Re: Corrosion of fabric covered buttons

[Mark MacKenzie <mmackenzie@xxxxxx>]

on 4/13/05 2:31 PM, Tracey Wedge at textileconservator@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
wrote:

> I am dealing with a number of garments that have been in a flood.  Two
> are from the 1930's and are viscose with numerous fabric covered
> buttons.  The iron in the button core has corroded staining the
> covering fabric and the garments.  I have been unable to find any
> references regarding the reduction of iron corrosion on these types of
> buttons.  Any suggestions?
> Thanks
> Tracey Wedge
> Textile Conservator
>
Ignoring mechanical corrosion reduction for the moment that pretty much
leaves chemical reduction as the only workable alternative.  Unfortunately
this means elutriating the area to remove the chemical residues.  Are you
able to locally wet (with water) the buttons?  If so, you might consider
3-5% ammonium citrate to reduce the iron corrosion.  Prior to treating the
button with this you can balance the pH of the solution to nearly neutral.
We have done this in the past when dealing with sensitive composite pieces.
I prefer this to EDTA however, many people use EDTA solutions for similar
problems.

Mark MacKenzie
--
Mark MacKenzie, M.A.C.
Conservator, Saskatchewan Western Development Museum
www.wdm.ca
mmackenzie@xxxxxx