Preserving Stanley Plane Boxes?

[Justin Green]

I've recently purchased a Stanley #3 and Stanley #5 with the original box. The #5 is brand new and appears to not have been used. The #3 is near mint, but has been used a bit and has some wood dust on the plane, but virtually no rust. Both are nice and shiny! Both are type 19s, so they're not that old.

What's the best way to preserve the boxes? They'll be displayed in the house somewhere, but I was wondering if there was any preservatives or maintenance that has to be done on them to keep them from degrading. These aren't particularly valuable planes, but they had the box with them and were priced right to me, so I bought them. I might come across some older boxed planes one day that might be really worth something and I was just curious.

Also, while I'm asking - has anyone seen a Stanley jointer still with the box? I would think those big boxes would be pretty rare.

[Jim Koepke]

What's the best way to preserve the boxes? They'll be displayed in the house somewhere, but I was wondering if there was any preservatives or maintenance that has to be done on them to keep them from degrading.

It depends on the humidity and dust factors where you plan to store/display the boxes. If you do want to preserve them as well as possible, then behind glass is a good start.

For mine, they just get put on a shelf out of the way if they do not have the tool inside. My saw set is in a box on a shelf close at hand.

Some people will pay more for something in the original box. That is about the only reason mine are kept. Often in a closet with something other than a tool inside being stored.

Maybe for my great-grandchildren it will make a difference.

jtk

[James Taglienti]

Dont put anything on them, just gently clean off the dirt. Just put each one in a plastic bag maybe with a couple holes so it can breathe (sounds funny like its a pet or something) and put them somewhere dry a good place for me is on the top shelf of the little closet where our washer and dryer are. You could stuff them carefully with newspaper so they dont collapse as easily if you set something on them by mistake.
i saw a couple 6 and 7 sizes in the boxes but they were off brands not stanley. They were very old though.

[Justin Green]

Thanks to both of you!

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Temp and humidity control are important too. Normal household values will normally do--avoid extremes like you might find in the attic or garage. If your house has AC and a furnace and you keep them in the controlled climate I would think they will be ok.

[Dave Beauchesne]

Justin:

All great advice so far - keep them out of direct sunlight - that will fade them as well.

Dave Beauchesne

[David Keller NC]

One other thought - if you run into a Stanley tool in its original box from the early 20th century (or earlier), then the box is valuable. Many have corners that are torn, and the thought here is do not try to repair them with tape. If it's a box from the 19th century, then it's worth sending to a professional paper restorer. Here is one such business:

http://www.etheringtoncs.net/what-we-do/

[Justin Green]

Thanks David. So far, the only ones I have are newer, post-war boxes.

Now, my fishing reel collection has some fairly old and valuable boxes! They're all behind glass in some barrister bookcases in the house.

[Jerome Hanby]

I wonder how well Shellac would work on this boxes? Seems like it could stiffen and toughen them up a bit and make them a little less prone to absorbing moisture. I'd want to find a similar but worthless box on which to experiment.