A little late to the party, but I thought I'd join.
A slight variation on the A/B key- a locked box in a locked room that have two different keys. In shows I've worked on before the ASM had the key to the room and weapons master had the key to the box. Maybe the locked room is a building key, while the department head or someone has the only key to the locked box.
I also emailed a friend who works with/in
stage combat. His response:
"In regards to your question on the forum, a lot of the
protocol will be dictated by the school/university where the
props are being stored. Each school/university may have their own policy. Some vary greatly, but many schools offer similar
protocol when dealing with theatrical
props such swords, knives and blank firearms.
I would highly recommend the individual contact their supervisor or campus
safety/police to figure out what their campus policy dictates. If the campus does not have a policy, I highly recommend one be created for the
theatre department. In regards to creating a policy, I can reach out to the technical director at Azusa
Pacific University, he was revising/creating
stage combat prop
protocol this summer for the
Theatre Department. It may not be completed or even ready to share but I’ll see what I can dig up and forward anything I come across your way."
Aside from that, I would try to make a culture of treating your weapons nicely. Make a
point of using gloves with your swords or wiping them down really well afterward.
Point out that metal rusts and that you don't want to handle anything if you don't need to so as to preserve the prop for future use. Put up big signs near where your weapons live saying "Please oil after use" or something.
