How often should Cole/Gerber buffered boards be changed?

[divad]

Uh, maybe I'll take 2 or 3, no make that 5!

[divad]

Ok, let me try:

 

As I understand it, the bulk of the acidification occurs between the newsprint pulp of the interor pages, and the inside covers of the comic. This is why we see the tell-tale "blotter" appearance of acidification on the inside covers. Sometimes it almost looks as though a liquid were present. The edges are less stained as there is a release of gases. The most important place to put an acid-buffered (which is the same as acid-free - the pH is neutralized) element is between the newsprint and the inside covers. This is why CGC puts in the "microchamber" paper with every book they encapsulate. A great idea. I have done this with many of my early Silver Age books.

 

Very rarely do I see acidification with my Bronze age books (my tomato boxers). I don't know exactly why, although I do see it in other Bronze Age books (I never miss a plug!)

 

The regular buffered boards sold by Cole and Gerber don't claim to neutralize the acid from a comic, they simply claim to be acid-free. What I've always assumed that meant was that the calcium carbonate mixed into the board was enough to inhibit the acid produced by the pulp in the board itself, not the comic.

 

The presence of a buffered surface will prevent acidification at that point of contact between the cover of the comic and the backboard. But the real source of the acid is the newsprint paper.

 

This is in stark contrast to the standard backing boards with the alkaline spray on one side; those boards become acidic after a few years and need to be replaced. I re-bagged and re-boarded a few thousand comics a few years back that I had owned for over a decade, and the boards I took out were quite noticably yellowed, and many had really noticable stains on the side that had been in contact with the comic.

 

Yes, those are complete junk, but they do provide the necessary stiffness - which prevents spine creases. The bulk of all spine creases come not from reading a comic, but from stacking them, and moving stacks, and frantically looking for a comic within a stack - You are lucky if you never behaved like this. Anyone over 40 will tell you that's basically what we all did, at one time or another.

 

The only product I've seen from either of them that claims to neutralize acid from the comic itself is that product Bill Cole sells he calls a "Life X-Tender," which is the most expensive board he sells. This is why I've assume it's not a question the LoC can answer...they're not going to be able to speak for the products available to comic book collectors.

 

On the other hand, the explicit purpose of microchamber paper is to absorb acids. Short of Cole's Life X-Tenders, doesn't this infer that microchamber paper offers better preservation than the standard 3% calcium carbonate buffered boards?

 

Yes, absolutely. (except that we infer, it implies.)

 

Obviously the boards provide support,

 

Their primary purpose.

 

but Cole and Gerber don't claim that they play any active part in reducing the natural acid release from a comic over the course of many years.

 

I agree, they do not.

 

My main question is how the microchamber paper compares to the Cole Life X-Tenders...I tend to think Cole's product is better, but I have no idea. I guess I only say that because it appears to have an active agent in the form of that "thin layer of activated charcoal" he says is sandwiched in the middle of the board, but I have no idea what the comparative effectiveness of that substance is to whatever it is in microchamber paper that supposedly absorbs acids.

 

It is the placement of the microchamber paper between the cover and the first and last page of the newsprint comic that is paramount.

[fantastic_four]

I thought the microchamber paper was just there to absorb gasses, not acid.

 

Aren't they the same thing? I thought the natural acid release from comics was in a gaseous form. I've definitely never noticed acid "drip" effect trails on any bags, boards, or the comics themselves as you would expect if it was released in a liquid form.

 

 

The Full Backs are supposed to absorb acid. From the stuff I've read, the acid migrates from the comic to the alkaline-impregnated back board and reacts with the alkaline reserve to neutralize itself. I will try to find the thing that says this and post it.

 

I believe "Full Back" is a product name specific to E. Gerber, and I've never noticed a claim on the E. Gerber web site ( http://www.egerber.com ) that the boards absorb and neutralize acid released from the comic itself. It's possible that they claimed it in a print ad at some point...if you remember where you heard it, definitely share the info link (whether it's web-based or not).

[fantastic_four]

As I understand it, the bulk of the acidification occurs between the newsprint pulp of the interor pages, and the inside covers of the comic. This is why we see the tell-tale "blotter" appearance of acidification on the inside covers. Sometimes it almost looks as though a liquid were present.

 

I've asked Tracey Heft specifically about this effect; I used to complain a lot about translucency here in the forums before I realized that a combination of scanner glare and the white paper CGC puts behind the front cover makes the effect look worse than it usually appears in person. Tracey says what you're describing IS a liquid, although not acid. He says that most comic publishers reduce the cost of inks by buying the ones with high oil content since oil is cheaper than pigment, and that as the environment the comic is placed in changes (temperature and humidity, I assume), the viscosity of the oil changes, separates from the pigments, and is absorbed into the cover. This is where transfer stains come from, and it's what causes cover translucency. The concentration of ink applied to the first page (it varied over print runs), coupled with storage conditions, thickness of the front cover, and possibly other factors, controls how pronounced this effect is.

 

 

Very rarely do I see acidification with my Bronze age books (my tomato boxers). I don't know exactly why, although I do see it in other Bronze Age books (I never miss a plug!)

 

Could be a lot of things, including different inks used in the Bronze age, the fact that they're not as old as Silver books (you rarely see transfer stains or translucency in Golden Age books due to the very thick cover stocks), or storage...hard to say, really. I have seen it in Bronze books, though not as often as Silver.

 

 

It is the placement of the microchamber paper between the cover and the first and last page of the newsprint comic that is paramount.

 

Placement is paramount for the purpose of absorbing oils from the interior ink, but not so much for absorbing the acids released from the natural rot of the paper, unless somebody has heard of placement test results which indicate differently. The relative acidic absorption of microchamber versus Life X-Tenders--i.e., how long on average does one last as compared to the other--is still a mystery...

[FFB]

I thought the microchamber paper was just there to absorb gasses, not acid.

 

Aren't they the same thing? I thought the natural acid release from comics was in a gaseous form. I've definitely never noticed acid "drip" effect trails on any bags, boards, or the comics themselves as you would expect if it was released in a liquid form.

 

 

The Full Backs are supposed to absorb acid. From the stuff I've read, the acid migrates from the comic to the alkaline-impregnated back board and reacts with the alkaline reserve to neutralize itself. I will try to find the thing that says this and post it.

 

I believe "Full Back" is a product name specific to E. Gerber, and I've never noticed a claim on the E. Gerber web site ( http://www.egerber.com ) that the boards absorb and neutralize acid released from the comic itself. It's possible that they claimed it in a print ad at some point...if you remember where you heard it, definitely share the info link (whether it's web-based or not).

 

Yes, Full Back is a product name specific to Gerber. I was referring to Gerber's Full Backs because they have the alkaline buffer.

 

Have you tried asking Tracey these questions? He seems like the perfect person to ask. Come on, newerthannew, where are you?