old large suitcase cleaning

[Paprika]

Hello everybody !

Today I got my hands on a large, old suitcase. It seems to be from Germany but I do not know the initial purpose. It looks a bit like an instrument case but it seems a bit too thin to be something like this. Perhaps it was a simple travel suitcase ?

I'd like to restore it, but not completely. I want to clean it properly. It's still working, beside a bit of rust on metal parts, nothing is flimsy or weak. The handle is clearly dead, I'm not against the idea of changing it but my first goal is to clean it decently to give it a second life as a travel suitcase.

However, I'm absolutely not used to restore things so if people on this forum have advice, tips or anything, I'm all ears. Remember that I don't want to change any part except the handle, I like the "patine" (worn out by time) aspect and it will probably end up with a handful of stickers on it. I'm not against the idea of painting it but considering he fact it looks like wood with very thin paper on it, I don't know if it's a good idea. I'd be okay with a varnish coat.

Metal parts are actually metal, no doubt. It's made of thin wood. Black parts are hard plastic.

No cracks, no flimsy screw or nail, no creaking noise. No mold. The brown trace seems to be the remnants of a plaque, like a company logo or something like this. The white/black stain is dried glue, not rotten paper/wood.

Ideal is to keep it as it is, just a good clean to give it a second life. I'll keep you updated of course ! Here are the pictures :