Rusty staples - to remove or not?

[fugpaw]

I've got a couple of Soldbuchs where the staples holding the photos in place and the staples used to bind the Solbuchs are rusty and the rust is staining the paperwork. I would rather keep the Soldbuchs in original condition, however the staining from the rust is getting worse - thus the connundrum - do I remove the offending staples?

All opinions welcome.

[Shenkursk]

Unfortunately, this is the only thing that you can do. In the archival world, when important documents are received and processed into a collection, rust and paperclips are disposed of immediately.

[Peter Wiking]

I've got a couple of Soldbuchs where the staples holding the photos in place and the staples used to bind the Solbuchs are rusty and the rust is staining the paperwork. I would rather keep the Soldbuchs in original condition, however the staining from the rust is getting worse - thus the connundrum - do I remove the offending staples?

All opinions welcome.

You have a moisture problem, not a staple problem. Remove the moisture problem and the staples will be fine. This moisture can ruin Iron Crosses and weapons as well.

Cheers.
Peter

[fugpaw]

You have a moisture problem, not a staple problem. Remove the moisture problem and the staples will be fine. This moisture can ruin Iron Crosses and weapons as well.

Cheers.
Peter

Thanks for the comments. Peter you're right about the moisture problem - basically the Soldbuchs were damp when I got them, I thought I had fully dried them, on closer inspection it appears that I have not fully dried them.

[NKOMO]

I had always heard that the acid in the paper rusts the staples. Is there any truth to that?
Arch

[Peter Wiking]

I had always heard that the acid in the paper rusts the staples. Is there any truth to that?
Arch

No acid in pre 1945 paper items. Just keep moisture and sunlight away.

Good luck.
Peter

[NKOMO]

I did not know that. Thanks for the advice.
Arch

[Shenkursk]

No acid in pre 1945 paper items. Just keep moisture and sunlight away.

Good luck.
Peter

??????????
With no disrespect intended, there is indeed plenty of acid in pre-1945 paper. This is why WWI and WWII photo albums, newspapers, letters, and many official documents get discolored and brittle. Leaving paper exposed to metal paperclips and staples is an invitation to damage.

[Richard]

As the war drug on and materials became more scarce, the paper used for many items became of less quality. Most later war papers are full of acid as it was cheap to produce that way. You went from nice glossy picture books in the 1930's made with high quality low acid paper to almost newsprint type material by war's end. Depending on the printing and importance of the document or book, relatively high acid content paper was used quite often.
Richard V

[Peter Wiking]

Acid, no acid. Early war or late war. What ruins your paper documents is moisture, sticky fingers and direct sunlight. Strong light from from spotlights in display boxes will ruin the paper as well. I would not worry about acid paper or no acid paper. It is the environment that kills.

Cheers.
Peter

[peter monahan]

No acid in pre 1945 paper items. Just keep moisture and sunlight away.

Good luck.
Peter

Hate to be argumentative, but acid in paper is a function of the quality, not the age, of the paper. 'Archive quality' paper is made - expensively - acid free. All other papers have a greater or lesser amount of acid in. The earlier posters are both right in a way: moisture kills paper and rusts iron but even "100% moisture free" - no such animal ! - contains acids which react with metal.

How fast it happens is the key question and in this case it sounds as if "too fast" - visible deterioration - is the answer. Gently remove the staples and store the books in conservators plastic sleeves: art stores and phot shops sell them. Most sleeves are ok but check, they're not too dear.

(The US National Parks Service has a wealth of info. for non-specialists on "preserving stuff" - we use it in the museum courses I'm taking. Google "Conserv-O-Grams" and download the ones you want: on wood, paper, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, leather etc.) Good luck!

Peter

[Peter Wiking]

Before this acid thing goes to far. I am ok with that i am wrong with "no acid" in paper before 1945. I was more thinking of the bleaching of the paper which is a different thing.

I still believe that most destruction to paper comes from bad handling. Are we serius with this? Are we really going to remove the staples from all our Soldbuchs? From the spine and from the photograph? Should an RK collector remove the staples from the paperbox to the Knight Cross? I would not! That is for sure.

Cheers.
Peter

[fugpaw]

Before this acid thing goes to far. I am ok with that i am wrong with "no acid" in paper before 1945. I was more thinking of the bleaching of the paper which is a different thing.

I still believe that most destruction to paper comes from bad handling. Are we serius with this? Are we really going to remove the staples from all our Soldbuchs? From the spine and from the photograph? Should an RK collector remove the staples from the paperbox to the Knight Cross? I would not! That is for sure.

Cheers.
Peter

Well I'm not going to remove the staples from the Soldbuchs I was having a problem with (and none of the other I have for that matter). The damp Soldbuchs have now been thoroughly dried and are kept (with the rest of my collection) in what I believe to be in a moisture free (well obviously not 100%) environment.

I have to agree with Peter, the most destruction on paper and other items does come from bad handling.

Like most, I have seen first hand what someones bad handling of an item can do; a pristine EK1 that I sold to someone was mutilated by the bad handling of the individual - he handled it without gloves (I hate to think what grease and chemicals were oozing out of his skin) and kept it in a damp environment - 6 months after receiving what was a pristine EK1, it was turned into an abhorration, the frosting was absolutely destroyed and rusting had set in.

[Peter Wiking]

I do not use gloves when i handle my militaria but i do wash my hands right before i touch anything in my collection. I try to handle the items as little as possible. Keep windows closed. Keep strong light away. Keep it dry. Do not let just any one fool around with your collection. Gentle does it. Common sense can help alot to preserve a collection

Cheers.
Peter

[Carson]

Not that I am a wealth of archival information, but you might consider packets of silica as a safety feature for dampness removal of your collection. I have also heard of silver/chemical strips to prevent tarnish build up on plated items. My local curator also uses cotton gloves to handle any artifacts.

Myself, I balance care with enjoyment of touching history. I do not want to leave a "footprint" on any of my militaria though. Good info, good debate.