Thanks Cats!
Regarding water-based seal coat, any brand to recommend? My online searching seemed to only lead me to stuff for driveways - surely that's not what you mean BackBeatKeeper - Sounds like a good idea though - sort of what I was thinking.
SORRY JAYE for the scary title - Just an attention getter electricit - I shoulda said BLEACH ;)
I did some web searching, as well as VDF, and found no mention of drum label preservation - so I thought I'd rattle some interest.
Is a transparent sticky film considered OK for such a thing? It'd certainly & simply do the trick - Is it a tried & true technique by vintage Rogers drum-o-philes (and other paper label folk)?
My label is on quite nicely - a good stick at the factory. I haven't cleaned it at all yet - maybe a lightly damp cloth? Or just leave the funk of history intact - it's probably been accumulating for 40 years.