On 6 May Jack Thompson wrote:
>As a conservator, my un-gloved finger tips often tell me things about an
>artifact which a gloved finger would pass over.  This is not to say that
>the fingers which handled breakfast or lunch handle an artifact without
>washing with soap and water; in fact, I wash my hands many times a day and
>dry them throughly to avoid having to apply lotions.

I concur Jack. There are many times in a conservator's business day when
wearing gloves is not the best option. There are no gloves that I am aware
of that can give you the same sensitivity as the naked finger tips when one
is doing intricate work. Tight fitting latex gloves come closest, but after
30 minutes or so I start getting cramps in my hands.

When a new volunteer starts working with me I insist that they always wear
gloves, except for glass & ceramics. By the time I'm ready to trust them
with intricate objects they know when not bare hands is acceptable. My
biggest problem with volunteers is getting them to wear lab coats!

George Bailey
Objects Conservator
Australian War Memorial
Treloar Centre for Conservation
4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
Australia
Phone: +61 6 241 6122
fax:   +61 6 241 7998
email: [log in to unmask]