On Sunday, May 15, 2011 2:03:30 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
> This weekend I received my father's foot locker that he used in WWII.
> First there are a couple of area on the outside that seems to be "De
> laminating"
> Finally the outside looks "dusty"? Is there any way to restore it as it
> was when new.
The plywood would probably have been assembled with animal glue,
and the delamination is normal, because fungus slowly attacks this glue.
Maybe a freeze or heat cycle can be arranged, to kill the fungus (and
at least slow the process). Museum conservators might use methylene
bromide...
As for the 'dusty' look, wartime paint was like that.