A brief update on Stabiltex/Tetex - UK
We all heard last year that Sefar, a Swiss based manufacturer of
monofilament precision fabrics, had withdrawn Stabiltex/Tetex from
production.
This left us with somewhat of a dilemma and no replacement for this
much used fabric.
However, recent news that Sefar produced white and a batch of coloured
stabiltex for Talas in the US prompted us to return again to PlastOk.
PlastOk have confirmed that they, not only, have a small amount of end
of line in stock - white, black, red, beige and khaki/olive green - but
that they will, in light of these developments, continue to stock this
limited range of colours once again.
They also confirmed that Sefar can produce a single colour in 125meter
batches but PlastOk will only deviate from the limited range, mentioned
above, if they have an assurance that they can sell the batch - probably
more than any of us can promise.
The price per meter has risen from approximately £39 to £60.82 per
metre.
If you have queries about colours please contact PlastOk:
79 Market Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 6AN, UK
email: [log in to unmask] , Telephone Number +44 (0) 151 666 2056
Obviously, this scaling back in the colour range, limits our palette
considerably. However, we have also been looking into ways of dyeing
without requiring pressure.
Terasil, a disperse dye for polyester, has been used very infrequently
at the V&A for about 15 years. We contacted Townend (Leeds) plc and they
still recommend Terasil, for dyeing white stabiltex. The dyes are
relatively expensive and the cost of your time to dye will also be a big
consideration.
We have put Townend & Terasil information - dye costs, dyeing method
and a recipe on The Icon Textile Group web pages
http://www.icon.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=
If you have queries, comments or suggestions for the Textile Group
committee we would be very pleased to hear them - please contact
[log in to unmask]
A brief update on Stabiltex/Tetex - US
Two American conservators have been in direct contact with Sefar’s
Minneapolis, Minnesota office for over a year and half working
diligently to identify the issues with the supply chain for
Stablitex/Tetex and to advocate for its value to the conservation market
by stressing the properties that make it a unique and irreplaceable
product.
Two issues emerged. Significant end-user (that’s us) dissatisfaction
with dye-lot colour variation was resulting in financial losses and
frustrations. Secondly, conservation is a very small secondary market
for Tetex/Stabiltex. Dyeing Tetex/Stabiltex is a post-fabrication
process for our market, but current technical limitations result in
visible dye-lot colour shifts. To protect the continued availability of
Tetex/Stabiltex conservators need to expect and accept perceptible
colour variations within dye-lots. As textile conservators we are aware
that immersion dyeing (using disperse dyes for polyester in this case)
is difficult to achieve precision colour replication, either in our labs
or in the industry. Exploring end-user in-lab colouring processes on
white Tetex/Stabiltex will give conservators both a larger palette and a
more exacting colour match for our highly individual work.
Information on available colours and pricing from Talas can be found
at:
http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17620.
Address:
Talas
330 Morgan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: 212-219-0770
Fax: 212-219-0735
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Talas & PlastOk for their persistence and
particularly for undertaking the financial investment necessary that
allows Tetex/Stabiltex to continue to be available to the conservation
market.
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