Post #8722 by Atomic Cocktail on Thu, Sep 19, 2002 9:48 AM

On 2002-09-18 16:21, Doctor Z wrote:
Quite a ways back Martiki had a question about where/how to get felt fezs (fezzes?) cleaned, and I have the same question. I've got a vintage fez I'm planning on wearing to the Tiki Farm bash, but it could really use a good cleaning and 'refreshing'. I was going to just take it to the dry cleaners, but if anyone (Tiki King??) has a better/safer idea, please let us know as there appears to be more than one of us with this dilemma!

When I worked in a costume shop way back when we would clean felt hat thus: Brush away any loose dirt with a stiff brush. Take a rag with dry cleaning fluid and gently rub it on any stains. Brush it to remove the loosened dirt. There isn't much you can do to clean the embroidery esp. if it is metallic. Most of it is metallic wires wrapped around a thread core. If you work it too hard it can break the thread and have a handful of loose bullion! But if you really insistent here's an 18th century recipes for cleaning Metallic Braid ("lace"):

From "The Servants Directory", 1762,:

"To Clean Gold and Silver Lace.
Get some talc, pound it very fine; an make it quite damp
with spirits of wine (ed. Alcohol); then with a soft brush rub the lace every
way till you find it quite clean. This do for gold and silver stuffs
that are rais'd high. Talc, by itself, turns lace black, when lain by.

"To Preserve Gold and Silver Lace from tarnishing.
Fold them up with fine Indian paper, and over that fine
whited-brown paper, well air'd; then fold them in a piece of
green bays well dried, and in the drawer or trunk where they
lie, keep some saffron-papers. (you may buy them of the persons
who sell saffron), and keep them in a warm place; and never put
any gold or silver lace in a deal box."

ANYONE SEEN MY DAD?

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2002-09-19 09:49 ]