Barbara Sorry if I sounded scolding, I certainly didn't mean to. I know my writing style is pretty pedantic, and I'll try to loosen it up for this medium. I try to be objective and concrete...and apparently some people (not you alone) read that as authoritarian (rather than authoritative). Apologies to all. My first training was in an objects lab, and my first treatment experience was inpainting an indelible label on a beautiful aboriginal porous stone knife, so I felt on reasonably safe ground about labelling -- or at least the basic conservation conventions and the science that underlies them. I think I've said elsewhere that my area of experience is books, paper, and photo preservation. I draw on my colleagues here for questions of artifact history, treatment, and other issues. _________________________________ Karen Motylewski 508-470-1010 Northeast Document Conservation Center 508-475-6021 fax 100 Brickstone Square <[log in to unmask]> Andover, MA 01810 Use KM in subject field