Here follows a list of dos and don’ts that you must adhere to at all times. These are company requirements and, as such, are not to be ignored. This document must be read, and signed and shown to a keyholder before any user gains access to the Strong Room to access valuable materials.
General do’s
- During the course of the production process, valuable material should always be stored in the Strong Room when not actively being used;
- Be careful at all times and remember each original is potentially very valuable;
- Tell the Office Manager and the Head of Operations immediately if any damage occurs whatsoever. If there is insurance cover, the claim may be compromised if there is a delay in reporting loss or damage, no matter how slight it may appear at the time;
- When any valuable material is passed from one in-house department to another, please ensure that the receiving party fully understands that the material is valuable and must be treated with the utmost care.
General don’ts
- Do not work with valuables where drink, food, cigarettes, sellotape etc can come into contact with the original material. All liquids must be kept well away from work surfaces at all times when original material is being worked on;
- Do not carry illustrations loosely so that they slide around or, worse, fall out and go missing;
- Do not sign for valuable prints and/or transparencies (for condition or valuation) unless you are authorized to do so;
- It should be noted that our insurance policy will not cover material that is undergoing any manufacturing process, e.g. scanning. This should be made clear to the owner.
Guidance on handling paintings and framed material
- Check the painting is secure in its frame. If you need to put it face down to examine the back, always check first that the front is stable and that there is adequate padding to protect the frame;
- Always carry paintings with two hands, one on each side. Keep it vertical, facing towards you. Never carry a painting by the top edge as this will damage the frame. Carry large unframed paintings by gripping the outside edges of the stretcher. If this isn’t possible, carry from internal stretcher bars, ensuring you don’t insert your fingers between the stretcher bar and the canvas. Carry un-stretched paintings rolled around a cardboard cylinder. Never carry more than one painting at a time;
- If it is necessary to vertically stack framed paintings, stack similar sizes together. Put them face to face and back to back with corrugated cardboard in-between. Always ensure that weight is well distributed.
Guidance on handling photographs and transparencies
- Handle photographs as little as possible; photographs are highly susceptible to damage. Hold transparencies only outside the picture area. Cotton or close-fitting powder-free surgical gloves should be worn. Don’t put finger marks on the emulsion. Always handle colour transparencies with clean, dry hands;
- When labelling, write in pencil on a separate piece of paper that is large enough to fold around the whole photograph to avoid indentation. Avoid sticky labels, paperclips and temporary labels;
- Never leave colour transparencies out of their protective covers when not being held for inspection;
- If colour transparencies are received mounted, and therefore de-mounted in house, they must be put into protective sleeves immediately, once de-mounting is completed;
- Never de-mount or remount transparencies unless confident to do so;
- Some de-mounted colour transparencies may carry a residue of red tape from the mounts. In such cases, the transparencies MUST be sent for cleaning before the glue migrates over the surface of the original.
Guidance on handling books
- When handling a book, hold it firmly around the spine, your fingers on one cover your thumb on the other. Always wear gloves – cotton or surgical. Cotton should be worn when handling books with gold leaf. Open the book gently without forcing it flat;
- Never stack books or carry them so they rub against each other.
Guidance on handling works on paper
- Handle paper as little as possible. Wear gloves. Cotton gloves are good but can make it difficult to lift individual sheets of paper. Powder-free surgical gloves are recommended. Support paper at all times – it might be brittle. To look at it closely, place it on a sheet of cardboard. Large works should be placed between two pieces of mount board and carried by two people;
- Keep works away from printed paper – especially newsprint – because the inks can come off onto the artworks.
Guidance on handling textiles
- Handle textiles as little as possible. Remove any jewellery you are wearing – it could catch in the fabric;
- Use gloves to ensure acids and chemicals on your hands are not absorbed by textiles;
- Larger textiles should be rolled and carried. Smaller textiles can be carried on a tray;
- Remember you can damage a garment if you lift it by the shoulders;
- Remember that certain areas of the garment are more fragile due to wear.
Guidance on handling furniture and three-dimensional objects
- Examine each object to find its most stable part. Remember that any protruding part of a piece of furniture is likely to have the least strength. So a chair, for example, should be lifted by the seat and never by the legs. When handling metal or ceramics, never use the handle or rim;
- Try to avoid painted surfaces;
- Use powder-free surgical gloves for objects with flaking or powdery surfaces. Wear cotton gloves on upholstered furniture.
Last updated 15/07/19
