Good idea, Artisan Tony. ... Old ammo boxes are used with Jeeps down here in the Balmy USA to carry items. .... I have an old ammo box from WW2. It belonged to an old geezer, next door. When he died, no one in his family wanted the ammo box.
GSWC- General Steel Wares Canada of Ontario. I believe this box is a version of the H50. I did a video on one of these. Very similar, but slightly different. My H50 was labelled for .303 ammunition. Glad this thing was rescued before heading to the dump.
I would guess oiled up patina would have been the best option in order to maintain the original rust layer in that pice of history but the owner always decide what's best for it. It's still amazing to see a 77 year old ammo box