Been doing a bit of ebay surfing and noticed a lot of smith boxes had rusty corners. Made me a bit paranoid as i keep most of mine on a shelf in the corner of my closet. In the winter there is a good bit of temp change. I checked them and all is as i found them.
Just for a experiment i picked a old box that i keep parts in and tried to lightly apply some ren wax on the steel corner. Bad idea. Instantly a permanent stain developed where i touched any cardboard. Luckily i learned on this forum to always experiment with anything new very carefully. Does anyone do any prevention or is it just a storage issue?
Maybe some boxes came from damp basements and garages.

I have used renaissance wax on the boxes and they look great....

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

You might want to get the corners coated with a finish like Birdsong's Black T.

Or don't keep them in the shed.........

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Forum consigliere

I keep my boxes in old paper grocery sacks in the tops of my closets and have never had the problem but I also live in a very dry area of the country. I never thought about treating the metal corners. Might be a good idea.

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James
On the Llano Estacado

I agree with kennyb, renaissance wax works well on the corners as well as the cardboard.

a lot depends on the vintage of the boxes, ,early 'soft' covered ones can stain, later ones you can wipe the corners with a RIG rag or such to keep them 'fresh' but the conditions can go bad quickly in damp or extreme areas, NO attics, no basements, (unless you use a dehumidifier) card board is like a 'wick' will absorb any and all "moisture & odors", the metal being 'metal' will start to oxidize and rust up in time...I've seen , used and know of MANY folks who use a vast variety of things to clean off their boxes, use what works for YOU (try it in an out of the way (bottom)?? first off, do not slather or pour anything on......and do not "pile up" (stack) too many boxes if you have the guns still in them, the centers do NOT 'bear' any weight and YES< they ( factory) did place the boxes "upside" down, that's why the 'white ' end labels are put on they way they are, "upside down"...THINK about it................

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dan
NRA Benefactor,PMA