Ok, I'll bite on this one. First, you need to have a very good understanding of the condition of the canon and to be able to move it - this applies to everything in a museum or historic site. Get guys who are good riggers and develop a plan first. Make sure that you can easily unbolt it from the carriage without damaging the trunion straps and other fixtures or gouging the surface of the tube. Yes, use nylon web straps but slip ethafoam between them and the surface of the canon, unless you think that yellow smear marks look good on old iron. Make sure that the path is entirely clear and that there is room to lift, turn, and move. Have your cradle completely ready on the other end where you will be storing the tube. Wood is fine as long as you again use ethafoam to reduce the chance of abrasion to the tube. When the tube is moved have someone on the ground directing the driver and also one or two walking beside the hanging tube to steady it as it will have a tendency to twist and could bang into the forklift. Remember, physics applies here, a canon tube is heavy and round - so it will always want to roll if it is not supported properly. Do NOT lay a tube on the ground outdoors! It can easily get wet and stay wet if in contact with the ground - this leads very rapidly to corrosion and even moss growth on surfaces. I'm all for being "Green" but not on historic canon tubes! Cheers! Dave David Harvey Conservator Los Angeles, CA ========================================================= 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).