WW1 Silk Postcards

[pressingon]

I have a number of these from various relatives, is there a safe way to clean and restore them and then display, any advise appreciated
Thanks
Pat

[PrueM]

HI Pat 

Lucky you!  THey are lovely little things.
Unfortunately silk is very susceptible to damage caused by light, and can become very brittle, so displaying them would be a difficult operation.  Cleaning is also problematic because of this potential brittleness...and you also have the acidity caused by interaction between the paper and the fabric, which causes brittleness in both materials.

Rather than risk damage to the items, if I were you I would contact conservators at one of the war museums.  The Australian War Memorial has a very good conservation department and a huge collection of silk postcards, so I'm sure they could give you some advice. 

http://www.awm.gov.au/about/conservation/

I'm not sure what sort of setup the Imperial War Museum has but you could contact them anyway:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/

I hope that helps

Cheers
Prue

[pressingon]

Hi Pru
Many thanks I shall follow your advice, they have all been written in with messages home to various family members. As they have come to us I feel I should make the effort to preserve them as best I can for future generations
Kind regards
Pat

[km1971]

Hi Pat

I have several regimental silks from WW1, and apart from a light dusting with a fine brush there is nothing you can really do to clean them, as they are made from two different materials - cardboard and 'silk'.

You should avoid plastic wallets as these can be slighty acid. I mount mine in an old fashioned album by their corners with a piece of acid-free tissue between each page. Apart from keeping them from the light, and dust free, there is not a lot you can do. After all they were not designed to survive 90+ years. So take a few digital photographs of them while you can.

PS...just read Prue's informative reply. If you do discover any tips from the experts, please pass it on.

Ken

[pressingon]

Hi Ken
Thank you very much for the advice, I think the way forward then is acid free storage, Taking the digital photo's sounds like a good idea. We have some from my wife's grandfather and were initially thinking about framing them with his medals, photo in uniform and cap badge but will have a rethink. As you say they were not made to last and I want to preserve them not hasten their demise! Any expert advice I get outside this forum I will certainly pass on.
Regards
Pat

[Redroger]

There are acid free plastic wallets, designed for stamp collectors to safely house a complete envelope or envelope front. Might be worthwhile trying a postage stamp dealer. Also these are sometimes advertised in the family history press, so worth a look in the display ads of the magazines.

[pressingon]

Redroger
Many thanks sounds like they would be ideal
Regards
Pat

[Redroger]

See you are located in New Forest, plenty of stamp dealers etc. in Bournemouth. Roger

[pressingon]

See you're not far away in sunny bomo, I subscribe to yourfamilytree mag and I've seen them in there as well
Thanks
Pat