Baskets coated with glycerine

Rachel Waters <rwaters<-at->musnaz<.>org> writes

>We have a large collection of coiled baskets and trays with natural
>dyes that were coated with glycerine about 40 years ago.  The
>records do not indicate what the solution was, it only says
>"glycerine," but these baskets are now much darker than their
>un-glycerined companions.  Has anyone had success reducing this sort
>of darkening from anything similar (plant material) without
>affecting the natural dyes? ...

I can offer no suggestion for how to safely reduce the glycerine
coating, but I'd like to pose two questions as food-for-thought.

Is it possible that the un-glycerined baskets became somewhat
lighter in appearance (perhaps from exposure to strong light, low
humidity, fine dust) during the 40 years when the glycerine-coated
baskets became darker?

Apart from their light-dark differences, does either group of
objects seem in better condition (for example, less brittle or
friable) than the other group?

Jean D. Portell
Brooklyn, NY


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:2
                  Distributed: Saturday, May 30, 2015
                        Message Id: cdl-29-2-002
                                  ***