Silk preservation

Fig. 5. The effect of protein-protein interactions on Nephila edulis major ampullate circular dichroism spectra in solution. A change in secondary structure with increasing concentration is observed. At low concentration (minimal protein-protein interactions) silk proteins appear partially unfolded in solution. At higher concentration (higher protein-protein interactions) silk proteins refold into a helix-like structure, most likely a molten-like globule (from Dicko et al., 2004c). This final molten structure would facilitate local chain rearrangement while preserving the global structure for protein storage and transport. (Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society.)...

Uses Manufacture of acetate rayon, acetic anhydride, acetone, acetyl compounds, cellulose acetates, chloroacetic acid, ethyl alcohol, ketene, methyl ethyl ketone, vinyl acetate, plastics and rubbers in tanning laundry sour acidulate and preservative in foods printing calico and dyeing silk solvent for gums, resins, volatile oils and other substances manufacture of nylon and fiber, vitamins, antibiotics and hormones production of insecticides, dyes, photographic chemicals, stain removers latex coagulant textile printing. 

Tender or fictitious copal is found in commerce mixed sometimes with a little Indian copal, but it is brought from the Brazils without any admixture. That from India is vitreous, translucent, and nearly as transparent os glass, but age communicates to it a shade of yellow on the surface. Its ordinary form is in tears it possesses a weak, agreeable odor, is very friable, and preserves this property even in the varnish made with it, on which account it fa not so much esteemed. Heat renders it soft and elastic, so that It can be drawn out into threads as fine as silk.. Alcohol partly dissolves it, the residue appearing like gluten. Ether takes up nearly- the whole substance. 

A group of thirty-four silk samples taken from fourteen brittle Civil War flags was provided by the Capitol Preservation Committee, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

Ballard, M. Koestler, R.J. Blair, C. Indlctor, N. "A Study of Historic Silk Banners by Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry," Symposium on Preservation of Papers and Textiles of Historic and Artistic Value, 193rd American Chemical Society Meeting, Denver, Colorado, April 5-10, 1987. Preservation of Papers and Textiles of Historic and Artistic Value, Advances In Chemistry, American Chemical Society Washington, D.C., (In press). 

Currently, the vast majority of textiles being collected by museums are made from natural fibers, and attention is focused on these products in this volume. Silk is discussed in Chapters 7-9, and cellulosics in Chapters 10 and 11. Techniques that may be useful for the characterization of textiles to be preserved are described in Chapters 13—15. 

A 30 or 40 per cent by volume hydrogen peroxide is used as bleach for silk, wood, Wool, bones, teeths, feathers, mother of pearl, hom, hair, coral, gelatine, oils and fats. In medical science it is an excellent disinfectant and is also essential for sterilizing water for municipal use and preserving milk. Apart from this, hydrogen peroxide is used in the chemical industries for the manufacture of persalts and in laboratories for oxidation. 

In the past when I have had a textile too fragile to withstand a needle, I have pasted a very light silk lining to it, using Japanese rice paste, which is harmless and easily reversible. This method had the advantage of preserving a piece which was otherwise hopeless, but it... 

The development of methods and tests for preserving natural textile fibers is surveyed. The effect of the environment in which the textiles are stored or exposed, chemical, physical, and biological agents responsible for their degradation, and test methods for evaluating their performance and extent of damage are discussed. Emphasis is on cotton, wool, and silk, with selected references on other cellulosic fibers such as jute and linen. 

Acetic acid is used in the manufacture of various acetates, acetyl compounds, cellulose acetate, acetate rayons, plastics, and rubber. It is also used in tanning, as laundry sour, in printing calico, and in dyeing silk. It is an acidulant and preservative in food. It is a solvent for gums, resins, volatile oils, and many other substances. Acetic acid is widely used in commercial organic synthesis. 

Zirconium basic acetate has Isscn used for weighting silk several comtsmmls have ls en suggested ns mordants and in the preparation of hie dyes the nit rate has lsen employed ns A food preservative the hard compounds, like the carbide, make effective abrasives the dear crystalline zircon is used as a gem, the ml variety Ising known as hyacinth, the yellow is called jneinth, the white is known as jargon, the pale brown crystals from Ceylon am decolorized by hent mid ended Malum diamonds. 

Proteins are readily hydrolysed by microbial enzymes, and their preservation requires desiccation, freezing or pickling, to retard microbial action. The key degradation step is peptide-bond hydrolysis, which is temperature dependent. The more highly ordered and cross-linked proteins—such as keratin, fibrinogen (in silk and mollusc-shell matrix) and collagen (comprising... 

Figure 3 Silts between decks on the Mary Rose. The fine sediments that filled most of the lower hull had never been disturbed, and in this anaerobic environment organic materials such as silk, leather and wood were well-preserved...

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