bluegrass084

I have been working at perfecting a few patterns and have on several occasions noted that my dye job would transfer to clothing despite the fact that I finished things off with resolene. I am wondering if I have created my own problem.... First I buff the dye to a nice polished appearance, then I apply the resolene. After drying I buff some more. I have tried various ways to apply resolene and had chosen to apply with a sponge. I am wondering if I am buffing off the resolene coating because the sponge method did not give enough coverage....also looking for other ideas to create a better finish. thanks for the help in advance

I would suggest your idea of vacuum packing the tools, covering the all metal ones with a light coat of thin oil. If you do not want to vacuum them I would suggest coating them in something called cosmoline which is a thick grease used to preserve firearms in storage and transit across the big pond. You can then boil the all metal ones in a light detergent mixture a couple times and you will have the oil off of them....the wooden tools I would just hope for the best. The rawhide mallet might absorb salt air and be ruined, so perhaps having an idea of a shipper who will send things to you overseas would be good. Of course you could have a friend hold everything packed and wait for your arrival and ship them via UPS or FedEx.....