Alex wrote:

I been given a wooden trunk - the type that you might take to boarding
school. (Ithink this one has been further afield though - it has
Bombay amongst other places stencilled on it - anyway I digress). The
wood is in good condition but the metal banding which protects the
edges has rusted.

Do you mean rusty, or rusted through? If the former I'd be tempted to
try and restore using the existing metalwork rather than replace it
with something which might not look right.

Nick