The Hands-On Toolbox: Physical Tools Every Museum Exhibit Developer Should Own
In our increasingly digital world, it's easy to forget that the best museum exhibits still live in physical space. Visitors touch, manipulate, step on, lean against, and occasionally spill coffee on our carefully crafted experiences. While I spend plenty of time staring at screens, there's still no substitute for getting your hands dirty with real materials and actual physical prototypes.
After decades of building everything from delicate artifact mounts to robust interactive stations that can withstand the enthusiasm of 10,000 schoolchildren, I've assembled a collection of physical tools that have earned their permanent spots in my workshop. Some are obvious, others might surprise you, but all of them have saved my bacon more times than I can count.
The Almighty Hot Glue Gun (And Its Professional Cousin)
Let's start with the humble hot glue gun, the most underappreciated hero of exhibit development. Before you dismiss this as amateur hour, hear me out. Nothing beats the speed and versatility of hot glue for rapid prototyping, temporary installations, and those 11:00 PM fabrication emergencies.
I keep both a basic craft-store version and a professional-grade Surebonder model in my kit. The cheap one is perfect for quick mockups and brainstorming sessions where you're gluing foam core to test spatial relationships. The heavy-duty version can handle everything from securing cable runs to creating temporary exhibit labels that need to survive opening night.
Pro tip: Invest in different temperature sticks. Low-temp is for delicate materials, high-temp is for structural work, and specialty formulations are for specific materials like fabric or metal.
Foam Core and the Tools That Love It
If hot glue is the duct tape of exhibit development, then foam core is the bread and butter. This lightweight, easy-to-cut material lets you build everything from scale models to full-size mockups with minimal investment and maximum flexibility.
However, the quality of foam core is only as good as the tools used to cut it. After years of fighting with dull X-acto blades and wonky rulers, I've learned that quality cutting tools aren't just nice to have—they're essential for maintaining one's sanity.
My go-to setup includes a 48-inch metal straight edge (the aluminum ones found at art supply stores or Amazon), a rotary cutter with fresh blades, and—this is crucial—a self-healing cutting mat large enough to handle full sheets.
I've used foam core mockups to test everything from visitor sightlines to wheelchair accessibility. Nothing beats walking clients through a life-size cardboard version of their future gallery to help them understand spatial relationships and traffic flow.
The Measuring Arsenal
Museum exhibits live in the real world, where precision matters and "close enough" can mean the difference between a seamless visitor experience and a costly fabrication do-over. My measuring toolkit has evolved over the years, but these items have proven indispensable:
A 25-foot tape measure is the workhorse—long enough for gallery spaces but compact enough to fit in a tool bag. I prefer the Stanley FatMax for its standout length and durability.
But the real game-changer is a good laser measure. The Bosch GLM 100 has revolutionized how I document existing spaces and check installations. Point, click, done—no more wrestling with tape measures in awkward corners or trying to measure ceiling heights with a stepladder.
Clamps: The Unsung Heroes
If you've ever tried to hold two pieces of anything together while the glue dries, you understand the joy of owning good clamps. But clamps do so much more than just hold things—they're positioning tools, assembly aids, and sometimes the only thing standing between you and a complete fabrication disaster.
Quick-grip clamps are ideal for rapid prototyping sessions where you frequently adjust and reposition components. I keep 6-inch Irwin Quick-Grips in my workshop for everything from holding foam core assemblies to temporarily positioning lighting fixtures.
For serious work, invest in some quality bar clamps. The Bessey K-Body series might seem expensive, but they'll last forever and provide the kind of pressure and precision that makes professional-quality work possible.
Secret weapon: Small spring clamps are perfect for managing cables, holding temporary labels, and about a thousand other little tasks that pop up during installations.
The Power of Paper (And Cardboard)
Before you build anything permanent, build it temporary. I keep a stockpile of different paper weights and cardboard types specifically for prototyping and testing ideas.
Regular cardboard is great for rough mockups, but corrugated plastic sheets (Coroplast) are a real star for functional prototypes. They cut like cardboard but behave more like the acrylic or wood you'll eventually use for the final version.
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Human-Powered Hand Tools
Sometimes the simplest tools are the most reliable. A good hand tool doesn't need batteries, won't crash, and works exactly the same way every time you pick it up.
A quality utility knife with breakaway blades handles 90% of cutting tasks. The Stanley 10-499 is virtually indestructible and accepts standard blades you can buy anywhere.
Needle-nose pliers are perfect for working in tight spaces, bending wire, and retrieving dropped screws from impossible locations. I also keep a set of flush-cut pliers for trimming zip ties and wire cleanly.
A small pry bar set might seem like overkill, but when you need to disassemble something that was "temporarily" installed three exhibitions ago, you'll be grateful to have it.
The Philosophy of Physical Tools
After decades of making things with my hands, I've learned that the best tools aren't necessarily the most expensive ones, but they are the ones you'll actually reach for when you need them.
A $20 tool that lives in your kit and gets used regularly is infinitely more valuable than a $200 tool that sits in a drawer because it's too precious to risk damaging.
Buy quality where it matters—cutting tools, measuring devices, and anything safety-related deserve your investment. However, don't be afraid to supplement with more affordable alternatives for tasks that don't require precision or longevity.
Most importantly, remember that tools are amplifiers, not substitutes, for good thinking. The most sophisticated fabrication equipment in the world won't fix a poorly conceived exhibit concept, but a well-thought-out idea can be realized with surprisingly simple tools.
The physical act of building prototypes, testing interactions, and iterating with real materials teaches you things that no amount of digital modeling can reveal. How heavy should an interactive element feel to seem substantial but not unwieldy? How much force will a 4-year-old apply to a button? What happens when coffee gets spilled on your interface?
These are the questions answered in the workshop, which includes physical tools, real materials, and prototypes that visitors can touch, break, and use.
What tools have earned a permanent spot in your workshop?
I'd love to hear about the physical tools that have made your exhibit development process better, faster, or just more enjoyable.
Drop me a line, or leave a comment below, and let's keep the conversation going.
Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!
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