Originally Posted by
ArchaicArcane
The storage container was more sarcasm than anything
Here the biggest concern is the hot to cold. It's not unheard of to hit -40 (which is the same in Farenheit as in Celcius) for a day or two in the winter, and the freezes are good and solid because of the length of them - I'm told that's what causes the aligatoring of the finish. That machine's in the town I live in. It's colder here than in the city by a few degrees on average too.
You are correct the going from cold to hot and then back again will after months of this abuse in storage will aligator first the thick clear coat of shellac and if the machine continues this hot cold treatment the japanning will start to chip and aligator even beyond repair in some cases. This does not only apply to machines but anything stored incorrectly. Correct storage is in a control environment. Unfortunately the laymen with one machine is not going to do this so we end up with lots of damage on the finish of the machines and the cabinet. As you know we see this damage all the time. Grandma's machine is a good example, the family does not want it so the stick in a dirty hot barn or shed and years later a member tries to sell it and with the damage done wonder why the machine will not sell for the $100.00 + they expect to get for it. I saw this to often when I had had my antique restoration shop and it was so sad.
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