Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

742 Conservation of Furniture
between textile and wooden substrate. Note
that an artist’s palette knife is too coarse for
this procedure. In some cases, localized cool
humidity from a preservation pencil may be
helpful in breaking the adhesive bond. After
the hinge or carcase wood has been treated,
the textile may be relaid using ‘dry’ wheat
starch paste. Huxtable and Webber (1986) give
comprehensive directions for preparing wheat
starch paste. To make a ‘dry’ paste, excess
water may be removed from a standard formulation
of paste by placing a small amount
onto blotting paper before use. Although animal
glue may have been used originally, it is
often not appropriate for regluing fragile textiles
in this context.
16.5.1 Cleaning
The textile interiors of boxes have often
become very dusty, particularly in the corners.
Surfaces such as these are ideally cleaned using
a vacuum tweezer unit. A conventional handheld
vacuum cleaner may be used, in which
case the suction should be reduced if possible.
The suction of the vacuum cleaner should be
just enough to dislodge dust and particulate
matter without exerting pull on the textile. In
addition, the hand held nozzle should be covered
with two layers of nylon to prevent loose
threads being sucked up and lost, with the
result of further unravelling of the textile. Care
should be taken that the nozzle does not come
into contact with the textile because it will
leave an irreversible scuff mark. A soft brush
may be used to assist in dislodging dust and
particulate matter but should not be used
where the surface of the textile is degraded to
the point of turning to dust. Dry cleaning materials
(not solvent cleaning), discussed in section
11.2.4, may be appropriate for removing
ingrained dust from robust textiles in good
condition but are unlikely to affect wax or
stains.
Wax accretions are difficult to remove from
well adhered fabric. It may be appropriate to
mechanically remove the bulk of the wax
before using heat and absorbent paper.
Although Stoddard solvent is a good solvent
for wax, its use may be problematic if the textile
is adhered to wood, in which case there
may be a danger of solubilizing the adhesive
or bringing a stain through from below. It may
be prudent to leave such marks untreated.
Other stains or ink marks should be treated by
a specialist textile conservator but in many
cases should also be left untreated.
16.5.2 Loose and lifting linings
Wear and use has often led to repair or
replacement of original lining fabrics but in
some cases, such as dressing cases, writing
boxes and stumpwork boxes, the original lining
may be found beneath a later additional
repair. Original linings may be extremely damaged
and fragile. Their conservation should be
undertaken by an experienced textile conservator,
who may be able to support original
remnants and reconstruct lost material. If relining
has occurred, the owner or curator should
be consulted about the potential historic
importance of the relining and therefore the
conservation treatment required.
In cases where the original lining has been
removed, remnants are often found adhered to
old adhesive, edges or fixings. A single thread
may provide important evidence of original
material and colour. The colour of later linings
were subject to the fashion of the day rather
than concerns of historical accuracy. Velvet
may have replaced silk, or vice versa, depending
on the prevailing taste. If it is necessary to
remove old adhesive, the area should be examined
under a binocular microscope for remnant
fibres. If found, fibres should be documented,
photographed and kept.
Where a lining has become loose or is lifting,
it may be possible to relay the material. An
adhesive should be selected on the basis of the
weight, weave and porosity of the material.
The original adhesive should be identified in
order to choose a compatible adhesive so, for
example, a wheat starch may be used where a
starch paste was used originally. A critical parameter
of the use of this adhesive is that it
should be used ‘dry’ so that it does not soak
through the material and cause irreversible
staining. Capillary action in the fibres of the lining
will tend to pull excess moisture and adhesive
through to the upper surface. The more
damaged or tendered the material, the more
porous it is likely to be. Conservation grade
PVAC is not generally appropriate for linings,
though it may be used to secure loose braid,
trimming and passmenterie. Animal/hide glue