I was reading a preservationist's website and she showed various period silk textiles repaired by "heat fusing" the damaged silk to a backing. The before and after pics look remarkable, but that phrase "heat fused" sounds traumatic, almost scary. Certainly doesn't sound reversible. Is this an accepted method for silk restoration? The losses I assume were replaced with like material and fused also.

I've seen damaged silk flags just pinned to a backing with hundreds of stainless pins. Is this an accepted method or an outdated one? It seems reversible, but there is no attempt to replace the losses.