Hello Ebie,
I had a collections internship at Scotty's Castle in Death Valley National Park a few years back and they used metal tags (think dog-tags) which they stamped with the accession number using dies and a mallet. The tags were then attached to the objects using wire, coated wire or heavy twine depending on the relative fragility of the object and its storage conditions. The tag making is somewhat time consuming but actually kind of fun (and a great project for an intern or volunteer if staff resources are limited). Not sure if that would work for all of your objects but it might be a solution for some.
Good luck!
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Michelle Nash
Assistant Collections Manager
Coos History Museum
Coos Bay OR
Original Message:
Sent: 05-20-2016 12:18 PM
From: Elizabeth Baker
Subject: Labeling outdoor farm equipment
Hi all!
I'm consulting on a project with an historic plantation that involves inventorying and labeling about 6,000 objects, many of which are metal and wooden farm equipment and tools, that will likely live outside or at least somewhat exposed to the elements for the foreseeable future. Some already have archival labeling tags, but they've deteriorated over the years, and I don't think that the standard B72 method will hold up well either. Does anyone have experience with a similar situation and/or have any semi-permanent labeling suggestions that will stand up to weather changes over time?
Thank you so much!
Ebie Baker
Collections Manager
Longwood Center for the Visual Arts