Julie, I would recommend housing in ethafoam planks (you can hot glue 2" pieces to build up thickess) then carve niches to hold tbings like the balls on the end of chains, or add foam to make bumpers and posts. The you can either make acid free board boxes, or soft tyvek envelopes to keep them dust free. These should have fairly low profiles that should be good for shelf storage. Cheers! Dave David Harvey Conservator Los Angeles Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile -----Original Message----- From: Julie Holcomb <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:57:57 To:[log in to unmask] Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Question about storing physical restraints Dear museum colleagues, I am in need of suggestions from other museums that have collections of physical restraint devices (i.e. handcuffs, leg irons, ball and chain, masks, etc.). Our large collection of physical restraints has lost its home in another department on the college campus. I am looking for suggestions for a cost-efficient, space-efficient means of storing this collection in our museum storage area. In other words, I'm looking for the impossible but willing to settle for any reasonable ideas. Boxing seems too costly, too inefficient, and probably not sturdy enough given the objects. Yet, metal storage cabinets may be out of our budget. Suggestions? We are exhibiting most of the slavery-related objects, but the collection includes a large number of items not within the scope of the exhibits in the Civil War and Western Art museums. And, unfortunately, a transfer to another museum (more appropriate) is not an option per the agreement with the donor. I would appreciate any ideas for storing this collection. Julie Holcomb Director of the Pearce Civil War and Western Art Museum -- Julie Holcomb, MLIS, CA Director of the Pearce Collections Museum Pearce Collections at Navarro College 3100 W. Collin St. Corsicana, Texas 75110 Phone: (903) 875-7438 ~ Fax: (903) 875-7593 E-mail: [log in to unmask] Internet: http://www.pearcecollections.us "Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly found, given, and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living." Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte "History does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do." James Baldwin ========================================================= 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).