Adhesive lining methods in textile conservation in Malta with a focus on historic silk fabrics

Abstract

In textile conservation, adhesives are used to support and protect extremely degraded textiles when alternative conservation treatments are not an effective solution. Adhesive treatments have never been carried out within the Heritage Malta's Textile Conservation Department for several reasons. Since textile conservation in Malta started during 2003, there was no working experience with adhesives and the concerns that adhesive treatments could be unsuccessful was high. Most visiting textile lecturers did not sympathise with the application of adhesive treatments, primarily for the reason that such treatments are not reversible. In addition, the Maltese climate is far from ideal for most adhesives, due to its hot summers and winters with high fluctuating relative humidity. This research study was based on two main objectives: to gather information on a suitable adhesive/s for historic silk fabrics located in Malta, and to determine the most suitable support material/s in combination with the adhesive/s. Data was retrieved through samples composed of various silk fabrics, including one historic silk damask fabric. These were attached with the aid of different types of adhesives, already used in the conservation field, on a range of support materials employing different application methods. The selected adhesives were wheat starch, Zin shofu, methylcellulose, carboxy methylcellulose, Klucel®-G, Mowilith DMC2, Evacon-R™, Beva® 371, Aquazol® 500, and Paraloid™ F-10. Amongst these selected adhesives, Evacon-R™ and Aquazol® 500 have never been tested before with textiles. The support materials were silk crepeline, polyester crepeline, and the Japanese papers Zubiki l lg/m2, and Kashmir 20g/m2