Cleaning and restoring sports memorabilia: Signed Muhammad Ali Robe

We received a boxing robe, signed by Muhammad Ali, for restoration to as close to original as possible while simultaneously protecting the signature from further fading.

The robe arrived with a certificate from Field of Dreams guaranteeing the authenticity of the signature.

Based on a conversation with the owner, we understand that the robe had been mounted in a display box for many years.

Conditions upon receipt of the robe 

When we examined the robe, we noted the following conditions:

• Discoloration
  The robe had yellowed in numerous places, the black satin trim had faded/changed color in numerous places and the fabric coating on the reverse side of the black satin had discolored the white fabric and thread in numerous places.
   
• Foreign Matter
  The robe was covered in numerous places with double-sided, adhesive tape and adhesive residue from that tape (in those places where the adhesive tape had already been removed).

• Creases
  The fabric was sharply creased in numerous places.

Conclusions about the conditions of storage

Based on these conditions, it's possible to draw some reasonable conclusions:

• The display box used was probably a cheap, non-archival display box constructed of particle board and glue.
  
  ‍What's the basis for that conclusion?
  
  The white fabric had yellowed in numerous places indicating that the fabric had come into
  
  -- physical contact with a highly acidic wood or
  
  --  proximity contact with acids that had off-gassed from the wood (think of that sealed display box as a
  caldron of off-gassing acids).
  
  Had the robe had been displayed in an archival display box, the white fabric would, in all probability, not have turned yellow.

• The cover on the wooden display box was probably glass, plexiglas or lucite that had not been treated to filter out UV rays.
  
  What's the basis for that conclusion?
  
  The black satin had faded in numerous places indicating that the fabric had been exposed to artificial or natural light.
  
  Had the robe been mounted in an archival display box with a glass, plexiglas or lucite cover specifically designed to filter out the damaging UV rays, the black fabric would, in all probability, not have faded.

• The mounting of the robe was probably undertaken by a framing shop that was clueless about the principles of archival storage and/or display of textiles.
  
  What's the basis for that conclusion?
  
  The robe was mounted using large amounts of double-sided adhesive tape that was not archival quality -- the type of tape that can be purchased from any office products store. In addition, the fabric was creased in numerous places to ensure that the robe would lay reasonably flat.
  
  Had the robe been mounted with a limited amount of archival tape, the gum residue from the adhesive tape would have been limited and the fabric under the tape would not have yellowed.
  
  Had the robe been gently mounted with a minimum of creases, the sharp creases in the fabric would have been far easier to remove.

And our overall assessment of the robe?

An esthetically pleasing display. But an archival disaster.

Our mission 

Our mission was simple: Restore the robe to as close to original as possible while simultaneously protecting the signature for further fading.

The transformation 

For BEFORE and AFTER photographs on the transformation of this robe, please view our slide show below:

To view this slide show on a full screen, hit the X button with the arrow tips.