size and padding of the hanger conforms to the style and shape of the garment. A hanger that is too short or too long for the shoulder area of the garment will cause damage such as stress or tears.

These instructions use a commercially available 2 or 3 inch diameter solid Ethafoam™ tube, and a thin stainless steel rod to create a custom hanger.

The Ethafoam can be carved to conform to the shape of the neck and shoulder area, or augmented with padding to provide support for a hanging garment. Most instructions for padded hangers are based on using a purchased hanger made from wood or polystryene. These must be sealed before use. Also the hook may not be long enough to pad out a collar. Our hook is cut specifically to accommodate the height of the collar or other neck detail.

The Ethafoam tube can be cut and carved into any shape to conform to the shoulder area of the garment. Thin stainless steel rod is cut to the desired length and one end rounded to form the hook for the hanger. It is inserted through the middle of the tube. A final covering of either cotton or polyester stockinette covers the hanger. A slit is made in each end of the Ethafoam tube and the stockinette is tucked into the slit. No sewing is required. The hangers can be made quickly and without much cost.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Artifact Conservation »

Supplies.

Supplies:

• Stainless steel wire (302/304 soft temper), 0.125 (1/8") diameter
• Stainless steel washers to fit over the wire
• 2 or 3" diameter solid Ethafoam tube
• 3" diameter white or natural cotton stockinette
• Straight pins
• Measuring tape
• Pliers
• Knife (to cut and carve Ethafoam)
• Spatula or bone folder
• Sandpaper for the wire
• Cotton twill tape
• Polyester batting

1. Place the garment flat on a clean surface and measure the interior width of the shoulders from front to back. Select the diameter of the Ethafoam tube which is most suitable to this size, never forgetting to consider the cut of the garment to be stored. It is also possible to use the larger diameter tube and carve it down to a smaller size. Measure the interior length of the garment at the shoulders and use a sharp knife to cut the Ethafoam tube to that length.

Carving the end of the Ethafoam tube.

2. Round each end of the Ethafoam tube, especially the topside. It is important to analyse the construction of the garment, and visualize the final shape of the hanger so that garment details such as the collar are supported. The support can by achieved by carving the Ethafoam tube to build up necklines or by the addition of padding. Polyester batting can be stuffed into short lengths of the stockinette. The ends can be tied with twill tape to create small pads or "snakes".

These pads can be used to shape and support neck and shoulder areas.

Polyester batting stuffed into short lengths of stockinette.

Pads used to shape and support neck and shoulder areas.

Pushing the stockinette into the slit with a bone folder.

3. To create the natural curve of the shoulders, grasp each end of the Ethafoam tube and bend towards each other for several minutes until the Ethafoam remains gently curved. A small triangle of Ethafoam may be removed from the bottom center to aid in the bending.

4. Cut a piece of polyester or cotton stockinette approximately 2 inches longer than the length of the Ethafoam tube. The polyester stockinette has slightly less grab than the cotton and therefore garments slide onto the hanger more easily. Stretch the stockinette over the tube. Cut a horizontal slit into each end of the Ethafoam tube and push the stockinette into the slit with a spatula or bone folder.

Make sure that the stockinette is smooth and completely covers the Ethafoam.

5. To create the metal neck of the hanger, a piece of stainless steel wire is cut to whatever length is required to accommodate the height of a collar or other garment detail. Customizing the length of the wire ensures that the neck of a garment will not be too close to the hanging rod of the cabinet or closet and be crushed.

6. Cut a length of the stainless steel wire between 14 and 17 inches long, depending on garment construction. Smooth the ends of the wire with sandpaper. Bend back a small U at one end of the wire, which will be used to secure the wire into the bottom of the hanger.

7. Locate the mid-point under the curve of the Ethafoam tube; or what is to be the bottom of the hanger. Use a pin to create a tiny hole between the threads in the stockinette. In straight alignment starting from the bottom, push the wire through the stockinette, the Ethafoam tube, and out the upper side. When done carefully, the wire will go through the layers without cutting or tearing the stockinette. The U-bend in the wire will prevent the wire from going completely through the tubing.

Stainless steel washer at the bottom of the wire where the small U-bend is located.

Bending the wire.

Finished padded hanger.

8. To prevent slippage of the wire, slide a stainless steel washer onto the bottom of the wire where the small U-bend is located and insert the U-bend into the Ethafoam tube.

9. Finish creating the metal neck at the top of the hanger, which consists of a straight length that extends 2 inches or more from the top of the Ethafoam tube and then bends into a curve that fits over the hanging rod in storage.

10. Approximately 2 inches of the wire needs to be straight as it extends from the Ethafoam tube before beginning the bend. If the garment has a stand up collar this length may need to be longer. Make a bend that roughly imitates that of a commercial hanger.

11. Bend the tip of the wire up and back towards itself so there are no pointed edges.

Make sure that the curve of the hook will fit between the rod and the top of the cabinet or closet.

Note: Mention of a product, manufacturer, or supplier by name in these instructions is for information only and does not constitute an endorsement of that product or supplier by the National Park Service. Listed materials have been used successfully in past applications. It is suggested that readers also seek alternate product and vendor information to assess the full range of available supplies and equipment.

Sources of Materials

Stainless steel washers and wire:

McMaster-Carr
P. O. Box 440
New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0440
Tel (732)-329-3200
www.mcmaster.com

Ethafoam™ tubes:

Preservation Products, a Division of Gladon Company Inc.
178 W Boden St.
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Tel 1-800-448-6070, Fax 1-800-322-6525.
www.gladon.com/preservation_products

Advanced Packaging Inc.
Seton Business Park
4818 Seton Drive
Baltimore MD 21215
Tel (410)-358-9444

Polyester batting and twill tape:

Local sewing or quilt store

Stockinette:

Benchmark
P.O. Box 214
Rosemont NJ 08556
Tel (609)-397-1131
www.benchmarkcatalog.com

Rx Textiles
3107 Chambers Dr.
Monroe, NC 28110
Tel (704)-283-9787

Or a local medical supply store

Bibliography

• Alten, H. 1995. Reviewing padded hangers. Minneapolis: Upper Midwest Collections Care Network (Summer): 1-3.
• Bede, D. 2000. Padded Hangers. Unpublished typescript. Bedford, New Hampshire: Stillwater Conservation Studio.
• Campbell, M. 1992. Padded hangers for garments, system no. 2. In Storage of natural history collections: ideas and practical solutions, ed. C. L. Rose and A. R. de Torres. Pittsburgh: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collection. 43-44.
• Canadian Conservation Institute. 1983. Hanging storage for Costumes. CCI notes 13/5.
• Division of Costume. Directions for constructing a padded hanger for costumes and guidelines for hanging costumes. Unpublished typescript. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of American History.
• Guldbeck, P. E., and A. B. MacLeish. 1985. The Care of antiques and historical collections. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History. 233-236.
• Haugland, K. 1990. Padded hangers. Unpublished typescript. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• Holt, H. 1999. Insta' hangers. Textile Conservation Newsletter 37:20.
• Keck, C. K. 1974. Care of textiles and costumes, adaptive techniques for basic maintenance. American Association for State and Local History technical leaflet 71.
• Kruckeberg, V. L. 1979. An investigation of selected vertical support to reduce strain on women's outerwear while in storage. Columbus, Ohio: Abstract of research paper from Association of College Professors of Textiles and Clothing - Central Region.
• McLean, C. and A. Svenson. 1985. Making a padded hanger. Unpublished typescript. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
• Merritt, J. 1994. Storage techniques for hanging garments: padded hangers. Conserve O Gram 4/5:1-4.
• Schenectady Museum. Padded hangers. Unpublished typescript. Schenectady, NY: Schenectady Museum.
• Wolf, S J. 1992. Padded hangers for garments, system no. 1. In Storage of natural history collections: ideas and practical solutions, ed. C. L. Rose and A. R. de Torres. Pittsburgh: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collection. 41-42.
• Wolf, S J. 1984. Storing costume collection. Conservation Notes 8:1-4.