How much do dog days of summer (heat & humidity) affect slabbed books?

[dekeuk]

I know the slab protects book from handling, and there is also some kind of micro-chamber paper in the slab.

 

But how much do heat and humidity of summer affect the book? (i.e. page quality, rusty staples, mold, etc.)

 

 

Let's assume we had 3 identical books from 1975 right now and all had white pages currently.

 

Book #1 gets slabbed

 

Book #2 bagged and boarded in a long box

 

Book #3 unbagged in a long box

 

All 3 books sit in a closet in a bedroom in a house in the northeast USA for 10 years with no air conditioning during the summer. So there are lots of time when the books are in 80 to 95 degree heat with plenty of humidity.

 

During the winter the home is heated to 70 degrees.

 

At the end of 10 years, how would the 3 books compare?

 

Would the slabbed book still have white pages and be in basically the same condition it was 10 years ago?

 

How would Book #1 (slabbed) compare to Book #2 (bagged and boarded in long box) compare to Book #3 (unbagged in a long box?

 

 

 

[Boozad]

I always throw some packets of silica gel in with my books. Whether it helps a bean or not I don't know.

 

And I know that doesn't answer your question

[Ogami]

This is my limited perspectived opinion, but I think it is extrememly difficult to keep collections as nice and white in the Deep South, compared to the North.

 

All of my life, my books have been in climate controlled conditions, and I still think I've seen whiter books come out of lots of books purchased by me from up North.

[fantastic_four]

Book #1 gets slabbed

 

Book #2 bagged and boarded in a long box

 

Book #3 unbagged in a long box

 

All 3 books sit in a closet in a bedroom in a house in the northeast USA for 10 years with no air conditioning during the summer. So there are lots of time when the books are in 80 to 95 degree heat with plenty of humidity.

 

They'd all be the same. Bags and the CGC slab are primarily to keep the book safe from damage caused by solid objects, i.e. people, water, insects. They don't do much to alter decay of the pages other than potentially trap the gases let off by the comic in with it, thereby accellerating decay.

 

Your time length of 10 years isn't long and shouldn't see much change in page quality on the books, but there's a chance portions of the pages could go off-white due to the lack of summertime air conditioning you describe. Frequent changes in temperature and humidity are the worst storage for page preservation, and with no summer air conditioning, they'd be ranging in temperature from day to night by 10-30 degrees on a daily basis.

[rodan57]

.... Your time length of 10 years isn't long and shouldn't see much change in page quality on the books, but there's a chance portions of the pages could go off-white due to the lack of summertime air conditioning you describe. Frequent changes in temperature and humidity are the worst storage for page preservation, and with no summer air conditioning, they'd be ranging in temperature from day to night by 10-30 degrees on a daily basis.

 

Yes.

[dekeuk]

 

 

They'd all be the same. Bags and the CGC slab are primarily to keep the book safe from damage caused by solid objects, i.e. people, water, insects. They don't do much to alter decay of the pages other than potentially trap the gases let off by the comic in with it, thereby accellerating decay.

 

 

OK, then what does that piece of paper CGC inserts into the comic do?

 

What about silica gel packs? Are they at all useful in keeping away humidity?

 

 

[fantastic_four]

They'd all be the same. Bags and the CGC slab are primarily to keep the book safe from damage caused by solid objects, i.e. people, water, insects. They don't do much to alter decay of the pages other than potentially trap the gases let off by the comic in with it, thereby accellerating decay.

 

 

OK, then what does that piece of paper CGC inserts into the comic do?

 

What about silica gel packs? Are they at all useful in keeping away humidity?

 

 

The microchamber paper absorbs the off-gasses from the comic I mentioned. They do this because unlike an open-top Mylar, there's nowhere for the gas to go in the nearly-completely-sealed CGC case. The paper is to make up for the harmful design of the case, and it should remain effective for majority or entirety of the 10-year duration you mentioned. I don't get why they didn't just design breathing vents into the middle-side and middle-top edges of the case, but ah well.

[DarkKnightReturns]

.... Your time length of 10 years isn't long and shouldn't see much change in page quality on the books, but there's a chance portions of the pages could go off-white due to the lack of summertime air conditioning you describe. Frequent changes in temperature and humidity are the worst storage for page preservation, and with no summer air conditioning, they'd be ranging in temperature from day to night by 10-30 degrees on a daily basis.

 

Yes.

 

I would think that if you stored your comics in an area where temps varied this much they would get moisture, mold etc. I know a guy whose collection is so big he keeps part in his garage and I've seen moisture droplets on the outside of bags.

[DarkKnightReturns]

This is my limited perspectived opinion, but I think it is extrememly difficult to keep collections as nice and white in the Deep South, compared to the North.

 

All of my life, my books have been in climate controlled conditions, and I still think I've seen whiter books come out of lots of books purchased by me from up North.

 

It was 33-34 degrees the last two days here which is about 91-93 for you yanks. Not good weather for comics.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Book #1 gets slabbed

 

Book #2 bagged and boarded in a long box

 

Book #3 unbagged in a long box

 

All 3 books sit in a closet in a bedroom in a house in the northeast USA for 10 years with no air conditioning during the summer. So there are lots of time when the books are in 80 to 95 degree heat with plenty of humidity.

 

They'd all be the same. Bags and the CGC slab are primarily to keep the book safe from damage caused by solid objects, i.e. people, water, insects. They don't do much to alter decay of the pages other than potentially trap the gases let off by the comic in with it, thereby accellerating decay.

 

I sometimes trap gasses that I let off.....usually, she gets really mad about it...

[chrisco37]

Book #1 gets slabbed

 

Book #2 bagged and boarded in a long box

 

Book #3 unbagged in a long box

 

All 3 books sit in a closet in a bedroom in a house in the northeast USA for 10 years with no air conditioning during the summer. So there are lots of time when the books are in 80 to 95 degree heat with plenty of humidity.

 

They'd all be the same. Bags and the CGC slab are primarily to keep the book safe from damage caused by solid objects, i.e. people, water, insects. They don't do much to alter decay of the pages other than potentially trap the gases let off by the comic in with it, thereby accellerating decay.

 

I sometimes trap gasses that I let off.....usually, she gets really mad about it...

 

The ol' Dutch Oven. Still a classic.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Book #1 gets slabbed

 

Book #2 bagged and boarded in a long box

 

Book #3 unbagged in a long box

 

All 3 books sit in a closet in a bedroom in a house in the northeast USA for 10 years with no air conditioning during the summer. So there are lots of time when the books are in 80 to 95 degree heat with plenty of humidity.

 

They'd all be the same. Bags and the CGC slab are primarily to keep the book safe from damage caused by solid objects, i.e. people, water, insects. They don't do much to alter decay of the pages other than potentially trap the gases let off by the comic in with it, thereby accellerating decay.

 

I sometimes trap gasses that I let off.....usually, she gets really mad about it...

 

The ol' Dutch Oven. Still a classic.

 

I wonder if my off-gassing accelerates decay, though...