Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2021) 136: 642
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-01597-4

Regular Article

Reversibility of adhesive techniques applied on historical textiles

University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

^a jan.krejci@vscht.cz

Received: 7 December 2020
Accepted: 14 May 2021
Published online: 7 June 2021

Abstract

In the case of historical objects made of textiles, we can frequently see applications of various adhesive techniques used most commonly as a secondary means of earlier conservation interventions. Unfortunately, those techniques were not always used with success and it is sometimes necessary to find appropriate approaches to the retreatment of such objects today. An extensive survey of historical objects located in the several museums in the Czech Republic revealed which adhesives had been applied to textile objects in the past. Based on this survey using identical or similar adhesives available, adhesive bonded silk fabric model samples were prepared and then submitted to artificial ageing. Subsequently, the textile layers were unglued and rinsed and the residues of the adhesives were examined on the upper textile layer representing corresponding historical object. The objective was to identify the most effective way of removing the adhesives selected with respect to the most careful handling of the historical textile. The use of solvents for the removal of adhesives from historical textiles is conditioned by the fact that they may not accelerate further degradation of the target textile materials. Therefore, the effects of the selected solvents on proteinaceous and cellulosic fibres were tested. The goal of testing the stability of the selected adhesives was to determine whether it is beneficial to the textile objects examined to preserve their previous adhesive interventions, supposing the condition of the objects in question allows for it, or whether it is more appropriate to remove and replace the interventions with more suitable adhesives.