From: Paul Adams <[p--l] at [ERC.MsState.EDU]> Subject: [INFO] Protecting Comics Guide - Version 2.1 (2/2) Date: 1 Mar 1997 07:12:01 -0700 Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info To Preserve and Protect _______________________ Version : 2.1 (2/2) Date : 1 February 1997 Written By : Paul Adams e-mail : [p--l] at [erc.msstate.edu] VIII. Storage _____________ Once the comic book has been bagged and boarded, the question is how to store them. Cardboard boxes are acidic and may not be the correct size to prevent the comics from shifting around and damaging themselves. Short comic book boxes can handle around 200 comics and cost about 4 dollars. Long comic book boxes can handle around 300 comics and cost about 5 dollars. It is best to store comics so that they are snug in a box instead of loose. The reason is that if snug, the box, backing boards, and comic books work together to support your comics. A problem with upright storage is that the comics may curve or bend. Using backing boards helps prevent this as well as storing the comics snugly in the box. Another way to avoid this is that one can store the comic books flat as libraries tend to do with archival material. Three minor difficulties exist with this. The first is that the comics may tend to slide if, again, not stored snugly. If bagged and boarded, this should not cause any damage. The second is that it is harder to retrieve comics on the bottom of the stack. But if archiving the books is the primary consideration, and reading them is not, this poses no problem. The third problem is that of floods. Comics standing upright that are bagged can withstand several inches of flood water, at least until the water reaches the opening at the top of the bag. There was a question on whether or not the seams would leak water into the bag. For bags that are well made, this will not be a problem. I know this because I took a worthless comic, put it in one of my unused bags, and let it stand in 7 inches of water for a week with no damage. Even when filling the interior of the bag with water - without the comic of course, the seams did not leak. Comics lying flat do not have this advantage. The solution to this is simple, store the comics off the floor or move the comics to higher ground prior to the flood. One final piece of advice, alternate the spines when storing flat. Whether storing upright or flat, use acid-free boxes if archival is your intent. Even if you use Mylar bags, the acid in the cardboard box will eventually migrate through to the comic. It is a slow process, but it will occur. Store the box in a dark, cool, dry place. Opinions on prime storage conditions says the temperature should range from from 68 to 72 degrees, and that 50 percent humidity is preferable. IX. Micro-Environments ______________________ In section III, paper and how it deteriorates was explained. In short, pure cellulose paper is fairly stable, and expensive. The paper in comic books contains impurities and is fairly cheap. These impurities such as lignin, are what breaks down and forms acids. Light, temperature, and humidity all act to breakdown the cellulose molecules in paper by the production of acids. This process is known as acid hydrolysis. If comics are stored in bags and taped shut, this creates a micro- environment in which the comic is stored. This keeps out atmospheric pollutants, insects, &c. However, the comic books already contains acids and is deteriorating. Sealing a comic book mearly seals in the pollutants so that they can further act upon the comic and destroy it. Similarly, storing the comics in a box with the lid on will create another micro- environment in which the comic, and its pollutants, is stored. Aggravating the situation is when the storage bags and storage boxes are of less than archival quality. Then, not only do the books contribute to their own destruction via their inherent acids, but the non-archival bags, boards, and boxes also contribute. The question could be asked, "Won't the reactions within the micro- environment eventually reach an equilibrium and stop?" The answer is yes, but not until the end of the comic book's life. Another question could be asked, "What about airborne pollutants? Won't they hurt my collection more than the pollutants already within my comics?" The answer in most cases, though by no means all, is no. In most cases it is better to let your collection "breath" than to "suffocate". Even though some damage may occur due to air pollution by breathing, at least the pollutants within the comics will be carried away. The collection will eventually reach an equilibrium and damage will stop. X. Summary __________ For short-term storage and small budgets, you don't need to spend a fortune to protect your comics. Polypropylene or polyethylene bags, "acid free at time of manufacture" backing boards, and a cardboard box will do nicely. More damage will be caused by mishandling than by less than archive quality bags and boards. For valuable comic books - you decide what is valuable to you - then Mylar bags, "acid free" boards, and comic book boxes should be used. In both cases, store the comics in a dark, cool, dry place. Bill Cole Enterprises, in their January Nameless Newsletter, recommends that comics under $10 that you want to store for the long term by stored in 1 mil. Mylar bags. Comics over $10 should be stored in 4 mil. Mylar bags. In both cases, acid-free backing boards should be used. For further reading on the subject, the article "Preservation and Storage of Comic Books" by Bill Cole in the _Comic Buyer's Guide 1992 Annual_ is excellent. The annual lists for $9.95, but I know where copies of it can be had for $4.00. The article "Hero Compares/Contrasts Comic Supplies" in the September 1993 issue of _Hero Illustrated_ and "The Care and Feeding of your Comic Collection" in _Comics Value Annual_ are both good. For articles on restoring comics or deacidifying comics, check out _The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide 1st edition_. It contains pictures of comics before and after they are restored which is impressive. The book also contains more information on the deacidification of comics. XI. Sources for Supplies ________________________ A great place to find these and other mail-order comic suppliers is in Comic Buyer's Guide. Possibly though, you have a good comic shop in your area which may stock some good supplies. I would be remiss if I did not mention to try your local store. Mine stocks Ultra-Pro ProBags, Comic Defense acid-free-at-time- of-manufacture boards, Comic-Stor storage sheets, as well as long and short comic storage boxes. Even though the supplies are not top-of-the-line, they are excellent for intermediate storage and are much less expensive. For those on a budget, this is the way to go especially if the staff is as friendly as my store is. ----- Bill Cole Enterprises P.O. Box 60 Randolph, MA 02368-0060 1-800-225-8249 ( Orders Only ) 617-986-2653 ( Phone ) 617-986-2656 ( Fax ) http://www.neponset.com/bcemylar/index.htm http://www.dvisions.com/bcemylar.html e-mail: [b--my--r] at [internetmci.com] For short term storage, Bill Cole now makes polypropylene sleeves called Comic Temps. He sells them in cases of 2000 for $44.00, which comes to 2.2 cents a bag (if you actually need that many). Bill Cole Enterprises makes 4 mil. Mylar bags, 1 mil. Mylar bags called Mylites, as well as acid-free backing boards. The bags and boards are quality made, thus you will pay a little more. ----- Lee Tennant Enterprises Inc. P.O. Box 296 Worth, IL 60482 1-800-356-6401 ( Orders Only ) 708-532-1771 ( Phone ) 708-532-1773 ( Fax ) Lee Tennant Ent. makes 4 mil. Mylar bags, 1 mil. Mylar bags called Mylar D-Lights, as well as acid-free backing boards. ----- Bags Unlimited 7 Canal Street. Dept. C Rochester, NY 14608 1-800-767-BAGS ( Orders Only ) 716-436-9006 ( Phone ) 716-328-8526 ( Fax ) Bags Unlimited makes many different sizes of Polyethylene bags, has three different types of backing boards, has a comic mailer, and storage boxes. ----- The Hollinger Corp. PO Box 8360, Fredericksburg, VA 22404 The Hollinger Corp. has acid-Free cardboard boxes and will send a catalog upon request. [ Information from Bill Turner ] ----- Hydrosorbent Co. Box 437 Ashely Falls, MA 01222 The Hydrosorbent Co. has silica gel canisters that can be used to remove humidity from the air. The 40 gram unit sells for $5.95 and protects up to 3 cubic feet, which is about the correct size unit needed for a comic book box. Once the canister has become saturated, an indicator turns from blue to pink, and the device can be reactivated by placing it in an oven. ----- E. Gerber Products, Inc. PO Box 201 Glenbrook, NV 89413 (702)883-4100 Gerber makes a variety of 1 mil., 2 mil., and 4 mil. Mylar bags, 2 mil. polypropolyne bags in lots of 1000 for $22.00, acid-free backing boards and boxes, as well as deacidification sheets, and various gas absorbing and humidity balancing products. Their products can be ordered directly, as well as through Diamond Comic Distributors. [ Information from Sten Drescher ] ----- XII. Sources Consulted ______________________ Bill Cole Enterprises, Inc., _Nameless Newsletter_, Vol. 1, issue 1, Jan. 1994. Bill Cole Enterprises, Inc., Time-X-Tenders Advertisement Flyer, Jan. 1995. Biggers, Cliff, Batty, Ward, ed. _Comics 101 : 1993 CSN Collector's Guide_, Comic Shop News, 1993. Capital City Distribution, Inc., "Comic Defense System : The System is the Solution", brochure, 1993. Cole, William M., "Preservation and Storage of Comic Books", _Comic Buyer's Guide 1992 Annual_, Krause Publications, Inc. Iola, WI, 1991. Danovich, John, ed., "Hero Compares/Contrasts Comic Supplies", _Hero_ _Illustrated_ Volume 1 number 3, Warrior Publications, Lombard, IL, Sept. 1993. Hegenberger, John, _Collectors Guide to Comic Books_, Wallace-Homestead Book Co., Radnor, Pennsylvania, 1990. Heft, Tracey, "Bag, Board, and Box : Shedding Light on Conservation", _Overstreet Comic Book Monthly #9_, Overstreet Publications, Cleveland, Tennessee, 1994. Heft, Tracey, "Bag, Board, and Box : Inherent Vice", _Overstreet Comic Book Monthly #10_, Overstreet Publications, Cleveland, Tennessee, 1994. Hydrosorbent Co., advertisement, _Numismatic News_, January 17, 1995, p22. Maltby, Susan L., "Plastic composition detectable using simple burn test methods", _Coin World_, April 24, 1995, p56. Overstreet, Robert M., ed., _Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide 21st edition_, Avon Books, New York, New York, 1991. Overstreet, Robert M., ed., _Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide 22nd edition_, Avon Books, New York, New York, 1992. Overstreet, Robert M., ed., _Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide 23rd edition_, Avon Books, New York, New York, 1993. RunningDeer, Jay, Hanson, Neil; Malloy, Alex and Wells, Stuart W., ed., "The Care and Feeding of your Comic Collection", _Comics Value Annual_, Wallace-Homestead Book Co., Radnor, Pennsylvania, 1992. Wilson, Mark; Overstreet, Robert M. and Carter, Gary M., eds. "Comic Book Restoration", _The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide 1st edition_, Avon Books, New York, New York, 1992. Thanks to the Following Contributors! _____________________________________ Erik "zombie" Veit : [z--mb--e] at [netcom.com] Bill Turner : [w r t 1] at [cornell.edu] Ken Goach : [k--n] at [austin.ibm.com] George Piattoni : [g--op--a] at [bbs.xnet.com] Rob and Steve Snell : [s w s 1] at [ra.msstate.edu] Michael Seher : [m r s] at [critter.cv.com] Richard Frankel : [richard frankel] at [maillink.berkeley.edu] Sten Drescher : [s--e--d] at [grendel.austin.texas.net] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mylar is a registered trademark of DuPont Co. Melinex 516 is a registered trademark of ICI Corporation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1994-1997 by Paul Adams. All rights reserved, but no harm askin' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \ ___ / Paul Adams \ /___\ / [p--l] at [erc.msstate.edu] ____________\___/__.__\___/____________ YF-22 \ \ / / \__/\___/\__/