Christian wrote:
> I just bought an old Stanley #55:


as well as

> There's not much rust on the plane, and where there is, it is light surface
rust!
That is a nice piece.


The inquiries:

> But now concerning the main box and the cutter boxes, i'm not sure what i
should do. I would like to protect the parts which have paper labels.
I can provide only a couple data points: this is hard if the paper is brittle.
When the paper is brittle, there is really no fixing it. I have used shellac on
a few when I really wanted to keep the label together and in place, but was
unconcerned about historical preservation (inventory labels for the parts and
the like), but it is not a very satisfactory method. It holds the paper together
and adheres it to the wood, but does not fix the brittleness.


> The manual has no missing parts, but has definitely the old looking, yellow
traces all around and rust around the staples. I wonder if i should seal it
completely, it's summer time here, that might help, tho Auckland is quite humid,
so i will certainly seal the ambient humidity...

If the paper is not brittle, protect it from light, higher humidity, acids, high
heat, and air. I have a few optical instruments, precision measuring tools, and
older books, that I store in ziploc bags, with inert gas. I have argon and
nitrogen on hand, so this is practical for me. I don't worry about getting every
last bit of air out, just reducing the O2 content and the RH. Not highly
controlled, but the difference between 60%RH and 10%RH at 20 degrees C is huge
at the temperature fluctuates.

I have seen references to using vacuum sealers for this, especially among the
comic book crowd, but I have not tried.


I also tend to keep vapour phase corrosion inhibitor chips (impregnated paper)
in the cases of pretty much every metal tool that doesn't get regular use, and
replace vapour capsules in my chests on a schedule. During the warmer months, my
shop is quite humid, and water comes in through the foundation. When the power
fails (a regular occurrence- more than 7 days at one shot two of the last 8
years, cumulative more than 7 days six of the last eight years),
dehumidification fails, and the RH goes from 45% to 80% or higher in a few
hours. The VCI materials make a huge difference.


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