|
Joanne,
As a general observation from suction
table treatments I've performed, some yellowing/discoloration appears on the top
sheet and little to no discoloration evident on the under sheet. This can happen
even after immersion cleaning when the final rinse appears clear. From
this, one could assume that capillary action is stronger than the vacuum's draw.
I use lovely soft, old linen sheets to sandwich the textile on the table---they
seem to wick out the water best for me and they allow more air draw through the
weave than blotters, muslin, and cotton flannel. (also needs less
suction to pull the air through & therefore put less strain/ pressure on
textile from suction). If the textile needs quick drying to prevent dye
migration etc, I spritz distilled water over the top linen layer so there
is good consistent contact with the textile being dried. Same idea as when
we cleaned & dried quilts/rugs on the rack.
Depends on the textile I imagine,
but I tend to put my textiles face up on the suction table-I don't like the
idea that the front of the textile might be flattened against the
platen from the treatment. The bottom
linen sheet protects the textile from the platen's hole pattern but I
wouldn't want to chance having that pattern possibly transfer on the
textile. Besides, if it is face-up, I can cheat sometimes and lift the
linen to peek at the textile without moving it. Checking with Timar-Balazsy
and Eastop in "Chemical Principles in Textile Conservation" (p. 183)...they
describe one example of localized cleaning (with drops of solvent onto textile
using a suction disc) and say the face of the textile OR that side with the
larger amount of visible soil is positioned towards the solvent (i.e.
'up').
You are back where you started. I'd love to hear what others suggest.
Good
luck!
Virginia
Virginia J. Whelan, Textile
Conservator Filaments Conservation Studio Merion Station, Pennsylvania 19066
|