From:             Tom Dixon <[log in to unmask]>

Subject:          Security clips for paintings on display



From: Miles BINGHAM <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:    security clips for paintings

I am looking for information on security clips that can be used to
hold paintings to gallery walls, and as such, act as a theft
deterrant.  If anyone knows where i could find such a thing, could you
please let me know?

Thanks
Miles

10 February

Miles

We use small plates called "fish clips" (because they look rather like
fish tails) or mirror plates.  They are brass plated steel, roughly
triangular shape and with one hole in each corner.  A wood block of
the proper thickness is attached to the bottom of the frame to bring
the surface of the plate, which is attached to this block, flush with
the wall.  Two screws hold the plate to the block and one hold is left
protruding from beneath the bottom member of the frame.  A screw is
then used to attach the plate to the wall.  Two "D" ring hangers are
holding the frame on the wall and the security plate simply prevents
the frame from being lifted up and off the main hangers.

Our hanging walls are medium density fiber board (MDF), and we use
self drilling, self tapping screws on the security plates.  These can
be of special head design (such as the Bulls Eye type or a raft of
other patterns which its unlikely a museum visitor will be carrying a
tool to undo) or you can fill the slot with 5 minute epoxy and paint
it over in which case the person has no idea what pattern you used.
You just have to remember when you go to take it down.

We've used this system for about 10 years on small items, especially
prints, drawing and photos and are happy with it.

We buy the plates from a local mirror shop.  If you have trouble
getting them, let me know and I will track down the manufacturer- but
call a couple mirror shops and asked for mirror plates or fish clips
and they will probably know what you want.

We also used these during our controversial exhibition of Andre
Serrano when we had two vandalisms.  The first day, a man came in and
ripped the 4x6' photo off the wall- he didn't mind getting caught and
was therefore pretty difficult to stop.  The leverage of the frame
itself created sufficient force to simply pull the screws out of the
walls.  On the second day, I used longer screws and bolstered the
system up- so the next set of vandals didn't worry about the security
clips, they just smashed the work with a hammer.  No system is fool
proof.

Thomas Dixon
Chief Conservator
National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne Australia

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