How to do it right

brummiejim

December 17, 2012 19:16

Hi, Experts. I have a question. I have a pre-war S&W box for the .357 "Registered" model revolver. It's quite valuable. Storing the old gun is not an issue. But what's the right way to store a 75 year old cardboard box? At the moment, I have it wrapped in plastic in a closet away from any light. Thanks for any ideas/input. Jim

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  Laredo Lefty

  December 17, 2012 21:44

  You have the right idea. The only thing additional would be to vaccuum pack it and keep it in a cool place.

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  charliemeyer007

  December 17, 2012 23:21

  Perhaps a big ziplock bag with an O2 absorber inside. A sealed Mylar one would be even better. Be careful not to crush it with a vaccuum.

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  bartman45

  December 18, 2012 01:52

  What your doing sounds fine; however, it would be interesting to search out how a museum would keep such an item in storage. On photos, there is archival matting and backer, so perhaps there is something like that in a container for your box.

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  tsr1965

  December 18, 2012 02:32

  A museum, and several car collectors I know, store things like that in a tightly climate controlled room. It is a must, to keep the humidity as low as possible, to prevent oxidation, and not so low as it drys out the things it shouldn't.
  
  Personally, I would be real careful with putting that in a plastic wrap, or bag.
  
  
  Best

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  beantownshootah

  December 18, 2012 05:49

  Unless deliberately constructed of acid-free paper, ALL paper products including cardboard will eventually decompose, turning fragile and crumbling at the slightest touch. The process takes decades (or longer), but untreated its inevitable.
  
  Without knowing the details, its probably safe to assume that Smith and Wesson's cardboard boxes from the 1940s are printed on acid-rich board stock, and will probably decay over time.
  
  There are now ways to introduce alkaline solutions into paper products to slow this process down or prevent it altogether, but this is not a task for amateurs.
  
  In any case, here is how the National Archive suggests storing important personal/family documents for posterity. I'd think the same precautions would apply equally well to a cardboard box:
  
  http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/preserving-family-papers.html
  
  In an nutshell: enclosed, cool, dry, dark.
  
  Mylar in particular is considered one of the best storage materials, and you can read a bit more detail on suggested storage here:
  
  http://www.fauxgrain.com/paperpreservation.htm

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  KEVD18

  December 18, 2012 06:29

  a thousand dollars + just for the box????? barnum was right...

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  yoshmyster

  December 18, 2012 09:07

  To save the paper box I'd get a tupper ware container that will enclose the whole thing. To prevent crushing. Now I'm strictly talking about the empty box. Also if you wanna do what the others mentioned go for it.

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  jonk

  December 18, 2012 09:34

  quote:Originally posted by Laredo Lefty
  You have the right idea. The only thing additional would be to vaccuum pack it and keep it in a cool place.
  
  
  If you vacuum pack it, I would put it in a very sturdy container that can withstand the vacuum packing first; otherwise, it just will crush the box.

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