How long will slabbed Comics last? 0

[Define999]

There was a recent discussion on this - someone had talked to a conservator, and they said microchamber paper's effectiveness would probably outlast any of our lifetimes. One poster said he even sprinkled the trimmed edges throughout his comic boxes for added effect.

 

Yea... I am that guy... This is what i posted that day....

 

it also makes it easier for you to switch out micro-chamber paper as it becomes inert (which doesn't happen after 7 years - no matter what CGC says).

 

 

Hey man.... nice to hear of one similar to myself.... Dont know if you saw some of my posts in the deslabbing thread?

 

Yup, forgot about that one...although I believe that CGC put 7 years as a recommended time frame based on the limit of their testing (the 7 year period).

 

I don't think anyone should worry that their books are going to self destruct after the 7 year period of a book doesn't get reholdered. At least I personally wouldn't.

 

You are correct sir.... a response I gave in an older thread about this issue.....

 

I use Egerber boards and Egerber mylars for all my books. 5 sheets of microchamber interleaved in each book to deal with acidity. Someone earlier discussed the longevity of microchamber paper and how 7 years was conservative. Well I spoke with a gentlemen that was involved in the testing and creation of conservation resources microchamber paper. I talked to him when I placed my last order with CRI. I told him what CGC said about the 7 years inert thing. He laughed, and told me that microchamber paper was designed to protect valuable ephemera collections in the most polluted environments in the US... like the library's in our biggest cities. ie: New York, Washington DC etc.....

 

He told me the amount of pollutants and acids they pushed thru these papers during testing was staggering, and that realistically it could be 50 years before a sheet loses its acid nuetralization qualities.... If he wanted to sell paper he could have told me somthing different, so I tend to believe him. Real nice guy, and passionate about conservation. He told me that CRI loves comic collectors, they are quirky and different from the usual conversations they have with library archivest's.

 

Interesting info.

 

I've never heard of using 5 sheets of microchamber paper though. Why 5?

 

Good question....

 

When I did the initial research into this area of storage I followed threads here closely and learned a lot. On my own though I decided to go directly to the source when purchasing my microchamber paper and see if I could pick the brains of the people at CRI. I was hoping that the salesperson could connect me with someone who knew the molecular trap business inside and out….. Sure enough they were able to!

 

Anyway the acid byproduct that the newsprint creates migrates….. when CGC puts sheets of microchamber paper between both covers it does protect the covers from acid migration and in so doing discoloration. It also protects a good quantity of the paper near the covers… I asked the guy at CRI if this was suffiecnt in his view? He said that in order to ultimately protect all the paper to the ravages of time and itself you would need to interleave this paper between all pages similar to what archivist’s do with very important documents. But he agreed with me that this wasn’t really possible with comic book collections because of cost and time.

 

The pages most at risk of damage are the ones furthest from the microchamber paper, so I asked him what he thought a good compromise would be? He said maybe every 10 to 15 pages or so should be enough in his opinion to adequately protect all the pages of my books. So I told him my idea….

 

One sheet behind both covers…. One right in the middle of the book, and one sheet in the average middle of that….. that creates this……

 

 

 

 

He said yea, that could work…… I also in cutting the sheets down have leftover scraps.. these go into the bottoms and sides of my comic boxes and enclosures…. The paper doesn’t have to touch stuff to be effective…. It handles off gassing from all kinds of pollutants so I don’t waste the scraps that come out of the process of cutting sheets to fit books…. Any nasty compounds in the air around my precious books have to tackle the high volume of microchamber paper that exists in my comic boxes and enclosures…

 

I’m anal I know, its what I do…..

 

And of course I cant afford to do this with all my books…. Just my valuable books, bronze age and older stuff…..

 

I also keep a spreadsheet of my collection and highlight with a color all books that have been given the microchamber treatment…. Depending on the year it gets a different color. This way I can be sure what year any given book has been microchambered…. This project is ongoing, when I am bored or have a moment to myself and no family around I throw some music on, pull out my cutter, put on my white archivist gloves, get my Overstreet page quality card(OWL), and my microchamber paper and go to work. Any excuse to pull my books out of their EGerber mylar and full backs is a good enough excuse for me. While I am there my database is updated with page quality info and microchamber notification.

 

Why do I spend so much time keeping this data? That way in the future when I go back and change microchmaber paper to new sheets in like 10 or 15 years cuz I am bored.... I will know if there has been a change in page quality....

 

About 60 % of my old books have been “microchamberd” in the past 3 years. When I get done maybe I will do the moderns or I will find some other anal thing to do….

 

My wife says I should have been a archivist because I love the science of this.... I would love to do this or work on objects in a museum... Did you know there is a microchamber emulsion that can be painted on enclosures? but alas I am a graphic designer....

 

 

One day I plan on putting a blog post on my site on the two different storage plans I use to protect my books….

 

[cd4ever]

There was a recent discussion on this - someone had talked to a conservator, and they said microchamber paper's effectiveness would probably outlast any of our lifetimes. One poster said he even sprinkled the trimmed edges throughout his comic boxes for added effect.

 

I do that.

 

With parmigiana cheese.

 

On my pasta.

[Dr. Balls]

I do the spreadsheet thing with notations on which books I have used microchamber paper with (and Mylites). I'm trying to discern books that I don't have any intention of getting rid of and preparing them for the long haul.

 

I don't like having to re-bag every 10 years or so - I'd rather spend 50¢ on microchamber paper and another 20¢ on a mylite/board and not worry about it 20 years from now.

[Reno McCoy]

There was a recent discussion on this - someone had talked to a conservator, and they said microchamber paper's effectiveness would probably outlast any of our lifetimes. One poster said he even sprinkled the trimmed edges throughout his comic boxes for added effect.

 

Yea... I am that guy... This is what i posted that day....

 

it also makes it easier for you to switch out micro-chamber paper as it becomes inert (which doesn't happen after 7 years - no matter what CGC says).

 

 

Hey man.... nice to hear of one similar to myself.... Dont know if you saw some of my posts in the deslabbing thread?

 

Yup, forgot about that one...although I believe that CGC put 7 years as a recommended time frame based on the limit of their testing (the 7 year period).

 

I don't think anyone should worry that their books are going to self destruct after the 7 year period of a book doesn't get reholdered. At least I personally wouldn't.

 

You are correct sir.... a response I gave in an older thread about this issue.....

 

I use Egerber boards and Egerber mylars for all my books. 5 sheets of microchamber interleaved in each book to deal with acidity. Someone earlier discussed the longevity of microchamber paper and how 7 years was conservative. Well I spoke with a gentlemen that was involved in the testing and creation of conservation resources microchamber paper. I talked to him when I placed my last order with CRI. I told him what CGC said about the 7 years inert thing. He laughed, and told me that microchamber paper was designed to protect valuable ephemera collections in the most polluted environments in the US... like the library's in our biggest cities. ie: New York, Washington DC etc.....

 

He told me the amount of pollutants and acids they pushed thru these papers during testing was staggering, and that realistically it could be 50 years before a sheet loses its acid nuetralization qualities.... If he wanted to sell paper he could have told me somthing different, so I tend to believe him. Real nice guy, and passionate about conservation. He told me that CRI loves comic collectors, they are quirky and different from the usual conversations they have with library archivest's.

 

Interesting info.

 

I've never heard of using 5 sheets of microchamber paper though. Why 5?

 

Good question....

 

When I did the initial research into this area of storage I followed threads here closely and learned a lot. On my own though I decided to go directly to the source when purchasing my microchamber paper and see if I could pick the brains of the people at CRI. I was hoping that the salesperson could connect me with someone who knew the molecular trap business inside and out….. Sure enough they were able to!

 

Anyway the acid byproduct that the newsprint creates migrates….. when CGC puts sheets of microchamber paper between both covers it does protect the covers from acid migration and in so doing discoloration. It also protects a good quantity of the paper near the covers… I asked the guy at CRI if this was suffiecnt in his view? He said that in order to ultimately protect all the paper to the ravages of time and itself you would need to interleave this paper between all pages similar to what archivist’s do with very important documents. But he agreed with me that this wasn’t really possible with comic book collections because of cost and time.

 

The pages most at risk of damage are the ones furthest from the microchamber paper, so I asked him what he thought a good compromise would be? He said maybe every 10 to 15 pages or so should be enough in his opinion to adequately protect all the pages of my books. So I told him my idea….

 

One sheet behind both covers…. One right in the middle of the book, and one sheet in the average middle of that….. that creates this……

 

 

 

 

He said yea, that could work…… I also in cutting the sheets down have leftover scraps.. these go into the bottoms and sides of my comic boxes and enclosures…. The paper doesn’t have to touch stuff to be effective…. It handles off gassing from all kinds of pollutants so I don’t waste the scraps that come out of the process of cutting sheets to fit books…. Any nasty compounds in the air around my precious books have to tackle the high volume of microchamber paper that exists in my comic boxes and enclosures…

 

I’m anal I know, its what I do…..

 

And of course I cant afford to do this with all my books…. Just my valuable books, bronze age and older stuff…..

 

I also keep a spreadsheet of my collection and highlight with a color all books that have been given the microchamber treatment…. Depending on the year it gets a different color. This way I can be sure what year any given book has been microchambered…. This project is ongoing, when I am bored or have a moment to myself and no family around I throw some music on, pull out my cutter, put on my white archivist gloves, get my Overstreet page quality card(OWL), and my microchamber paper and go to work. Any excuse to pull my books out of their EGerber mylar and full backs is a good enough excuse for me. While I am there my database is updated with page quality info and microchamber notification.

 

Why do I spend so much time keeping this data? That way in the future when I go back and change microchmaber paper to new sheets in like 10 or 15 years cuz I am bored.... I will know if there has been a change in page quality....

 

About 60 % of my old books have been “microchamberd” in the past 3 years. When I get done maybe I will do the moderns or I will find some other anal thing to do….

 

My wife says I should have been a archivist because I love the science of this.... I would love to do this or work on objects in a museum... Did you know there is a microchamber emulsion that can be painted on enclosures? but alas I am a graphic designer....

 

 

One day I plan on putting a blog post on my site on the two different storage plans I use to protect my books….

 

 

If the five sheets of microchamber paper is storage plan one, what's the other plan like?

[Cat-Man_America]

 

 

 

 

A very long time; in fact, I've even heard tell that the condition of slabbed comics can improve over time if resubmitted!

[comicdonna]

Nice sig, Define999

[COI]

Just curious if anyone has thoughts on how long a comic that's slabbed will last in the condition it was originally graded as?

 

Let's just assume you get a silver age comic graded 9.0 in 2012. You keep it in good storage with proper humidity and temp and light. Will it still be a 9.0 in 50 years? 75 years? 100 years?

 

In 2012, the comic might already be 50 years old, so in another 50 years it will be a 100 year old comic. Even slabbed, won't the paper start to break down?

 

This whole question and subsequent discussion takes for granted the fact that CGC will still be a grading "authority" in 50 years.

 

If CGC isn't around, or if some other company has set the standard, what does that "9.0" really mean anyway?

[sacentaur]

I de-slab 98% of my books, not only for storage and enjoyment purposes, but I'm also just not sure about the longevity of a book sealed in a tomb. Only one really bad experience so far, but one never knows.

 

I like to place a Life Extender Plus sheet in the centerfold to help absorb any gasses and acid. Extra microchamber paper gets interspaced on especially thick books (like a Large Feature Comic or a pulp magazine), too.

 

CGC's method of a single sheet of microchamber just between the front and back covers seems rather insufficient to me.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

There was a recent discussion on this - someone had talked to a conservator, and they said microchamber paper's effectiveness would probably outlast any of our lifetimes. One poster said he even sprinkled the trimmed edges throughout his comic boxes for added effect.

 

Yea... I am that guy... This is what i posted that day....

 

it also makes it easier for you to switch out micro-chamber paper as it becomes inert (which doesn't happen after 7 years - no matter what CGC says).

 

 

Hey man.... nice to hear of one similar to myself.... Dont know if you saw some of my posts in the deslabbing thread?

 

Yup, forgot about that one...although I believe that CGC put 7 years as a recommended time frame based on the limit of their testing (the 7 year period).

 

I don't think anyone should worry that their books are going to self destruct after the 7 year period of a book doesn't get reholdered. At least I personally wouldn't.

 

You are correct sir.... a response I gave in an older thread about this issue.....

 

I use Egerber boards and Egerber mylars for all my books. 5 sheets of microchamber interleaved in each book to deal with acidity. Someone earlier discussed the longevity of microchamber paper and how 7 years was conservative. Well I spoke with a gentlemen that was involved in the testing and creation of conservation resources microchamber paper. I talked to him when I placed my last order with CRI. I told him what CGC said about the 7 years inert thing. He laughed, and told me that microchamber paper was designed to protect valuable ephemera collections in the most polluted environments in the US... like the library's in our biggest cities. ie: New York, Washington DC etc.....

 

He told me the amount of pollutants and acids they pushed thru these papers during testing was staggering, and that realistically it could be 50 years before a sheet loses its acid nuetralization qualities.... If he wanted to sell paper he could have told me somthing different, so I tend to believe him. Real nice guy, and passionate about conservation. He told me that CRI loves comic collectors, they are quirky and different from the usual conversations they have with library archivest's.

 

Interesting info.

 

I've never heard of using 5 sheets of microchamber paper though. Why 5?

 

Good question....

 

When I did the initial research into this area of storage I followed threads here closely and learned a lot. On my own though I decided to go directly to the source when purchasing my microchamber paper and see if I could pick the brains of the people at CRI. I was hoping that the salesperson could connect me with someone who knew the molecular trap business inside and out….. Sure enough they were able to!

 

Anyway the acid byproduct that the newsprint creates migrates….. when CGC puts sheets of microchamber paper between both covers it does protect the covers from acid migration and in so doing discoloration. It also protects a good quantity of the paper near the covers… I asked the guy at CRI if this was suffiecnt in his view? He said that in order to ultimately protect all the paper to the ravages of time and itself you would need to interleave this paper between all pages similar to what archivist’s do with very important documents. But he agreed with me that this wasn’t really possible with comic book collections because of cost and time.

 

The pages most at risk of damage are the ones furthest from the microchamber paper, so I asked him what he thought a good compromise would be? He said maybe every 10 to 15 pages or so should be enough in his opinion to adequately protect all the pages of my books. So I told him my idea….

 

One sheet behind both covers…. One right in the middle of the book, and one sheet in the average middle of that….. that creates this……

 

 

 

 

He said yea, that could work…… I also in cutting the sheets down have leftover scraps.. these go into the bottoms and sides of my comic boxes and enclosures…. The paper doesn’t have to touch stuff to be effective…. It handles off gassing from all kinds of pollutants so I don’t waste the scraps that come out of the process of cutting sheets to fit books…. Any nasty compounds in the air around my precious books have to tackle the high volume of microchamber paper that exists in my comic boxes and enclosures…

 

I’m anal I know, its what I do…..

 

And of course I cant afford to do this with all my books…. Just my valuable books, bronze age and older stuff…..

 

I also keep a spreadsheet of my collection and highlight with a color all books that have been given the microchamber treatment…. Depending on the year it gets a different color. This way I can be sure what year any given book has been microchambered…. This project is ongoing, when I am bored or have a moment to myself and no family around I throw some music on, pull out my cutter, put on my white archivist gloves, get my Overstreet page quality card(OWL), and my microchamber paper and go to work. Any excuse to pull my books out of their EGerber mylar and full backs is a good enough excuse for me. While I am there my database is updated with page quality info and microchamber notification.

 

Why do I spend so much time keeping this data? That way in the future when I go back and change microchmaber paper to new sheets in like 10 or 15 years cuz I am bored.... I will know if there has been a change in page quality....

 

About 60 % of my old books have been “microchamberd” in the past 3 years. When I get done maybe I will do the moderns or I will find some other anal thing to do….

 

My wife says I should have been a archivist because I love the science of this.... I would love to do this or work on objects in a museum... Did you know there is a microchamber emulsion that can be painted on enclosures? but alas I am a graphic designer....

 

 

One day I plan on putting a blog post on my site on the two different storage plans I use to protect my books….

 

 

I must have missed this post.

 

Your five piece method is what I have been recommending for people with high $ books for a while (behind front and back covers, centerfold, and 1/4 and 3/4 of the way in). Three pieces (covers and centerfold) is what I recommend for mid $ books. Saddle stitch books you could put more sheets in, but I wouldn't put a sheet between every page, because it could stress the spine/staples/centerfold. Squarebounds this would be especially troublesome.

[Bodhi396]

I de-slab 98% of my books, not only for storage and enjoyment purposes, but I'm also just not sure about the longevity of a book sealed in a tomb. Only one really bad experience so far, but one never knows.

 

What was your bad experience?

[Reno McCoy]

For those who use 2, 3, or 5 pieces of microchamber paper, what's your monetary or age cut-off for each method?

[Reno McCoy]

Man, do I know how to kill a thread or what?

[Define999]

Its not you Reno its me! Im crazy busy..... For the record, I am slowley microchambering everything, the paper is not really that expensive? My collection is smaller than average though.... for larger collections I would say anything from 1985 and older that is of some importance to you... (thumbs u

 

find the stuff here.....

 

http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/section_11/section11_01.htm

 

Give em a call and place your order.... while your at it you can get a pair of conservators gloves.....

http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/section_28/section28_02.htm

 

And your PH netural tape for your mylars.....

http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/section_33/section33_08.htm

 

Remember I am anal about this stuff.... many call me crazy for the lengths I go to protect my books....

 

I plan on releasing a video about my storage methods at a later date...... Good luck! (thumbs u

[Reno McCoy]

I've just started rebagging all of my books, and I've been using two sheets of MCP so far. Now that I read this thread, however, I'm likely to go back and add 1-3 sheets for everything. At first I thought I'd want to do this with only the more expensive books, but I have to do everything the same way with all of my books.

 

Not sure I need the gloves, though. I love the idea, but...oh, who am I kidding. I'm buying some.

[Marty Mann]

It's a shame they didn't have bags and microchamber paper when I started

my collection.

 

mm

Edited April 24, 2012 by Marty Mann

[Define999]

I've just started rebagging all of my books, and I've been using two sheets of MCP so far. Now that I read this thread, however, I'm likely to go back and add 1-3 sheets for everything. At first I thought I'd want to do this with only the more expensive books, but I have to do everything the same way with all of my books.

 

Not sure I need the gloves, though. I love the idea, but...oh, who am I kidding. I'm buying some.

 

I have damaged books before with fingerprints..... I find during the process of inserting microchamber paper I have to be a little more "handsy/fumblely" with the books... In high school I was never good at getting bras off either! The exception being I didn't worry about leaving marks in those cases....

[InvstmntComcSuply]

 

Not sure I need the gloves, though. I love the idea, but...oh, who am I kidding. I'm buying some.

 

 

Gloves are great for high grade gems, and are almost required on many copper/modern books that pick up fingerprints if you look at them the wrong way. However, I found if you are handling any books with minute tears or chipping, the gloves can catch on small irregular imperfections. Books with those types of imperfections rarely have a need for gloved handling anyway.

 

[kav]

I dont know abt slabbed comics per se but I googled how long do comics last and got an answer!

Edited June 15, 2021 by kav

[WolverineX]

People who use microchamber , where are you buying it at?

[lizards2]

2 hours ago, Wolverinex said:

People who use microchamber , where are you buying it at?

Conservation Resources

I buy the 8.5 x 14 and roughly cut it in half to a custom size.

MicroChamber Interleaving Paper (conservationresources.com)

I see they have custom "comic book" sizes now, which I think is new, but still way cheaper to buy the large sheets and cut them in half.

MicroChamber Interleaving Paper for comic books (conservationresources.com)

I usually buy 5 packs at a time, as they are shipped FedEx, and the shipping, like the product, is expensive.