As a conservator, I concur with Janice Klein, it is best not to use nail polish. The "chemicals" (in general) that most nail polishes contain are toluene, which should not be used without a respirator, and the resin itself is cellulose nitrate, which cross-links and becomes insoluble (irreversible) over time...it will yellow, will become brittle, and chances are you will loose the number you have inked onto it. I assisted with the AAM session on labeling in Atlanta, and with Terry Seigal's (sp?--sorry Terry) chapter in "New Registration Methods," and ran the MAAM daylong workshop on Numbering in Cape May, NJ. For Diana Baber, in addition to all the references individuals have posted so far, I'd also like to turn you to an excellent web-site put out by the Museum Documentation Association, a group based in the UK. This web-site is excellent, and covers labeling of most materials, and should be on any bibliography on numbering: http://www.open.gov.uk/mdocassn/labels.htm Perhaps some of you noticed in my posting earlier this weekend (digest 14) that mentions I will be offering a series of day-long courses in New England/New York: 'Object Numbering: Accession Labeling for Museum Objects and Cultural Artifacts', a curriculum which introduces the methods, tools, and materials for safely applying collection accession labels to all types of cultural objects. The workshop focuses on low-cost practices and solutions, and contains a hands-on component. Enrollment for the workshops will be limited in order to provide adequate supervision for the hands-on portion. Each workshop participant will receive a notebook of reference materials including supplier lists and instructional information, product samples and tools. Object Numbering: Accession Labeling for Museum Objects and Cultural Artifacts Registration fee: $35.00 Dates/Locations: May 10 at Hildene, Manchester, Vermont May 12 at the St. Albans Historical Society Museum, St. Albans, Vermont September 11 at the Bethel Historical Society, Bethel, Maine September 14 at location TBA in Washington County, Maine (Lubec) October 20 at the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts spring 2001, Date and Time TBA in Western NY Possibly more in 2001... If I can be of any help feel free to contact me, but all of the literature so far mentioned on the list basically covers it! Lori van Handel Williamstown Art Conservation Center ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).