Moving large paintings

Sue Maltby <smaltby [at] chass__utoronto__ca> writes

>A client of mine (who is not on the list) is in the process of
>designing a new storage area.  They would like to include a small
>lift so that they can move large paintings from the basement
>(storage) to the curatorial space (one level up).

One of the best methods I've seen was built like a 19th century dumb
waiter.  I narrow slot in the floor, wide enough to accommodate a
fixed wall easel on a track.  The oversized painting is secured to
the easel and only the painting is lifted through the slot to the
next floor, by means of a counter weight system and hand ropes or an
electric system.  Determining the maximum depth of a framed
painting, padding the top and bottom clamps and possibly additional
belts for securing the painting adequately. If the floor joists run
in a favorable direction it can be engineered fairly easily. The
slot can have a removable door / lid, when not in use.

Susan Blakney
West Lake Conservators

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:75
                  Distributed: Tuesday, March 23, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-75-007
                                  ***