This test, which was developed by the former head of restorations at the British Museum to provide evidence of corrosive compounds, is one of the key and best-known museum procedures. How it works: at 60°C and close to 100% humidity, place a sample of the textile to be tested into a glass vial, adding a strip of copper, silver and lead. 28 days later, the surfaces of the metal strips are compared to reference strips kept in the same conditions but without the textile. The fabrics are then classified as "Permanent" (P), "Temporary" (T), or "Unusable" (U).
Read more about textiles tested for harmful substancesThe pH valueDependent on the exhibition piece, textiles must not exceed certain acidity and alkalinity threshold values. At Création Baumann, we use EN ISO 3071:2005 to test the pH values of our fabrics.