STORAGE & CARE OF MILITARIA
One of the most important aspects of collecting militaria is knowing the proper storage and care of these items so you can keep them in the best condition possible while it is in your care. As a collector, enthusiast, reenactor, militaria vendor or whatever you consider yourself to be it's your responsibility to take proper care of these items. These items will eventually be passed on, sold and bought, and eventually end up in someone else's collection. With that said, We’ll touch base on the proper storage and care of militaria such as textile items like clothing, fabrics and field equipment. Edged weapons such as bayonets and knives, milsurp rifles, papers and documents, as well as medals and ribbons.
Textile Items
For clothing and textile items, you want to keep them stored or displayed away from bright lights and sunlight for long periods.
Avoid folding items as much as possible, clothing such as tunics and jackets can be stored in a flat position unfolded inside an acid-free archival box.
When handling clothing or any item in your collection you should handle them wearing cotton or nylon gloves. This is due to the oils on your skin that will cause corrosion on fabrics, metals, and leather.
When handling items with your bare hands make sure to wipe them down with a clean cloth before placing them back in their display or storage.
Like most militaria, these should be stored somewhere cool with little to no humidity. 65-70 Degrees is the ideal temperature.
If you wish to hang an item on a hanger you should wrap muslin cloth around the hangar so the fabric is separated from the acidic plastic. You can also take acid-free tissue paper and stuff the shoulders to preserve its shape.
Muslin garment bags are also available for purchase to put items in for hanging up.
Periodically check these items for any sort of damage, corrosion, as well as insect damage.
Muslin Garment Bag sold by Foster -Stephens Inc.
Archival Box sold by Archival Methods
Field Gear / Web Gear
Field gear / Web gear items like pistol belts, cartridge belts, suspenders, or small packs, the same techniques as clothing apply but with these items you can be a tad more lenient.
Most of these types of items you know are made rough and rugged and built to last through combat but the real trial is withstanding the test of time.
These items can be stored in regular footlockers or plastic containers if you line the inside with acid-free paper. Just as clothing, it is recommended that you lay these items flat and unfolded and avoid stacking them. Over time the weight on top of them while being folded will cause creasing and additional wear.
If possible, separate any leather items from brass parts. This is due to a chemical reaction after a long period of these items being stored together, and the result is a green substance called verdigris. What causes this is the oils and chemicals in the leather mixing with the brass thus causing the corrosion.
Medals, Ribbons, Paper Documents
Paper documents should be stored without folds or creases and kept in a nonhumid environment. Like most militaria, these items should be stored away from bright sunlight for long periods and preferably in acid-free boxes.
Do not use staples, rubber bands or paperclips while storing papers together.
Periodically check for any damage and wear gloves when handling.
Avoid stacking papers directly on top of each other.
For ribbons and medals, techniques will vary from collector to collector, but there are some basic tips you want to follow across the board.
Avoid stacking and overlapping medals for long periods as it can cause galvanic corrosion, Handle while wearing gloves or make sure to wipe down thoroughly after handling.
It's extremely common to see medals in what's commonly referred to as a “shadowbox” which are the glass-fronted cases with sometimes a velvet interior where medals can be mounted. For simple storage though, these items can be wrapped in acid-free paper and properly spaced out in a nice box or an acid-free box to go the extra mile.
For edged weapons like bayonets, if on display, it's best to be kept out of their scabbard. This is to help prevent moisture that can be detrimental if it occurs between the blade and its metal sheath.
Handle while wearing gloves if you can due to the oils on your skin that can corrode the metal if not wiped down.
Bayonets and other edged weapons can be lightly greased or oiled periodically before placing them on display or into storage.
If you do plan on applying oil or grease avoid getting it onto the handle if it's wood. Periodically check these items and wipe down/re-apply as necessary.
For storage after applying the proper techniques, you can wrap them in acid-free paper or a clean cloth and place them somewhere next to their scabbard in a dust and humidity free environment.
Acid Free Archival Document Holder sold by Archival Methods
Milsurp Firearms
For military surplus firearms the care and storage individually comes down to the individual collector and the condition of the firearm. There are many people who regularly clean and shoot their weapons and treat them with the same care as any of their firearms. Then there are individuals that will strip these firearms down to their screws, boil the parts, and put real elbow grease into its care and wellbeing. As stated before, what you decide to do for storage and care ultimately comes down to the condition your specific firearm is in and whether it's a wall piece or you know you'll be taking it to the range frequently. Here I will list some common/basic techniques for the care of these weapons.
Like modern firearms, it is best to store these weapons inside a safe or in a rifle case/sleeve.
To best gauge the specific type of care your firearm will need its best to disassemble it upon purchase (or before if you can) and inspect the stock, action, and bore. Like any firearm this will let you know overall what condition it's in and whether it will just need a simple wipe down and oil or a small refurbishing of the firearm.
Like everything, periodically check for rust and corrosion as well as wiping down, cleaning, and re applying the proper oil/lubrication to the weapon.
If you plan to shoot a milsurp firearm you plan or have already purchased, check to make sure it hasn't been rechambered for a caliber different than its original and be wary of surplus and corroded ammunition.
The topic of the proper techniques and care for milsurp firearms goes deep due to many people having different opinions and ways on how to treat these firearms that I'll have to save most of it for a separate blog post. With that said, I hope these tips and techniques find you and your collection well. It is essential that we take care of and preserve these pieces of history for future generations of collectors after us to have and for them to do the same. It's our individual responsibility to keep these items in the same if not better condition than when we acquired them as they will eventually at some point end up in a new pair of hands as time goes on.
