VERY old collar restoration

[volvomeister13]

Having recently bought my first ever detachable collar shirt, I was on the hunt for more stiff collars. Then, on Etsy I came across what I thought was the amazing find of a box of eleven dead stock Arrow collars. The only problem is that after a hundred years or so in a cardboard box and tissue paper that are decidedly not acid-free, the otherwise sterling collars have turned rather yellow.

Honestly, I'd rather just pay the 10 pounds to pick up some more new starched collars from Darcy Clothing Company. However, past experience with Etsy sellers and this shop's return policy (worded quite sneakily at that!) seem to hint that I may not be able to get my money back.

Do any of the loungers have experience with bleaching or whitening yellowed vintage fabric? There's a specialty dry cleaners nearby in Pasadena that does starched collars. Would a place like that be able to get them white enough to wear?

Thanks, guys.

 

[DamianM]

The cotton might be so delicate that they will deteriorate if bleached.

Or you can try your luck at another set that have been popping up on Ebay and Etsy regularly now.

 

[Picard1138]

Firstly, to answer your question, I have never washed a stiff collar myself so I can't help you on that front. There are however one or two laundries in the UK that will launder and starch collars as a mail-order service.

Secondly, Darcy gets their traditional starched collars from the only company still making them, Luke Eyres, where you can buy them in bulk (http://www.luke-eyres.co.uk). The advantage is that you can buy just one or two from Darcy, or better yet, buy Darcy's own "washable" stiff collars, which are worth their weight in gold (and last quite a long time). I have two of the "washable" Darcy collars, and like them very much.

Third option: Amazon Drygoods (http://www.amazondrygoods.com/categories/collars.html) makes paper and celluloid collars (the paper collars are cut using original dies and presses, some dating back to the 1860s I understand, which is very cool). I keep a healthy stock of their Linene line of collars (paper with thin linen laminated and polished) at all times. They manufacture a complete line of Linene and Linex (card stock only) collars. If your neck is small enough they also have some great celluloid collars still in stock as well.

Best of luck,

-Max

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Try google to search the FL on this topic. I know it came up from time to time. As far as I know starched cotton can be boiled in hot water but the re-starching is tricky. I thinks they have certain machines or at least rounded blocks to shape the collar...

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I have a very old Tailor and Cutter book about cleaning various types of fabric. I think the book dates to 1910 to 1920 or so. Unfortunately benstephens has it at the moment, but I know in the book there is a remedy for yellowed whites (cotton, linen, etc.).

Sadly, IIRC, it involves hanging the item over a very hot brazier in a shed, then throwing some quicklime onto the coals and retreating rapidly. It is advised that one's man carries out this task … Maybe not a remedy for the modern day!

 

[Shangas]

Quicklime is nasty stuff. It explodes if it's put in contact with water. I don't want to know what happens when it's put in contact with fire!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Not fire, just hot coals. Perfectly safe!:eeek: (hence the gentleman's gentleman sent down the bottom of the garden to do the job lol)

 

[Stanley Doble]

Be careful of celluloid collars, they are highly flammable. When they were in common use there were occasional nasty accidents. I suppose the danger is small if you are careful.

 

[volvomeister13]

Thanks, you guys! This is one of the many reasons why I love FL; it's one of the few places where this kind of know-how's been preserved while the rest of society has relegated it to the back burner.

Hopefully I can get the collars returned and my money back. Think I'll stick with Darcy and those other companies and go with new ones from now on.

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

I bought a couple of old collars just the other week that were yellowed with age and i'll tell you how i got them sparkling white. I used a fabric washing tablet first, you know the sort you pop into the washing machine with the whites. Anyways, i put the collars in a bowl along with tablet and filled it with hot water and dropped the collars in. Almost perfect but not good enough. Ithen poured some ordinary domestic bleach into a bowl, mixed it with boiling water and dropped the collars into it and left it till it was cold.. Sounds harsh treatment i know, but they came up spanking!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

A paste of bicarbonate of soda also works wonders on yellowed whites, in my experience. Smear it on, let it dry, the brush and wash it off.

 

[Hap Hapablap]

I was about to post about collars and might as well do it in here. I have been trying to find a place to launder and starch detachable collars in the U.S. for years now. I get sent on bad paths (Sam Sing Laundry in Indiana does it, but only in vast quantities, so you can't send 5 or 10 at a time. More like 50). Someone on Ask Andy said that they also do formal shirt fronts, which they told me they DON'T. I am still trying to ascertain whether French Hand Laundry in Pasadena (to which OP alluded) actually uses a collar press.
It costs more to send the collars to be cleaned in the UK than it does to just buy new ones from Darcy. Sorry for the rant, but I have been trying to figure this out for a very long time.
If anyone has actual experience with French Hand Laundry in Pasadena or any other leads, please share!

 

[AEF17]

This reply might be quite tardy, but I don't see boatloads of people having much to say about detachable collar laundering.

I send mine to Barker's in the UK. Expensive and time-consuming, maybe, but they return looking brand spanking new.

I agree about Sam Sing. They did launder and starch ten collars that I sent them, but it wasn't done very well.

You want my opinion about French Hand Laundry? Well, I called them back in2011 to have some Grafton collars laundered, as I'd heard they properly starched boiled front shirts. I spoke to someone at the store, explained what I desired, and was encouraged to mail in the collars. I waited...and waited, never heard from them, so I called and the person I spoke to (someone different) had no knowledge of my order, or why I would have been told to send collars to their firm. So, quite frankly, phooey with French Hand Laundry.

 

[esteban68]

I've done several, just used an egg cupful of washing machine powder in a bowl of hand hot water scrubbed, rubbed and agitated them for a few minutes then left them for an hour or so, then repeated the procedure using a spot or two of plain old washing up liquid on stubborn stains just rubbed in and carefully 'scratched' with a finger nail then another soak in wash powder ....this has always worked apart from one very yellow collar which I used wash powder again and some Ace bleach ( a capful) in very hot water and left it overnight which worked then rinse them off in warm then cold water and hang to dry in sunlight.