Map Curators' Toolbox >
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General ::
Equipment and consumables ::
Archival and conservation products ::
Furniture
General
Equipment and consumables
- Several useful items are available from the British Geological Survey
address: BGS, Sales Desk, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG.
tel: 0115-936-3241 fax: 0115-936-3488.
Their Romer Protractor (£12.50, Code VROMER) greatly increases the ease and accuracy of ascertaining grid references. Get one to lend to your readers, but make sure they don't walk off with it!
The BGS Map Scale Rule (£5, Code VSCALER) is suitable for use with 1:10 000, 1:10560, 1:25 000, 1:50 000, and 1:63 360. It is worth investing in a scale rule for accurate work. Most rulers will vary by a few millimetres according to room temperature.
- Archival Polyester (also known as Melinex or Mylar) sleeves are useful for the storage of delicate map material, but also offer excellent protection for maps that are fed through large format photocopiers and scanners. The polyester is a very transparent material and seems to have a negligible effect on copy quality.
- Small repairs to maps can be affected with document repair tape or Filmoplast P (both of which are burnished on) though such products are not appropriate in all circumstances. Professional conservators should, of course, be consulted for when working to archival standards or with important items.
Archival and conservation products
- Conservation by Design - conservation and storage products.
address: 6 Pembroke Street, Bedford MK40 3RH
tel: 01234 217258
- Conservation Resources (UK) Ltd - General archival and storage
address: Units 1,2, & 4 Pony Road, Horspath Industrial Estate, Cowley, Oxfordshire, OX4 2RD
tel: 01865-747755 fax: 01865-747035
- Preservation Equipment Ltd - General archival and storage
adddress: Shelfanger, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2DG
tel: 01379 651527
- Atlantis European Ltd - Storage boxes, paper and acid free card
address: 7-9 Plumbers Row, London E1 1EQ
tel: 020 7377 8855
Acid free paper and linen tapes, gummed and reversible ("lick & stick") also neutral ph pressure-sensitive framing tape and clear doc. repair tape
- Secol Ltd - Polyester sleeves and pockets
address: 13-16 Howlett Way, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1HZ
tel: 01842 752341
- Nicholas Hunter Ltd - Polyester sleeves and pockets
address: Unit 8 Oxford Business Centre, Osney Lane, Oxford OX1 1TB
tel: 01865 727292
- G Ryder and Co Ltd - Storage and solander boxes
address: Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bucks. MK1 1DG
tel: 01908 375524
Furniture
Plan Chests:
Plan chests come in two types: horizontal; and vertical. Horizontal systems (drawer units) are easy to use until the drawers get full. Vertical chests have the disadvantage that the maps must be punched with holes or have hanging strip attached to them. However, they are easier on the back of the person using them and the maps are less likely to get crumpled.
- Railex Systems Ltd
(This is the new name of Elite Manufacturing Co. Ltd, Manningtree, Essex)
address: Crossens Way, Marine Drive, Southport, Merseyside PR9 9LY .
tel: 0870 600 6664
- Harvey Plan Chests
C & D (Sheet Metal) Engineering Ltd
address: Monarch Works, Station Road North, Belvedere, Kent DA17 6JU
tel: 0208 311 2056
- Vistaplan International Ltd
address: 5 High March, DAVENTRY, Northants, NN11 4QE
tel: 01327 704767
email: info@vistaplan.co.uk
- Metalico
address: Unit 2 Darwin Road, Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Corby, Northants NN17 5XZ
tel: 01536 401971
Amongst other products Metalico make the Randalls Ranplan range.
- Planline International
address: 5 Farm Stile, Upper Boddington, Daventry, Nothants, NN11 6DQ
tel/fax: 01327 264406
- Priest Engineering Co. (Poole) Ltd
address: Holton Heath Trading Park, Poole, Dorset BH16 6LE
tel: 01202 631663
- Lista (UK) Ltd
address: 17 Alston Drive, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK13 9HA
tel: 01908-222333
- Graphitheque map cabinets
address: 60 Boulevard Fifi Turin, 13010 Marseille, France.
tel: (33) 049180 8900
The drawers of horizontal plan chests can suffer from a number of problems over time. Most manufacturers will service their products for a fee. If you decide to service your drawers yourself remember to use grease rather than oil to lubricate the drawer's bearings. White Lithium grease, a non-petroleum-based corrosion- and oxidation-resistant lubricant has been recommended on MAPS-L for metal-to-metal bearings by John W Barry of Intelligence Data Systems, Inc.
- Folded Map Storage
There are a variety of pieces of furniture that suitable. The humble filing cabinet is widely used though note that high-sided drawers are much better than open-sided. If new furniture is being purchased consider Bisley Sidefilers.
These are obtainable from F C Brown (Steel Equipment) Ltd.
address: Bisley Office Furniture, Queens Road, Bisley, Surrey GU24 9BJ
tel: 01483 485600
- Hanging strip for Vertical plan chests
The Plan chest supplier will also supply hanging strip, also known as suspension tape, however this can be more expensive than using a more general office supplier. The following also supply hanging strip.
- Pelltech Suspension Tape
address: Pelltech Ltd, Avenue One, Station Lane, Witney, OX28 4YS
tel: 01993 776451 fax: 01993 771606
- 'Preservation Equipment' Contact details above.
- Oyez-Straker 020-976-8252
- Impress Group for Planfiling suspension tape.
tel: 01952 423 300.
- Océ (UK) Limited
address: Océ House, Chatham Way, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4DZ
tel: 0870 600 5544
These pages have been compiled by: April Carlucci (British Library Map Library); Tinho da Cruz (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool), and; Anne Taylor (Cambridge University Library). Please Contact Us with any suggestions for inclusion, and details of links that don't work.
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