Conservation of the Old Hat

This research is to conservate the old hat and restore its shape and place it on a supportive form in a stable protective container. The hat is a homemade construction, utilizing three different machine made laces, and two cotton net fabrics. The exterior, particularly the top crown piece, as well as the lace along the brim's edge has been generally soiled and discolored. Inside the crown, the cotton net has broken threads, and thread loss in several areas. The paper covering the two wires is very weak, and has discolored the lace in the areas of contact. The plastic buckles of the velvet ribbon have also discolored the areas where there is contact. The wash/bleach bath procedure was very effective. Virtually all of the light brown surface discoloration stains were removed. The darker brown spots, particularly concentrated around the two paper covered wires and assumed to be rust, were $90\%$ removed by the treatment. The brown spots apparently were due to the degradation of the paper covering, and not caused by the wire itself. The buckram foundation lost about $50\%$ of its stiffness, but this was not a major concern due to the fact that this hat should remain it its mount, which has been designed to serve for both storage and exhibition purposes.