Dear all, my name is Michaela Groeneveld and I am a metal conservator in training from the University of Amsterdam. At the moment I am a trainee at the conservation lab of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium.
In the conservation lab I am working on a historical object, namely one Arab dagger; also known as a Khanjar. This object consists of a dagger, sheath and waistband, designed together with the use of different materials and techniques. The Khanjar was displayed for many years in the earlier permanent exhibition and is because of that, amongst other things, very polluted. The reason why I am posting this message on the DistList, is because I would like to ask you some advice on the cleaning of the waistband. It consists of two layers: a broad leather waistband covered with a black cloth and a woven textile on top, that is made from cotton, silk and metal threads (samples of the textile were analyzed under magnification). Both layers are stitched together along the edges. The waistband is in an overall poor state, as the surface is very polluted and is showing greasy stains due to dust, dirt and soot to which the object has been exposed for a long time. In addition, the textile has stiffened and is showing some cracks, especially on the points where it was slightly folded. The sewing thread with which the lining of the leather band and the woven textile were stitched together is largely lost. At one of the ends the waistband has been detached from the sheath. This seems to have happened due to a combination of red rot of the leather at this point and the weight of the Khanjar pulling on the waistband during a long period of time, because of the way it was mounted in the showcase in the old exhibition. As for the treatment of the woven textile, a backing will be made for stabilization and the surface needs to be cleaned. Because of this treatment the waistband will partly be disassembled. Partly, because it is not possible to take the whole waistband from the sheath without causing permanent damage to the original construction. This is, besides the presence of metal threads, the reason why I am struggling a bit with the cleaning procedure. It will not be possible to rinse the textile, as a leather backing and belt buckle are attached to it and it still being attached to the sheath. I have done some spot tests with different solvents to see in which the dirt is most likely to dissolve. This did not give a clear outcome. It was not likely to dissolve much of the dirt in any of the solvents I tried (ethanol, acetone, hydrocarbons). What appeared to work best is the use of a cotton swab in combination with saliva, although the outcome is not completely satisfying and there is no direct noticeable change in appearance of the textile. At the moment I am still researching a possible other cleaning technique. I was thinking of maybe using an emulsion or gel as I think it would be relevant to try a surfactant or chelating agent , for example TAC. But as I do not have a lot of experience with textiles conservation, I am not sure this will be a possible option, because the lack of possibility to rinse the textile thoroughly after treatment. I have tested these methods using a barrier of Japanese tissue between a textile sample and the emulsion and agar gel. Both gave a somewhat positive outcome, but again it was only possible to rinse superficially. I was wondering what your opinion on this possible treatment method is and if you maybe have any advice for me? I thank you in advance and for your time and am hoping to hear from you. With the best regards, Michaela Groeneveld ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
