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Question about indirect sunlight


avigo
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What effect does indirect sunlight have on fabric colors? 

I want to display a military flag in a room that gets indirect sunlight (through closed shades) but never direct sunlight on objects. 

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All light has some affect but with that said, the affect should be minimal to nil.

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This is the long-running debate between people who want to display collections and those who want to preserve collections.

Realistically, ANY light will eventually damage fiber. If you want to historically preserve your cloth items, keep them in a closed drawer, lying flat, with no pressure placed on any particular point of the item, completely out of any light at all in a temperature and humidity controlled room, preferably wrapped in archival paper or cloth on all sides.  

This is great for people who want to be or pretend they are a museum. 

For those of us who actually like to look at their collections, a bit of risk is involved. Yes, any amount of light will eventually damage the fiber...but will displaying the flag mean more than it lasting in perfect condition for the next three to five hundred years? 

I know for myself, I rarely own anything long enough to invest in the archival preservation of the item. However, I do what I can to be reasonable...I built an office without windows for the purpose of being able to display my collection and avoid sunlight. Yet at the same time, I have uniforms hanging from coat hangers on display that aren't specifically "archival" and I have retirement shadow boxes where the medals are glued in place (gasp) by their brooches (gasp again!) and are allowed to free-hang in the vertical shadow box (triple gasp!)  But, I have neither the space nor the financial resources (or desire) to disassemble the shadow boxes to "preserve" the medals for archival storage.

So...you do what you can do. Keeping the blinds in the room shut is a good first step at preserving the fiber of the flag. Dust it occasionally as well, or use a lint roller to remove any lint or dust that gathers on it. Most importantly, enjoy it and appreciate the fact that you're doing what you can to preserve our nation's military history.

Dave

 

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6 minutes ago, Dave said:

This is the long-running debate between people who want to display collections and those who want to preserve collections.

Realistically, ANY light will eventually damage fiber. If you want to historically preserve your cloth items, keep them in a closed drawer, lying flat, with no pressure placed on any particular point of the item, completely out of any light at all in a temperature and humidity controlled room, preferably wrapped in archival paper or cloth on all sides.  

This is great for people who want to be or pretend they are a museum. 

For those of us who actually like to look at their collections, a bit of risk is involved. Yes, any amount of light will eventually damage the fiber...but will displaying the flag mean more than it lasting in perfect condition for the next three to five hundred years? 

I know for myself, I rarely own anything long enough to invest in the archival preservation of the item. However, I do what I can to be reasonable...I built an office without windows for the purpose of being able to display my collection and avoid sunlight. Yet at the same time, I have uniforms hanging from coat hangers on display that aren't specifically "archival" and I have retirement shadow boxes where the medals are glued in place (gasp) by their brooches (gasp again!) and are allowed to free-hang in the vertical shadow box (triple gasp!)  But, I have neither the space nor the financial resources (or desire) to disassemble the shadow boxes to "preserve" the medals for archival storage.

So...you do what you can do. Keeping the blinds in the room shut is a good first step at preserving the fiber of the flag. Dust it occasionally as well, or use a lint roller to remove any lint or dust that gathers on it. Most importantly, enjoy it and appreciate the fact that you're doing what you can to preserve our nation's military history.

Dave

 

Thanks so much for the reply Dave! That all makes very good sense. And it is a tough line between preserving and enjoying. The things I have that just sit in boxes bring no joy to anybody, so I am definitely in the camp of trying to display what I can, as safely as I can. Unfortunately I don't have any rooms without windows that can work for display, but I will do the best I can with the room I have!

Honestly, with flags, I am more willing to have them in direct sunlight and hanging properly, than folded or rolled in a box where even worse damage could occur.

(It's nearly impossible to properly store a large flag)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I use blackout curtains to cover the windows, and LED lights to reduce UV exposure

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  • 2 weeks later...

Does this hold true for skylight? I read where they were treated to block almost all UV rays.

 

Dave, thank you for your candor. I completely agree, I want to enjoy these artifacts, not salt them away only to steal a furtive and fleeting sight?

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It would depend on the glass used...plenty of corner cutters out there, if you don't know who installed the skylight I'd look into the glass

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had all the windows that possibly allow light covered with UV film.  All 11 cost me about $1000, and I am much relieved.

In addition I have also have light filtering honeycomb blinds on the large windows facing south; they stay closed in summer for heat blocking.

 

My skylight has translucent window film that blocks UV light; the shop that did the above actually told me not to bother paying them for the above treatment since I already had this stuff on.

 

z

 

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