Ottawa - Canadian Association for Conservation

Use of Dyed New Feathers for Loss Compensation in Damaged Feathers
Clare Lewarne & Emily Lin, Post Graduate Paid Interns
Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa ON
Losses from feathers on ethnographic objects and pieces of Western costume may be visually
improved by filling the losses with new matching feathers. This project will investigate three aspects of
feather in-filling techniques:
• Dyeing techniques for feathers,
• Degree of colour stability in conservation dyed feathers,
• Techniques for infilling losses in feathers with new matching feathers.
Lanaset and Irgalan dyes will be tested for use dyeing contour and plumose feathers. Both handpainting
and submersion dyeing will be assessed as dye application techniques. To verify the longterm
stability of conservation dyes on feathers, a micro-fading test will be used to characterize the
lightfastness of dyed feathers. Finally, several different techniques for affixing parts of feathers as infill
will be explored.