Good morning, MuseumLers and Ava – It’s just not the lacquer paint you have to be concerned about. You have to be concerned with what is under that paint layer. I would recommend that you ask Webster what their mannequins and torsos are made out of: fiberglass, fibreboard, Styrofoam, plaster? Each of those has inherent problems – some with more archival problems than others (I would consider fiberglass the best archivally, once the offgassing is completed from manufacturing if you can’t afford the cost of an Ethafoam mannequin/form from Dorfman Museum Figures). Would any of your costume actually touch any of the wooden base components? This must be avoided. Or the wood should be covered with a vapor barrier product (i.e. heavy duty aluminum foil; MarvelSeal). This is usually considered unsightly if visible once the uniform is mounted. How long does Webster wait between when the mannequin is made, is painted with the production lacquer (visions of the ozone layer disappearing even more quickly here) and when they package it up for shipment? With what do they package for shipping? I’ve unwrapped mannequins from plastic bags where the lacquer fumes were strong enough to seriously stink up the loading dock, even though the mannequins had been painted 2-3 weeks before shipping. We had to wait another week before using those mannequins (really put a cork in the snorkel of the installation schedule!). But once the lacquer was done offgassing, it is fine. How long are you planning to display the mounted costume? What other types of objects, if any, will be on the costume (i.e. medals/honors made out of metal with silk ribbons; metal buttons; epaulets, etc.)? ...My immediate concern was whether these are archival quality mannequins and whether it would off gas in the future. We contacted Webster displays and received a letter stating that their materials were inert. They use a L61 Sherwin Williams production lacquer, which supposedly does not bleed or off gas once dry. Has anyone else used these mannequins or have any further insights for us to consider? ..... Regards, Margaret (Meg) Geiss-Mooney Textile/Costume Conservator Professional Associate, AIC [log in to unmask] -- This message has been scanned by the Securiant SpiderISA for spam and viruses, and is believed to be safe and clean. HYPERLINK "http://www.securiant.com/" \nSecuriant SpiderISA ========================================================= 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). -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.6/568 - Release Date: 12/4/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.6/568 - Release Date: 12/4/2006 ========================================================= 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).