Question:
I just moved into a house that does not have as big a basement as my last place. I
do however have the luxury of having a small barn and a garage. I saw the
thread on how hot you could go before a kit gets ruined and I think I concluded
that you could go 120 degrees as long as you were not exposed to sunlight. My
questions are #1. How cold is too cold, or does coldness not effect kits.
or #2. If I store these in the barn/garage will mice bother these things if they
are present?. Also if I store books out there in cardboard boxes will mice
bother them?
Answer:
-Let me tell you about a Mustang II we own. It's stored out in our shed,
and mice _are_ present despite the fact that the cat is usually fed on
top of this car. The mice got into this car. The cardboard glove box
liner is about half gone, and the rest of it smells strongly of mouse.
When I disassembled the heater ducting, I found tiny bits of the owners'
manual, among other things, distributed throughout as components of
mouse nests.
In summary -- mice will chew up cardboard kit boxes and paper books to
make nests with. They will make nests (including bathrooms) in your
books and kit boxes. Protect your stuff from mice.
Also, if you have significant temperature cycles, the paper will start
to freeze-dry, and will become dusty and brittle. And then it will get
damp when the spring thaw comes, and get mildewey and musty and more
dusty.
Frankly, I wouldn't store books in a barn nor non-temperature-controlled
garage, nor kits if I really cared about the boxes.
On the other hand, a friend of mine has a bunch of models out in his
shed/garage, and they seem relatively ok except the boxes are a bit
worn-looking. But keep in mind that this is in the San Francisco bay
area, where hot is 85 and cold is 45, so that should be considered.
-I just moved into a house that does not have as big a basement as my last
place. I
do however have the luxury of having a small barn and a garage. I saw the
thread on how hot you could go before a kit gets ruined and I think I concluded
that you could go 120 degrees as long as you were not exposed to sunlight. My
questions are #1. How cold is too cold, or does coldness not effect kits.
#2. If I store these in the barn/garage will mice bother these things if they
are present?. Also if I store books out there in cardboard boxes will mice
bother them?
