Martha - No engraving tools! What if the numbers are changed at some point - or in 50 years these furnishings are seen as "historic"? See if the county would go for a bar code system for inventory - there are many folks on this list that have more knowledge than I on what are the best ones for collections. I would find either a wood or metal component of the mule harness to mark with a small label in an inconspicuous place. Cheers! Dave David Harvey Conservator Los Angeles, CA On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 8:51 AM, Martha Katz-Hyman < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > Please excuse the cross-posting; I'm trying to gather as much wisdom as > possible! > > I am currently working with a county parks and recreation department to > furnish 3 houses that interpret the lives of free African Americans in the > first half of the 19th century in Virginia. All of the furnishings are > reproduction, but the county (very sensibly, given their financial > investment!) wants to make sure that all of the furnishings are marked in > some way. > > The furnishings are already in the houses and, yes, this is something that > would have been more easily done before the furnishings were installed. > It's a subject that I have discussed several times over the past two years > with the county people I'm working with, but only recently have they decided > that this is something that needed to be done in order to keep track of > everything. > > For this particular situation, I would have suggested that the furniture > and metals be marked using an engraving tool, the textiles with a permanent > marker on a seam, and the few paper objects with a pen in an inconspicuous > location. I've also got a set of leather mule harness, and I'm not sure how > to mark that at all! However, there is no electrical power at the site, so > using the electrical-powered engraving tool isn't a good solution. > > I can certainly get a marking kit with Acryloid B-72 & B-67, and the pens, > and do it that way. But any other suggestions will be gratefully received! > > Thanks for your help. > > Martha Katz-Hyman > ========================================================= 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).