Re: [lace] "age spots"

[Adele Shaak]

Hi Nancy:

There can be many reasons for spots to appear, including (but not limited to)

mildew & fungi growth
decomposition of lignin
chemical reactions with impurities from manufacture
chemical reactions involving handling & other contamination

It is impossible to tell just from looking at a spot exactly what caused it. 
You would have to sample each spot so it could be analysed, and that would 
wreck your lace anyway.

Linen fibres are about 4% lignin; when lignin decomposes (due to things like 
light exposure) it darkens to a gold/amber colour. Mildew and fungi growth are 
from spores in the air; these flourish especially well when the textile is 
stored, as it is undisturbed for long periods so they get to really take hold. 
Mildew stains are usually greyish in tone.

During manufacture of the thread, you can get small amounts of oil on the 
fibre, sweat from fingers handling the fibre, plus you can get dissolved 
impurities like iron and copper in the water used both in manufacturing the 
thread and in washing the lace after it is made. These impurities react with 
moisture in the air to create destructive acidic compounds that often appear as 
black or brownish stains.

When you touch the lace you get lactic acid deposits from the sweat on your 
body, and these, too, will react over time to create stains and compounds 
destructive to the fibre.

If a linen fabric is in normal use, it gets washed regularly. The lignin still 
decomposes, the chemicals still react, but the destructive compounds get washed 
out of the fabric before they build up to what you can see as a stain. The 
washing is, of course, destructive in itself, so although your lace may look 
cleaner it won’t necessarily last longer.

Sigh. The fact is that natural products naturally degrade over time.

What can you do? Well, washing the lace would be a good start, as it will help 
get rid of these stains, but washing (either in pure distilled water or pure 
distilled water with a little hydrogen peroxide added as a bleaching agent) 
won’t reverse the chemical reactions, though it may get rid of the stains. Make 
sure you store it in an acid-free manner, but also - take it out and air it now 
and again. There’s no point in saving a lace forever if that means nobody gets 
to see it.

Just my 2 cents - hope they help.

Adele
West Vancouver, BC
(west coast of Canada)




> On Jun 28, 2017, at 5:45 AM, N.A. Neff  wrote:
> 
> Hello fellow spiders,
> 
> Could someone explain to me what causes "age spots" on lace? the brown
> spots?
> 
> What is the actual chemical basis for them?
> 
> Can they be removed? (I've been too chicken to try anything.)
> 
> Can future ones be prevented from developing?
> 
> Any other information I should be asking for?
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Nancy
> Connecticut, USA

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Re: [lace] "age spots"

[Clay Blackwell]

Over the years, I have read numerous articles addressing this issue.  There are 
two "sub categories" IMHO, old collected lace and modern lace owned by the 
maker which has acquired the off-colors.

The causes that seem most plausible to me are...

Old laces have been infamously exposed to conditions which leech off-gasses 
which cause discoloration to the natural fibers.  Sadly, the people who caused 
the discoloration were acting in good faith that their "New and improved" 
background paper was Lace friendly!  

The second great offender is human handling!  Unfortunately, when laces have 
been handled, but not protected, they tend to end up with blotches of ugly 
off-color.  Today, if you are allowed to handle a piece of lace in a museum, 
you must wear carefully laundered Cotten gloves so the natural oils in your 
skin do not transfer to the lace.

I have been mounting my own samples and the old ones I have bought on acid free 
paper.  This tends to stabilize the changes.

Clay



Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 28, 2017, at 8:45 AM, N.A. Neff  wrote:
> 
> Hello fellow spiders,
> 
> Could someone explain to me what causes "age spots" on lace? the brown
> spots?
> 
> What is the actual chemical basis for them?
> 
> Can they be removed? (I've been too chicken to try anything.)
> 
> Can future ones be prevented from developing?
> 
> Any other information I should be asking for?
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Nancy
> Connecticut, USA
> 
> -
> To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line:
> unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to
> arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/

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[lace] IOLI convention

[Susan]

Hello All!  Is anyone familiar with the Radisson?  The restaurant info posted 
to IOLI does not mention a lite bite kiosk or the grab & go lunch service that 
was so convenient at Marriott in Coralville.  I'd like to spend more time 
making lace & shopping for supplies & less time eating!  Do I have my 
priorities straight?Sincerely, Susan Hottle USA

Sent from my iPad

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[lace] "age spots"

[N.A. Neff]

Hello fellow spiders,

Could someone explain to me what causes "age spots" on lace? the brown
spots?

What is the actual chemical basis for them?

Can they be removed? (I've been too chicken to try anything.)

Can future ones be prevented from developing?

Any other information I should be asking for?

Thank you!

Nancy
Connecticut, USA

-
To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line:
unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to
arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/

[lace] Swan Bookkmark

[Susan Brooks]

I sent for Kant 2003 (lace magazine with translations in 3 languages which are 
very helpful), and in issue 2 saw the Swans and wanted to try it out.I found it 
challenging!I hoped to work the snowflakes mat I saw on another Arachne page, 
but that looks like a round-to-it.
Susan
In Weston super Mare where it is drizzly rain - the first we have had in a long 
time.

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