ECS Conservation
Our Procedure
Clients who would like to deliver or ship work to HF Group, should take a few moments to familiarize themselves with the administrative process outlined below.
Once materials are delivered to our facility, they will be logged in and processed by the Registrar. The items will then be assigned a shop work order number, and a project folder will be created containing the description of the object and its storage location. Clients should always include their contact information (name, address, phone, email) with any objects shipped to us.
After the material has arrived safely and all paperwork has been initiated, a member of the Senior Staff will assess the condition of the material and prepare a formal written estimate proposal. Estimates usually take 1-2 weeks to prepare and will be emailed/mailed to the client for approval.
All projects require formal client approval before treatment can begin. Unless a project is designated RUSH status, objects are scheduled for conservation treatment in the order in which approvals are received. Due to the nature of the work, it often takes 2-4 months for treatment to be complete.
Insurance Declaration Form
It is the responsibility of the client to declare a value in writing for any object delivered to an HF Group facility. An insurance declaration form can be downloaded by clicking the link below. Clients should always include their contact information (Name, Address, Phone, Email) with any objects shipped to us.
Click here to download Insurance Declaration Form - PDF
Documentation
Before and after treatment photo-documentation is standard procedure in all conservation labs. Digital cameras and strobe lights are used to provide consistent illumination. The objects are photographed at very high resolution, reviewed immediately to ensure quality, and stored on a RAID server. Client image files are backed up on a secondary server for redundancy. Treatment photographs may be requested up to 1 year after treatment and are never shared with any third party.
Written documentation is also kept throughout the conservation process outlining all treatments performed and materials used. A final written treatment report is presented to the client when all work has been completed.