Stabiltex

Fellow Textile Conservators,

Thanks to everyone who responded to my previous message about the availability of Stabiltex. I e-mailed the vendors you suggested. Sefar did not respond and the e-mail to the company in Canada J & K Products came back as undeliverable. Finally, today, I got a response from Plastok and hopefully can order the color I need from them.

Tom Klaas at Testfabrics sent me samples of a product he wants to carry as a replacement. I took a small piece of the larger white sample and a piece of white Stabiltex and heat sealed them together so I could encapsulate an old handkerchief and have a comparison. Because the handkerchief was rotten, I was able to make some tears in the center to make it more like encapsulating a deteriorating textile. The Testfabrics sample is not as transparent, and a little stiffer, but it's a little easier to heat seal and cut. Stitching is similar, but the Testfabrics sample is thicker for manipulating the needle. Actually, the stiffness makes the encapsulated handkerchief more stable. I can pick it up and manipulate it without the handkerchief moving around inside, which is what happens to the Stabiltex portion--not that an artifact would be manipulated in that manner. What I was trying to see was how the drape of the handkerchief was affected, for when costumes are encapsulated or patched. It does not drape well, but I think it would be more stable for some flat textiles.

I took some pictures which are attached. The Stabiltex is on the right and the Testfabrics is on the left in the flat pictures. You can tell the Testfabrics sample on the draped photos because it doesn't drape. A small portion was left un-encapsulated for comparison. I think the fabric from Testfabric would be useful in some applications, and it has more colors than Stabiltex. On this handkerchief, the transparency is similar and it would work, but for the project I'm working on, the Stabiltex is better. I hope this information is helpful.

Teresa

Teresa A. Knutson, Conservator
Rocky Mountain Textile Conservation
635 6th Street W #4
Kalispell, MT 59901
406-756-1388
tknutson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx