Conserve O Gram September 2002 Number 16/4
Synthetic Fibers In Costume Collections
Museums with 20th century costume collec- coal. The first commercial production of nylon tions likely have pieces composed of synthetic was in 1939 for women’s hosiery. During fibers. Once synthetic fibers begin to degrade, World War II, the government redirected nylon there is little that can be done to conserve the from use in consumer products to the military piece. Preventive conservation is the best way for tents, parachutes, tires, and ropes. Nylon to ensure preservation of costumes with syn- is the second most used synthetic fiber in the thetic materials. United States. Some of the characteristics of nylon include: The term synthetic describes any manufactured • abrasion resistance fiber made from chemical synthesis. Synthetic • washability materials vary in their properties. Many are • resistance to oil and most chemicals engineered to imitate and replace natural • low moisture absorbency materials. The benefit of engineered fibers is • resiliency that special qualities can be added and unde- • resistance to mildew, mold, and moths sirable traits eliminated. Synthetic fibers can provide specific characteristics such as high Nylon yellows with age. absorbency or the ability to hold pleats. The most common synthetic fibers in 20th century Some common uses of nylon include the fol- collections are nylon, polyester, acrylic, and lowing: polyurethane. • blouses • lingerie Fiber Identification • swimwear • ski apparel Synthetic materials can be difficult to identify • raincoats since they vary in appearance and composition. The easiest way to begin identification is to Some trade names for nylon are: check for a manufacturer’s label on the inside • Antron of the garment. Conservators use microscopic • Durasoft analysis, burn, and feel tests for further identi- • Supplex fication. Polyester Nylon The first commercial production of polyes- The invention of nylon in 1931 created a rev- ter was in 1953. Polyester wash and wear lution because it was the first non-cellulose wrinkle-free garments were popular during the fiber made directly from petrochemicals or 1960s and 1970s. Modern polyesters resemble National Park Service Conserve O Gram 16/4 Conserve O Gram 16/4 National Park Service
silk, wool, and cotton, making it difficult to • wool-like feel distinguish them from natural fibers. Other • softness and warmth fibers are often blended with polyester further • shape retention making identification difficult. Polyester is the • resiliency most used synthetic fiber in the U.S. Some • quick drying characteristics of polyester include the follow- • resistance to moths ing: • resistance to sunlight • strength • resistance to oil and chemicals • resiliency • washability • resistance to most chemicals Acrylic fabrics suffer from piling and abrasion • quick drying problems. • washability • resistance to mildew Some major uses for acrylic fiber include: • wrinkle resistance • retains heat set pleats and creases • sweaters • socks Oil stains are difficult to remove from polyester • sportswear fabrics. • blankets
Some major uses for polyester fibers include: Trade names for acrylic fibers include: • blouses • Orlon • shirts • Acrilan • dresses • Creslan • ties • suits Polyurethane Trade names for polyester are: The first commercial use of polyurethane was • Dacron in the early 1950s. Polyurethane materials • Fortrel include bonded fabrics, spandex, synthetic • Thermoloft suede, leather look fabrics and water repellant • Microloft materials. A popular material in the 1960s and 1970s was the “wet-look” fabric, usually Acrylic composed of polyurethane laminated materials. Many examples in collections include coats, The first commercial production of acrylic jackets, belts, shoes, and purses. fiber in the U.S. was in 1950. Acrylic fibers are made from acrylonitrile, a petrochemical. Polyurethane is one of the more problematic The combination of acrylonitrile with small synthetic materials because it is degraded by amounts of other chemicals improves the abil- exposure to light, heat, and chemicals. Materi- ity of the fiber to absorb dyes. Acrylic fibers als can show deterioration such as: are unique among synthetic fibers because they • discoloration have an uneven surface. Some characteristics • cracking of acrylic include:
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• delamination of layers Trade names for spandex include: • distortion (bubbling) of the exterior fabric • Lycra • Cleerspan Solvents used for dry-cleaning can soften adhe- • Dorlastan sives holding the layers together. As the mate- • Glospan rial breaks down it often becomes sticky due to plasticizers migrating to the surface. Plasticiz- ers can stain adjacent materials and corrode Preservation of Synthetic Materials metals. Polyurethane materials are especially Textiles are among the most sensitive in susceptible to deterioration by fungi. museum collections with a particular vulner- ability to light, humidity, and temperature. Polyurethane bonded fabrics were popular in Modern costumes were not made for longev- the 1960s. Deterioration of bonded fabrics ity and were only expected to last for a season usually occurs when the polyurethane foam rather than a lifetime. starts to break down causing the backing to separate from the base fabric. Polyurethane Preventative maintenance includes monitoring foams can yellow, become brittle, and crumble. the collection, and examining and recording Multi-layered garments can be discolored if the the condition of the objects on a regular basis. underlying layer of polyurethane has yellowed. It is important to limit light exposure, reduce UV, and maintain a stable environment of 50- Spandex 55% RH and temperature of 68°-72°F. Spandex, a type of polyurethane, was first pro- duced in 1959. During the 1960s, spandex If the costume has an odor, isolate the piece replaced rubber in bathing suits and under- from the rest of the collection. Fabrics with wear. Some characteristics of spandex include: coatings may become sticky when the plas- ticizer starts to break down. The plasticizers • light weight can migrate to the surface and stain adjacent • resistance to body oils objects. In these instances, use a barrier mate- • abrasion resistance rial such as a PTFE (Teflon) coated fabric • strength and durability between layers of the sticky fabrics to prevent • can be stretched repeatedly and still recover adhesion to itself. If the decomposition of the its original length and shape costume is too far advanced, it may be neces- sary to document and remove the piece from Common uses of spandex include the follow- the collection. ing: References • swimwear • jackets Landi, Sheila. The Textile Conservator’s Manual. London: Butterworth & Co. Ltd., 1985. • ski apparel • exercise wear Needles, Howard L. Handbook of Textile Fibers, • support hose Dyes and Finishes. New York: Garland Press, 1981.
2 Synthetic Fibers in Costume Collections Synthetic Fibers in Costume Collections 3 National Park Service Conserve O Gram 16/4 World Wide Web Resources Ball, Stephen, Ann French and Barbara Hei- berger. “Conservation of Costume Collec- tions.”
Fabriclink.
Fibersource.
Warshall Peter. “Inventory of Synthetic Fibers.”
Materials and Supplies
PTFE (Teflon®) coated fabric is available from the following suppliers:
Chemfab 150 Gaylord St. Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 Chris Paulocik (847) 490-9800 Conservator
The Conserve O Gram series is published as a reference on collections The series is distributed to all NPS units and is available to management and curatorial issues. Mention of a product, a man- non-NPS institutions and interested individuals on line at ufacturer, or a supplier by name in this publication does not con-