Quote:
Originally Posted by David Dunlop
At first glance, and for the last two years of looking at it, for that matter, the Contents List in the Remote Receiver Case appeared to be paper as well, laid out in the same style and format as the list found in the tool box. For it, however, the CMC Parts Numbers have been abandoned for the sequence of the parts listed. Instead, a mix of VAOS Numbers and ‘Interim VAOS’ Numbers has been used, in roughly ascending order. The part number for this list is still in the lower right corner, ‘CMC. 114-553’. Once again, the sequence in which the parts are listed is identical to the listing found in the operators manual.
It is only just recently, while I have been taking a closer look at these two Contents Lists, that I suddenly noticed a fundamental difference between them. The Remote Receiver Case list is dead flat smooth and shiny under light. There is not a flaw on the printing anywhere and no trace of any of the damage you would expect on a paper product over 80 years a good portion of which was spent in military service. The upper left corner of this list has pulled away from the surface of the about a half inch, curling upward from the lid enough you can feel the material is thick. About half the thickness of a classic high gloss manila file folder. I stuck my neck out and applied a small drop of water to this edge. 15 minutes later, the bead of water was still sitting there with no sign of absorption by the material. If it is not paper, it must be some form of 1940’s ‘plastic sheet’.
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It may well be thin card/pulp board that has been printed and then treated with anti-fungal and waterproofing varnish to improve its lifespan in the field.
The original SLIDEX cards and wallets were produced without any thought of this - the wallets were oilskin covered strawboard with aluminium fittings and steel springs secured by brass rivets, and the code cards were ordinary 4-sheet card (240 gram?). OK in the desert, but in the jungle? (Expect a 14-day life as the strawboard dissolved, the metal fittings corroded like mad due to the dissimilar metals (Aluminium against brass, really?), and every single fungal spore took one look at the card sheets and said "Yummy!".
The case content lists would be expected to last (especially for the replacement items/consumables cases), so I'd expect good quality labels to be fitted in the lids.
Chris.