Amanda,

I have vast experience in number cast and wrought iron objects and artifacts  from archaeological , deocrative art, folk art, and fine art collections.

Much depends, of course, on the condition of the object and it's surface morphology. Find an area that is relatively free of aggressive corrosion or delmaination and that is as smooth as possible. Apply a base coat of dilute Acryloid ("Paraloid" in Europe and Australia) and then apply the number with either an archival acid-free in or watercolor paint. I used light colors in marking dark iron and dark colors in marking bright polished objects. For the rougher surfaces you may need to use a fine paint brush as opposed to the pen as it will give you more control. Then apply a top coat of dilute Acryloid B-67 and you are done. In situation where you fear that the number may spall off or be abraded then I always slipped an acid-free paper tag with the acc# written in pencil into the storage container with the object.

When I treated waterlogged artifacts I used the waterproof poly-paper tags marked with waterproof ink to keep the accession / site numbers with the artifact all the way through the treatment.


Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California  USA

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