Storing comics in long boxes...how tightly packed do you leave them?

[Mark 1]

I have a few long boxes of comics and I tried to condense some comics in one of the long boxes. I got things pretty tight in there and it got me thinking this might not be a good idea. I then took out a stack of comics to leave more wiggle room in the box.

 

As a general rule how compact do you store your comics in boxes?

 

 

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

With enough room to be able to flip through them.

[sufunk]

A long time ago, i had them in so tight you could barely pull one out. Not sure if it does matter but i started thinking that wasnt good so i took like 5 or so books out of each one to leave just a tiny bit of wiggle room. Not enough that the books would lean but just enough that they werent tight.

 

Again, not sure if it matters but it made my ocd feel better to have a little wiggle room in the box.

[jimjum12]

Spine (stress) damage comes from books being stored upright in longboxes packed too tightly. Did you ever see a strange new spine stress on one of your books that you're SURE wasn't there before ? That's because it wasn't there before. Shoving books into mylars with too many backing boards or into long boxes that are packed too tightly is "Comic Book Roulette". If you want to preserve the condition of your books....take some notes from the most successful experiment of all.....20,000 books over a 20 year timespan.....yup, you guessed it...the Mile High/Church study....all stored one on top of the other in stacks. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Flaming_Telepath]

Spine (stress) damage comes from books being stored upright in longboxes packed too tightly. Did you ever see a strange new spine stress on one of your books that you're SURE wasn't there before ? That's because it wasn't there before. Shoving books into mylars with too many backing boards or into long boxes that are packed too tightly is "Comic Book Roulette". If you want to preserve the condition of your books....take some notes from the most successful experiment of all.....20,000 books over a 20 year timespan.....yup, you guessed it...the Mile High/Church study....all stored one on top of the other in stacks. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

But doesn't that prove the opposite? Books squashed flat under seven foot of newsprint come out of it pretty good?

[DrWatson]

That's what he is saying.

[rtecbot]

books squashed under newsprint, thats natural pressing

[jimjum12]

......that's what I'm trying to say. The whole long box thing isn't necessarily the best way. Church's books turned out phenomenally well, stacked, despite the possibility that Church may not even have cared about preservation. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Flaming_Telepath]

That's what he is saying.

 

No, he's saying that if books are too tight in a longbox, you get spine stresses.

 

But if they're happen to be horizontal and too tight, you don't?

[jimjum12]

......without the longboxes. Actually, I have a friend who uses long boxes, about 2 inches short of being tightly packed, and then stands them on end....creating a best of both worlds. He's had real good results. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Flaming_Telepath]

Can't see what effect the longboxes would have on the physics of it, Jim?

 

If you don't need to frequently flip through them, I'd say slip your books into mylars and boards, ensuring that they're centred and flat, then pack them as tight as you want. The mylars flaps will allow you to pull them out later on.

[rtecbot]

I use of a piece of foam at the end of the stack in the long box (take the foam out when I want to peruse the box)

[jimjum12]

Can't see what effect the longboxes would have on the physics of it, Jim?

 

If you don't need to frequently flip through them, I'd say slip your books into mylars and boards, ensuring that they're centred and flat, then pack them as tight as you want. The mylars flaps will allow you to pull them out later on.

 

....pulling them out isn't where the problem occurs, its putting them back in. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[sufunk]

Can't see what effect the longboxes would have on the physics of it, Jim?

 

If you don't need to frequently flip through them, I'd say slip your books into mylars and boards, ensuring that they're centred and flat, then pack them as tight as you want. The mylars flaps will allow you to pull them out later on.

 

....pulling them out isn't where the problem occurs, its putting them back in. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

Thats what she said (thumbs u

[Jeffro.]

No, he's saying that if books are too tight in a longbox, you get spine stresses.

 

Honestly, and this is no knock in Jim but, I'm having a hard time buying this explanation.

[Mark 1]

Can't see what effect the longboxes would have on the physics of it, Jim?

 

If you don't need to frequently flip through them, I'd say slip your books into mylars and boards, ensuring that they're centred and flat, then pack them as tight as you want. The mylars flaps will allow you to pull them out later on.

 

....pulling them out isn't where the problem occurs, its putting them back in. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

That makes a lot of sense. (thumbs u

 

I know exactly what you mean now.

 

Thanks

[yecul]

I don't know if being in the box when it's that tight is an issue, but I do know that I am more likely to damage them when flipping, pulling or putting them in. So, yeah, I don't pack that tight. Besides, when it's a matter of 5-10 books it's not like you're gaining a lot of extra storage by jamming it full.

[Jeffro.]

The biggest issue I've had with packing boxes too tightly was that the bags would start to stick to each other. So much so that I had to be extremely careful separating them without causing damage

[jimjum12]

I don't know if being in the box when it's that tight is an issue, but I do know that I am more likely to damage them when flipping, pulling or putting them in. So, yeah, I don't pack that tight. Besides, when it's a matter of 5-10 books it's not like you're gaining a lot of extra storage by jamming it full.

 

....it's a question of angles and trajectories upon re-entry and the malleability of the protective sheathing (bag and board). The bag and board SEEMS sturdy, leaving us with a false sense of security....but it doesn't take much of a bend to create a stress. Nick has probably had more luck because of his use of Mylar sleeves....which are a superior design to the bag (and with no possibility of a tape pull). GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Flaming_Telepath]

I don't know if being in the box when it's that tight is an issue, but I do know that I am more likely to damage them when flipping, pulling or putting them in. So, yeah, I don't pack that tight. Besides, when it's a matter of 5-10 books it's not like you're gaining a lot of extra storage by jamming it full.

 

....it's a question of angles and trajectories upon re-entry and the malleability of the protective sheathing (bag and board). The bag and board SEEMS sturdy, leaving us with a false sense of security....but it doesn't take much of a bend to create a stress. Nick has probably had more luck because of his use of Mylar sleeves....which are a superior design to the bag (and with no possibility of a tape pull). GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

Yeah, I'd say with mylars and robust backers, tight works a treat. Be careful how you take them out and put them back in, but otherwise for long-term storage, leave no finger room. (thumbs u