Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. RE: Removing dye from ivory handles ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Christian Mueller-Straten Posted: Saturday March 29, 2025 7:42 AM Subject: RE: Removing dye from ivory handles Message: Hello Kristy, first of all, thank you very much for adding a few important details, such as the fact that these instruments are ophthalmic instruments. I've seen some of these cases with surgical instruments in German and Austrian museum collections, lined in wine red, dark blue, or purple. A still important publication is Elisabeth Bennion's book on Sotheby's Publications (20 Nov. 1978), 312 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0856670527 which gives additional hints. There are indeed surgical instruments from past centuries that were not only made of iron or steel, but also had handles made of ivory, silver, or mother-of-pearl. However, there are also some made of bone or plastic. Therefore, the first question would be whether they are really made of ivory. Since these instruments had to be disinfected, this was done in the past with alcohol or by boiling. However, neither of these methods is particularly good for ivory. No manufacturer of such an instrument case had to anticipate that a water leak might occur one day, causing water to penetrate the case and discolour the handles. That's probably why a water vat was sufficient for the dye. If you can date the container (I hope so), textile conservators should be able to tell you which dyes were used to colour the lining. It's also important to determine the residual pH value, as this can cause long-term damage to the ivory. As I said before: Before any treatment comes analysis (a general rule for conservators and medical doctors), I really wonder why some conservators consider treatments without prior analysis. If closer scientific testing of the dye (on the lining) reveals that the residual dyes do not damage the ivory, I would still recommend reversible retouching. Best Christian ------------------------------ [Christian] [Mueller-Straten] [Researcher, Publisher, Art Historian] [Owner] [Verlag Dr. Christian Mueller-Straten] [Munich] [Germany] [0049-89-839 690 43] [https://www.museum-aktuell.de] https://www.museum-aktuell.de/CEO ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 03-28-2025 06:53 From: Valerie Free Subject: Removing dye from ivory handles Dear Kristy Have you tried soaking in Ethanol? I don't know if it will remove stains but my research showed that of all the solutions tested, Ethanol had the least potential to leach components of the ivory. Try it on a test piece. Valerie Free Retired Tampa FL Original Message: Sent: 3/27/2025 1:04:00 PM From: George Schwartz Subject: RE: Removing dye from ivory handles Look into Jacquardproducts.com decolourant. Not on-label use, but worth considering. Also companies like Tintex, Rit, have products to consider, and of course, hydrogen peroxide and sunlight. Sometimes color shift disappears with pH variations. Good luck! George ------------------------------ George Schwartz Principal, Senior Conservator ConservArt, Inc. Boca Raton FL [email protected] <[email protected]> Chair CIPP 2011-2013 Conservators in Private Practice ------------------------------ Original Message: Sent: 03-14-2025 11:29 From: Kirsty Clark Subject: Removing dye from ivory handles Hello, I am currently conserving a set of instruments with ivory handles. They were damaged in a leak, and the dye from the case was transferred onto the ivory. We have managed to remove some of the dye but it is still pretty obvious. We have tried humidifying, IDA and WA paste, but it has not removed the dye. I was hopping that someone may have more experience and ideas into what could be done to remove the dye. Thank you, ------------------------------ Kirsty Clark London United Kingdom ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
