According to The New Museum Registration Methods (highly recommended by the way), clear nail polish is not acceptable because it is often made from cellulose nitrate that can yellow, shrink or turn brittle as time goes on. Even modern nail polishes which may be made of more stable materials are still uncertain and require a harsh solvent to remove them. Other products like Soluvar require a less harsh solvent such as mineral spirits. Tell your supervisor that the nail polish may peel with age, taking the accession number and/or the surface of the object with it. At our museum, liquid paper was used for the white coat for many years and all the numbers are falling off - it makes for a very difficult time during inventory and reconciliation. [Mostly all stolen from The New Registration Methods edited by Rebecca Buck and Jean Allman Gilmore) Erin _______________________________________________ Erin Quinn Collections Coordinator City of Greeley Museums 919 7th Street Greeley, CO 80631 (970) 350-9218 [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 07/10/01 07:33PM >>> Hello. I am new to the list and would like to say hello to everyone out there in cyberspace. I have a question regarding methods of labelling artifacts. Does anyone have any information about the use of clear nail polish as a base & top coat for labelling archaeological artifacts. I have always been under the impression that it was not an acceptable practice, but my supervisor wants us to use it to save on cost. Advice, comments, etc. greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kae K.E. Neustadt, Lab Manager Northland Research, Inc. 2510 S. Rural, Ste. 108 Tempe, AZ 85282 (480) 736-0501 (480) 894-0957 fax _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ========================================================= 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). ========================================================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).