Phase 2- Wet cleaning..

I got around to doing the wet clean for the Egyptian banner on thanksgiving weekend. It took about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, in the backyard in the sunshine and it was tricky handling it soaking wet and heavy on my own, but I managed. I did two soaks, the first with tap water and the second for longer but with distilled water.
I'm quite happy with the process and the results (the water was yellow so SOMETHING came out, even if the major stains didn't- but I didn't used any detergent. If I had, I may have had more luck. So, next time- Orvus Paste).

Now I can move on to reconsolidating the loose pieces, which will be far more time consuming.






Prepping the distilled water bath with a makeshift frame lined with a polyethylene.

















Banner unrolled onto screen and water added.





































Submersion



















Slightly wet process..





















Bath water after soaking for a half hour.






Towel drying after removing from second soak.