Behind the scenes at RAMM: life jacket conservation

Conservation student Rocio Gonzalez-Oyarce has been with us since October 2023. She is doing her professional practice as a requirement for her MA in Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects at Durham University. During Rocio’s time at RAMM she has been involved with getting objects ready for our new exhibition Are we nearly there yet? A history of transport. In this blog she tells us about a 1920s life jacket she worked on.

The manufacture of life jackets dates back to the 19^th century. Their invention revolutionised the safety of sailors at sea. Early designs used cotton bags filled with cork blocks to provide buoyancy. But, the type of jacket seen here is much softer and round, indicating a different filling. In the early 20^th century, life jacket makers began to use kapok, a type of vegetable fibre, for buoyancy. Kapok is the most likely filling used in this jacket.

Conserving the life jacket

For the jacket to achieve long term stability, two main issues needed addressing. First, it was very dusty and had many stains. These were from the previous growth of mould (foxing) and from handling during its use on a ship. Secondly, the ties used to secure the jacket around the body were all twisted and folded.

The first step for conservation was to vacuum the whole surface with the help of a soft brush. This way, we remove dust and other particles. Those include fungal spores that could harm the fabric. Afterwards, we continued with different sponges. They removed the ingrained dust and soil. The more extensive stains were not removed by this method. However, these stains tell us the jacket was indeed in use by an “Inspector SURVEYOR”, as stamped into the strap.

Then, the folding of the ties was taken care of by subjecting them to a gentle humidification. This process meant putting the ties into a humid environment. They would be surrounded by water vapour making the fabric pliable. After 20 minutes, we would check if they become more flexible. Then, we would spread them on the surface to humidify them again for 30 minutes. This time, we would add some glass weights to keep them flat. Then, we had to leave it to air dry to avoid jump-starting any decay process.

We used water vapour to treat the fabric ties on the life jacket. The fabric underneath the tie is specially developed to act as a barrier. It lets vapour pass through but not soak it from below.

Here we used netting to hold the tie and allow airflow while stretching the fabric

The conservation methods we have used on this object will improve the life jacket’s appearance and preserve it longer. You can see the final results in the Are we nearly there yet? exhibition from the 15^th of June to the 29^th of September.