It is by necessity (no more room in the house) that I store part of my DDR collection in the garage. And it's finally cool enough to spend time out there without roasting in the heat. So this evening I was doing my twice a year check for moths and deteriorating East German plastic.
Most of the stuff out there is field gear and uniforms and I found things I'd long forgotten like Kampfgruppen and Zivilverteidigung field uniforms, three rain pattern cammo helmet covers, an entrenching tool I didn't know I had and large amounts of Soviet uniforms and equipment.
It was a bit like Christmas but I would like to pass along a few cautions:
1) East German plastic and rubber items do not like being stored in an environment with large fluctuations in heat and humidity. I had to toss two of those black plastic covered flight crew hats as they had completely disintegrated. Even worse, that black plastic that flaked off and sticks to just about everything. I've also noticed that the elastic in most of the uniforms I have out there has dried out.
2) The decontamination kit in your gas mask is highly corrosive. I learned this several years ago when all the metal parts of the gas mask corroded as well as everything on the shelf above it, including aluminum items! It also discolored my NBC suit. I now keep that decon kit double bagged in freezer bags and it appears to have caused no more damage. A few months ago I acquired a second mask with decon kit and the same type of corrosion and discoloration had occurred with it.
3) The garage is an ideal place for moths, especially if your have wool uniforms. I've got mothballs and ceder blocks and chips out there and still find evidence of moths. Thankfully none of my NVA uniforms show new damage, but some of my US uniforms do despite the liberal application of mothballs. And for some reason they have never messed with my Russian uniforms, even the heavy wool overcoat I have.
Most of the stuff out there is field gear and uniforms and I found things I'd long forgotten like Kampfgruppen and Zivilverteidigung field uniforms, three rain pattern cammo helmet covers, an entrenching tool I didn't know I had and large amounts of Soviet uniforms and equipment.
It was a bit like Christmas but I would like to pass along a few cautions:
1) East German plastic and rubber items do not like being stored in an environment with large fluctuations in heat and humidity. I had to toss two of those black plastic covered flight crew hats as they had completely disintegrated. Even worse, that black plastic that flaked off and sticks to just about everything. I've also noticed that the elastic in most of the uniforms I have out there has dried out.
2) The decontamination kit in your gas mask is highly corrosive. I learned this several years ago when all the metal parts of the gas mask corroded as well as everything on the shelf above it, including aluminum items! It also discolored my NBC suit. I now keep that decon kit double bagged in freezer bags and it appears to have caused no more damage. A few months ago I acquired a second mask with decon kit and the same type of corrosion and discoloration had occurred with it.
3) The garage is an ideal place for moths, especially if your have wool uniforms. I've got mothballs and ceder blocks and chips out there and still find evidence of moths. Thankfully none of my NVA uniforms show new damage, but some of my US uniforms do despite the liberal application of mothballs. And for some reason they have never messed with my Russian uniforms, even the heavy wool overcoat I have.
It's safe in my closet, same with my Grenztruppen Hemdbluse...
.. in the name of the State.
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