Metals (TSG)

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Copyright: 2024. The Textile Wiki pages are a publication of the Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. The Textile Wiki pages are published for the members of the Textile Specialty Group. Publication does not endorse or recommend any treatments, methods, or techniques described herein.

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Metals can appear in dress and textile collections in a variety of ways, including as metal threads, either woven in (as in lamé) or in embroidery, as spangles/sequins or beads, or as findings in garments, including buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, and zippers. Rarely, metal can make up the entirety of a textile or garment.

Examples of metals in dress and textile collections

Metal threads

Metal bobbin lace from an 18th century textile using Indictor types 2 (lamella) and 3 (filé), under magnification.

Metal threads appear in textiles in a variety of forms. The most common framework used for the characterization of metal threads is one created by Norman Indictor in the 1980s, which established five categories describing the form of metals included in textiles. These are:

1. Metal applied (with adhesive) to already woven fabrics
2. Metal wire or flattened strips
3. Metal wire wound around fiber core
4. Metallic surface applied (with adhesive) to organic wrapping wound around fiber core
   1. Organic--cellulosic
   2. Organic--proteinaceous
5. Metallic surface applied (with adhesive) to organic strips
   1. Organic--cellulosic
   2. Organic--proteinaceous

Type 2 from Indictor's framework is also known as lamella when it appears as hammered or flattened strips. Type 3 is also known as filé, and most often used a silk core in a color that matched the metal strips. Gold or gilt filé often used yellow silk, whereas silver or silver-gilt (vermeil) filé most often used a white core.

Metal sequins

Metal sequins or spangles were used frequently before the invention of synthetic and semi-synthetic sequins in the twentieth century (see plastics), and are still used on some high-end garments and in artisanal textiles.

Metal beads

Metal beads are frequently found in beaded embroidery on a wide variety of dress and textiles.

Metal buttons, hook-and-eyes, zippers

Metal findings are found frequently in costume collections and are also used on some flat textiles.

Dress and textiles entirely composed of metal

Fully metal pieces can be found in costume collections in the form of accessories, such as metal mesh handbags and jewelry, or as complete garments, as in the designs of Paco Rabanne.

Identification techniques for metals in textile collections

The most commonly used method for identifying metal materials in metal threads is Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). This produces a magnified image and provides quantitative and qualitative analysis. Additionally, it is nondestructive, though a sample small enough to fit into the chamber must be taken. However, getting reliable quantitative results is complicated and therefore not always accurate. The following analytical techniques are frequently paired with SEM-EDS:

The most commonly used method for identifying metal materials in metal threads is Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). This produces a magnified image and provides quantitative and qualitative analysis. Additionally, it is nondestructive, though a sample small enough to fit into the chamber must be taken. However, getting reliable quantitative results is complicated and therefore not always accurate. The following analytical techniques are frequently paired with SEM-EDS:

• AAS: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
• AES: Auger Electron Spectroscopy
• AFM: Atomic Force Microscopy
• DTA: Differential Thermal Analysis
• EBSD: Electron Backscatter Diffraction
• EDXRF: Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence
• EPMA: Electron Probe Microanalysis
• ESCA: another word for XPS, Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis
• FESEM-EDX: Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy
• FESESM-FIB-EDX: Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy Focusing Ion Beam Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy
• FEG-SEM: Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscopy
• IBA: Ion Beam Analysis
• ICP-AES: Inductively Coupled Plasma- Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
• ICP-OES: Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectroscopy
• ICP-MS: Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass-Spectrometry
• LA-ICP-MS: Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass-Spectrometry
• LIBS: Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
• MA-XRF: Scanning Macro-X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy
• PIXE: Proton Induced X-Ray Emission
• RBS: Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry
• SIMS: Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
• SR-XRF: Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Fluorescence
• TEM : Transmission Electron Microscopy
• TGA : Thermogravimetric Analysis
• ToF-SIMS: Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
• VIMP: Voltammetry of Immobilized Microparticles Methodologies
• WDS: Wavelength Dispersive Analysis
• XPS: X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
• XRD: X-Ray Diffraction
• XRF: X-Ray Fluorescence
• XRS: X-Ray Spectroscopy

Condition concerns for metals associated with textiles

• Rust/corrosion
• Corrosion products damaging fabric substrate or other associated materials
• Metal threads: Corrosion occurs as the metal of the thread are oxidized. For gold gilded threads, this typically occurs because the metals in the substrate migrate to the surface. Corrosion products are most often oxides, sulfides, and chlorides.

Considerations for treatment

Metal threads are difficult to treat as nearly everything used to treat metals will damage textiles and vice-versa. More recently, traditional cleaning methods (either physical by using abrasives, or chemical through acids, alkalis, or chelating agents) have been discovered to cause damage to the metal thread itself. Lasers can remove the oxidation products without damaging the thin gold gilding of a metal thread and numerous papers have been written about the process.

Photo Gallery

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  A 1967 aluminum dress by Paco Rabanne in the Rijksmuseum's collection.

Further Reading

Metals (Objects Specialty Group)

Ferrari, Martina, Kate Duffy, Sara Lynn Reiter, and Bernice Morris. 2017. "Philadelphia's Opulent Embroidery: The Study of Needlework Painted Picture of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Collection." In Embellished Fabrics: Conserving Surface Manipulation and Decoration, 11th North American Textile Conservation Conference Preprints. 210-224.

Guzman, Maria Olvido Moreno and Melanie Ruth Korn. 2017. “All That Glitters is Gold: Metallic Embellishments on the Plume of Ancient Mexico.” In Embellished Fabrics: Conserving Surface Manipulation and Decoration, 11th North American Textile Conservation Conference Preprints. 72-84. (Spanish).

Járó, Márta, Tamás Gál, Attila Tóth, Marta Jaro, Tamas Gal, and Attila Toth. 2000. “The Characterization and Deterioration of Modern Metallic Threads.” Studies in Conservation 45: 95-105.

Muros, Vanessa, Sebastian K.T.S. Wärmländer, David A. Scott, and Joanna Maria Theile. 2007. "Characterization of 17th-19th Century Metal Threads from the Colonial Andes." Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. Vol. 46, pgs. 229-244.

Rezić, Iva, Lidija Ćurković, and Magdalena Ujević Bošnjak. 2010. "Simple methods for characterization of metals in historical textile threads." Talanta 82, no. 1: 237-244. 10.1016/j.talanta.2010.04.028.

Ŝimić, Kristina, Ivana Zamboni, Stjepko Fazinić, Domagoj Mudronja, Lea Sović, Sabrina Gouasmia, Ivo Soljačić. 2018. "Comparative analysis of textile metal threads from liturgical vestments and folk costumes in Croatia." Nuclear Instruments and Method in Physics Research B. Vol 417, pgs. 115-120.

Toth, Márta. 2012. "Lessons learned from conserving metal thread embroidery in the Esterházy Collection, Budapest, Hungary." Contributions to the Vienna Congress, The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. pgs. S305-S312.

Vaughn, Karri. "A Survey and Annotated Bibliography Focusing on Publications Related to the Technical Analyses Of Metal Thread, 1995-2022" Qualifying Paper. State University of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology, 2023.

Werner, Ute, Lyndisie S. Selwyn, Tom Stone, W. Ross McKinnon, Anne MacKay, Tara Grant. 2012. The removal of metal soaps from brass beads on a leather belt." Studies in Conservation, Vol. 57, No. 1, pgs. 20-3.