Consolidation Treatment of Japanese Ceremonial Doll′s Hair at Edo Period with Polyethylene Glycol

Abstract

The application of the polyethylene glycol (PEG) for consolidation treatment of Suga-fibers, made of raw silk fibers dyed in black, was investigated. The PEG treatment in the range of the concentration 5 wt % to 20 wt% using PEG#1000 and PEG#6000 was found to reinforce the deteriorated iron-silk fiber. The result may indicate that coating of PEG on the fiber surface acted as an antioxidant, and the production of H₂O₂ and OH• might be inhibited. For iron/tannate-silk fibers, the coating with 20 wt% PEG#6000 was the best pre-treatment, while that with 5 wt% PEG#1000 was suitable post-treatment to control the fiber deterioration by accelerated aging. This concluded that the osmotic and flexible PEG is effective for the fragile fiber. Depending on the degradation condition of Suga-fibers, it was important to select the appropriate molecular weight and concentration of PEG solution to reinforce. This study demonstrated that the PEG treatment is useful as one of the conservation treatment of black dyed textiles.