Dear all
Can I put in a word here about old bobbins - bone and wood. Very often old
bobbins have been neglected and stored incorrectly i.e. either in a damp
area or somewhere warm and dry (central heating). Bone seems not to be so
susceptible to temperature fluctuation (unless decorated) but wood can dry
out considerably and become brittle.
At the moment I'm working my through an NVQ (National Vocational
Qualification) Level 3 in Cultural Heritage Operations - for work in
museums. One unit I opted to work on was 'Care of Items' and being a
lacemaker one particular item I chose was bobbins (as one would!). I
contacted several museums for advice - choosing ones that I knew had
collections of bobbins - Cecil Higgins, British Museum, V&A - but Veronica
Main at Luton Museum was particularly helpful.
Storing bobbins in suitable boxes made from polyester, polyethylene or
polypropylene is recommended. If necessary old wood bobbins can be 'revived'
with Renaissance Wax, but this should be used sparingly. If the bobbins are
not in use, and you feel the need, they can be stored wrapped in acid free
tissue. OK we're not talking about museum items here but for future
generations I think we should preserve as best we can our precious bobbins.
I have used RW on a small collection of very badly neglected old bobbins
both wood and bone and in the short term they seem not to have suffered but
only time will tell if I have blundered but it couldn't be any worse than
the original state they were in.
I'm afraid I don't always practice what I preach but my 'special' are
wrapped away in AF tissue. I can hear you all now - why have bobbins that
you don't use? Plain and simple - I love them and quite a number of them are
too precious and fragile to use.
Diana in a very hot and humid Northamptonshire
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