Hi Megan,
Tom is probably right, though there might not be anything quite as
charming as a whole fleece. As others have pointed out freezing should
help, and since you are probably dealing with raw materials from a
cooler climate make sure it is a very cold freeze for long enough. There
are ways to clean a fleece too, but that would defeat some of the
purpose I am sure. (You could ask around if there are local spinneries,
which I imagine there are up by you. If not Green Mountain Spinnery in
Vermont has a great reputation for being a welcoming and helpful place,
as well as producing great fibers.)
Good luck! Wish I lived closer
Genevieve
Monika Harter wrote:
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Hi Megan,
I agree with Alex - either have your display in a really tight case or
freeze the raw wool on a regular basis. Raw wool is more prone to
insect attack than cleaned wool, due to the mix of additional substances
it holds such as dead skin, sweat residue, vegetable matter and lanolin.
Best,
Monika Harter
-----Original Message-----
From: pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net
[mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net] On Behalf Of Alex Roach
Sent: 29 November 2009 23:54
To: pestlist@museumpests.net
Subject: Re: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
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Hi Megan
The curator is right - the wool is very attractive to a range of insects
including clothes moths and carpet beetles. The best approach is to
ensure that all the wool to be used is frozen before it is installed. I
would also re-freeze the wool every month or so as an added precaution
(if it is going to be on display for an extended period).
Best wishes
Alex Roach
Megan Mcintosh wrote:
We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry
at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various
stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how
the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool
within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would
attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly
displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be
done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other
artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to
realistically recreate wool?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Megan McIntosh (Student)
Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies
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