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Originally Posted by 4 Scale
I don't trust my common sense when it comes to material properties. As an example, in this thread I see numerous collectors saying "don't store in foam". I think that is good general advice.
But - I have metal photo equipment that has been stored in foam-lined Pelican cases for decades. Pelican in a high quality case manufacturer. It looks like 'egg foam' BTW. I have never had a metal item in a Pelican case corrode, or seen the foam in them degrade.
I have heard that polyethylene foam is safe for long term storage. I think polyethylene foam is my Pelicans, but I'm not sure (they are decades old). On the other hand, I have had foam that crumbled after a few years. There seem to be many types of foam. What is the difference between them? Is it OK to store firearms in Pelican cases? I would guess so based on decades of experience but the truth is I don't know because I am not a materials expert.
One highly experienced collector says sweat shirt material can be used to make cases. My sweat shirts are 100% cotton. Several others say only synthetics should be used. Who is right?
I'd not pushing Pelican, nor am I criticizing fellow collectors or disputing the advice in the thread not to store firearms in foam. I am just pointing out that in this thread there are conflicts between collector experience. There are a huge amount of storage products out there, and I wish I knew more about them via an expert impartial source. Like probably many collectors, some of my Lugers are over 100 years old. I can tell you that based on inspection under a microscope, even the +90% blue ones have oxidation. What is the best way to prevent oxidation? I wish I knew, based on data.
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Not to sound "smart, short, or snarky", but the only way to prevent oxidation is to store oxidize-able material in a nitrogen atmosphere or a vacuum. Or perhaps submerged in paraffin oil which is used to store highly flammable metallic sodium, so it is pretty much moisture free- but a little bit messy.
You don't need data to reach this conclusion, only a basic understanding of the chemical process involved; in this case oxidation of iron.
Any other other achievable storage condition allows slow oxidation, or fast depending on the specific condition.
Yes- there are "grades of foam " and foams of different chemical composition. Stability of foam is primarily dictated by how carefully they are created- i.e. they must use the correct and exact chemical balance of foam base and initiator. This almost never happens, but the better control the better the stability and thus the life of the foam.
It is great that your photo equipment has survived in foam, I have seen much foam that has deteriorated, enough so I would never store anything in foam for more than a few weeks without inspection. It is great for carrying stuff from place to place.
But why store stuff in a material that will cause a problem a certain percentage of the time.
Synthetic or natural materials don't matter a lot, it is the atmosphere the object is stored in and the temperature.
How often one inspects, cleans, oils, etc. is also quite important in assuring long term storage.
If you want facts, study the methods used by the US Army for preserving weapons. I'm sure they studied the heck out of the problem, as for them it was a really big issue.Them having to store and attempt to preserve everything from small arms to battleship rifles!
Excuse me but my chemical training is showing.
This is not a hard question to answer, keep them dry and look at them occasionally.
