Numbering plastic objects

Brenda Keneghan <b.keneghan [at] vam__ac__uk> writes

>We are trying to establish the current practice in numbering plastic
>objects. We would like to hear from DistList readers to hear what
>media they use.

My suggestion is that you use cotton-string tags of acid-free paper
wherever possible.  When labels must be affixed to plastic, do a
solvent check before using organic solvents or water.  In my
experience, which includes numbering some older and fairly degraded
plastics, deionized water was not disruptive, so it was possible to
write numbers on acid-free paper, cut out the labels, and attach
with room-temperature fish glue, such as Lee Valley High Tack Fish
Glue. If you are concerned about migration of the ink into the
object, you can coat the bottom of the paper, impregnating it, with
B72 or BEVA, say, before writing the number.  You can also
substitute Tyvek for acid-free paper and fishing line (nylon
monofilament) for cotton string.

Bonnie Baskin
Conservator in private practice


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:52
                  Distributed: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-21-52-003
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