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Treatment; 30 May 2004; Prepare for digital photography. Clean and humidify as necessary and if possible. Secure those which are fragmentary and splitting. Improve storage mounts - melinex sleeves or pressure mounts; Organics

Reason: Photography
Description: Standard pressure mount. It was decided that pressure mounting this textile provided the most appropriate method of ensuring a safe storage environment, because it was so delicate that it was at risk of damage from being in loose folders, and was either too fragmentary or too large to suit Melinex sleeves. A standard pressure mounting technique was used. Hexlite 620 board (aluminium honey comb with fibre glass and epoxy adhesive skins) was used as the mount board. The edges of the board had been prepared with 3cm soft wood fillets inserted around all edges, adhered in place with epoxy adhesive (done by Plowden & Smith). The wood edges were sealed by applying Scotch 3M 425 aluminium foil adhesive tape (5cm width). The board was covered with a layer of cotton domette and a layer of undyed, unbleached prescoured cotton calico fabric, attached to the back of the board with Mowilith DMC2 adhesive and heat set. Polyester wadding was also used as an alternative to the domette, where a slightly more cushioned finish was required - for example for the embroidered fragments. Generally speaking, a well was not made, due to the very fine silk of the objects themselves. A top covering fabric of cotton lawn, dyed a neutral cream colour with Ciba Geigy Solophenyl dyes, was applied, this time stitched to the underlying calico at the back, using herringbone stitch. Finally a piece of unbleached prescoured calico was tensioned covering the back of the board and stitched through all fabric layers about 1 cm in from the edges of the board, using slip stitch. The textile's registration number was written on the back of the board, and 4 'feet' of 0.5cm plastazote foam were stuck on the back with double sided adhesive tape - so that the mounts could be stacked without risk of scratching. The textile was placed on the prepared board, and 3mm acrylic glazing was positioned on top (acrylic had polished edges). Stainless steel L-shaped mirror clips were used to hold the glazing in position. Pilot holes were initially drilled into the sides of the board with a hand held drill. Then 1/2 inch screws were applied. The clips were positioned evenly around the board with 10cm distance from each corner. Temporary card label with object registration number was placed under the glazing.
Details: Treatment

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