Storing a CGC Comic Book In A Vacuum Sealed Bag?

[fantastic_four]

do you have an opinion on sealing polybags and mylars, vs. leaving them unsealed? I've heard arguments for and against sealing bags/mylars...

 

If by "sealed" you mean airtight, I prefer not to, but I also don't like open-topped Mylars...bugs have an easier time getting in, as do little kids' cups of Kool-Aid. And if you ever have an unexpected rainwater leaking episode, the odds of damage are reduced with flaps closed.

 

I double-bag E. Gerber Mylite2s into E. Gerber 4-mil Melinex for anything worth over about $20.

[PovertyRow]

I double-bag E. Gerber Mylite2s into E. Gerber 4-mil Melinex for anything worth over about $20.

 

Do you find the Mylite 2's stick a bit uncomfortably to the 4-mil? Hmmm - it would be some work but I wonder how a book in a Mylite 2 by itself, sandwiched between two buffered boards, inserted in a Mylar with a color copy in froint would fare? (I have total access to some high-end color copiers at work.)

 

 

[fantastic_four]

Do you find the Mylite 2's stick a bit uncomfortably to the 4-mil?

 

A little, but not enough to make it "uncomfortably" difficult to do the double-bagging because for whatever reason the 4-mil doesn't stick at all, so it's the frictiony Mylite2 surface rubbing past the mostly frictionless 4-mil melinex surface and there isn't too much trouble.

 

I've come to see one advantage and no real disadvantages to the high friction of Mylite2s--you can stack books in Mylite2s only (I do it for Moderns) in a pile and it's very, very difficult to accidentally push them over, unless you kick the stack or something. When I stack up the 4-mils, all it takes is my cat walking past and flicking his tail at the stack for it to tip over and have high-grade books sliding everywhere!!!

[PovertyRow]

I've come to see one advantage and no real disadvantages to the high friction of Mylite2s--you can stack books in Mylite2s only (I do it for Moderns) in a pile and it's very, very difficult to accidentally push them over, unless you kick the stack or something. When I stack up the 4-mils, all it takes is my cat walking past and flicking his tail at the stack for it to tip over and have high-grade books sliding everywhere!!!

 

I have a goodly number of BA sweeties Greggy-packed in Mylite 2's and I, too, have noted that phenomena.

 

But while my collection of GA is still small I am actually going to put my plan into effect.

[Aman619]

it seems the old remedy is still the most reliable: store each comic in an inert mylite or mylar sleeve with an acid-free backing board, and replace both (bag and board) every few years while keeoing them in boxes away from light in a cool environment. And dont keep taking them out to look at or show off at all.

[PovertyRow]

it seems the old remedy is still the most reliable: store each comic in an inert mylite or mylar sleeve with an acid-free backing board, and replace both (bag and board) every few years while keeoing them in boxes away from light in a cool environment. And dont keep taking them out to look at or show off at all.

 

Overall, for the resources available to most all of us, agreed. But now that I am here in San Francisco with mild clime all year 'round, I can take my books out and read with little fear! And without the cost of maintaiing a small room in Boston with year-round temp/humidity "control" (as best as could be done).

[Aman619]

braggart!

[PovertyRow]

braggart!

 

[fantastic_four]

it seems the old remedy is still the most reliable: store each comic in an inert mylite or mylar sleeve with an acid-free backing board, and replace both (bag and board) every few years while keeoing them in boxes away from light in a cool environment. And dont keep taking them out to look at or show off at all.

 

Why replace the bag? That's why I buy melinex...it's supposed to remain inert for over 100 years according to the research the Library of Congress did in the 1950s with "advanced aging tests."

 

I still haven't heard an opinion I trust on how long the calcium carbonate buffered boards are supposed to last. Bill Cole says forever, George from E. Gerber says he's heard "10 years" and that he's also heard "forever" but isn't sure.

[Smokinghawk]

Why not use the advertised vaccuum-sealer, but with a dessicant bag included at the back of the CGC slab, inside the seal? The moisture problem is cured!

 

Dessicant bags are pennies each.

[fantastic_four]

Why not use the advertised vaccuum-sealer, but with a dessicant bag included at the back of the CGC slab, inside the seal? The moisture problem is cured!

 

What types of products are dessicant bags typically used with? I've only seen them used with clothes. Pov told me he puts those in his comic boxes, but I don't recall him saying anything about how effective he thought they were...certainly there's almost no way to measure their effectiveness until a few decades have passed. I would think there are spacial volumetric restrictions to their use, but I don't really know.

 

I rather admire Cole and Gerber's approach of following the Library of Congress's lead...the LoC has more time and money to do research than we do. If they use dessicant bags, then I would, but I haven't come across any documents from the LoC discussing their use.

[Smokinghawk]

They're used with just about anything--clothes, medicines, artwork, collectibles. You've seen them before--the small bags of silia that come in bottles of pills. There are larger sizes for varying applications, and even a "cut-to-size" dessicant board.

 

Try:

 

http://www.desiccantcity.com/

 

or find them on Ebay for pennies each here (item 2197509298 seems to be a fantastic choice for our needs)

[lighthouse]

An oxygen absorber is far more important than a dessicant. You are not trying to reduce the moisture content of the paper, just eliminate the possibility of condensation forming. Think about those big packages of beef jerky they sell at convenience stores. They retain their moisture content for months without spoiling because they include an oxygen absorber. Oxygen is a far bigger enemy for paper than a normal humidity level would be...

[OldGuy]

You are not trying to reduce the moisture content of the paper.....

 

Unless you are trying to smoke it.

[Smokinghawk]

An oxygen absorber is far more important than a dessicant. You are not trying to reduce the moisture content of the paper, just eliminate the possibility of condensation forming. Think about those big packages of beef jerky they sell at convenience stores. They retain their moisture content for months without spoiling because they include an oxygen absorber. Oxygen is a far bigger enemy for paper than a normal humidity level would be...

 

Cool...Then try these:

http://www.sorbentsystems.com/o2absorbers.html

[bushwickprojects]

? For anyone that has done this to comic books in general B4. Would it B safe to store a CGC comic book in a vacuum sealed bag for long term storage?

Is the bag that CGC supplies with every comic book the safest or are there better materially made bags? (IM guessing since CGC use's a certain type of bag from whatever its made of to them its considered top notch)

[fantastic_four]

The Library of Congress web site has a form for asking questions to the conservators. Here's the question I asked:

 

For storing paper documents printed on cheap pulp paper (comic books), I have the following two questions:

 

1) Is an airtight or vacuum-sealed container (mylar/melinex) preferrable to open-air containers? I have heard that the acid naturally released by pulp paper should be allowed to "breathe" by not sealing it in an airtight container.

 

2) In environments where external humidity control is too expensive or difficult, can moisture dessicants or oxygen absorbers be effectively used to eliminate oxidation and browning/tanning? I haven't been able to find any references on the LoC web site referring to the use of these by the library.

 

The site says they answer questions within 5 days...I'll post the response if they send one.

[fantastic_four]

Is the bag that CGC supplies with every comic book the safest or are there better materially made bags? (IM guessing since CGC use's a certain type of bag from whatever its made of to them its considered top notch)

 

My assumption is that the bag is cheap and non-archival because they're relying on the interior well itself to be archival. It's definitely not Mylar or Melinex...it's too thin and shoddy to be either one of those.

 

However, since the well isn't airtight, this may be a concern...so while the CGC case itself shouldn't need changing if you keep it in a stable external environment...the anti-scratch bags probably do need changing every few years!

[bushwickprojects]

The Library of Congress web site has a form for asking questions to the conservators. Here's the question I asked:

 

For storing paper documents printed on cheap pulp paper (comic books), I have the following two questions:

 

1) Is an airtight or vacuum-sealed container (mylar/melinex) preferrable to open-air containers? I have heard that the acid naturally released by pulp paper should be allowed to "breathe" by not sealing it in an airtight container.

 

2) In environments where external humidity control is too expensive or difficult, can moisture dessicants or oxygen absorbers be effectively used to eliminate oxidation and browning/tanning? I haven't been able to find any references on the LoC web site referring to the use of these by the library.

 

The site says they answer questions within 5 days...I'll post the response if they send one.

Sounds Good! IM curious on what their answer will be to your questions? Please do post their responce...

[PrimeCollections-migration]

I experimented with the vacuum sealed bags on some of my lower graded slabbed moderns, just in case it was damaging. Long story short, I decided against doing this to any more slabbed books because when the bag is under vacuum, it squeezes the two halves of the slab together fairly hard. There was some audible cracking noise during the process, though nothing visible. Also, those oily, rainbow-like swirls appeared over the cover of the book inside, and if that meant contact was made with the cover of the book (could have been the sleeve against the outer shell) then I wasn't happy. Upon removing a slab from the vacuum bag, these rainbow swirls remain, which kind of irks me. A safer alternative might be to buy plastic tupperware-like tubs which have a nipple on the lid where a vacuum device can be attached to remove the air. This would prevent the slabs from being stressed.