Slab Storage - Any ideas besides the obvious? 0

[MadGenius]

Slab Storage - Any ideas besides the obvious?

I currently keep my slab collection in these storage boxes:

While functional, they aren't the most stylish and one side of my office is starting to look like a warehouse. Does anyone have a more aesthetically pleasing method for storing their slabs (while also keeping them safe) like specialized furniture or custom shelving? My collection is 17 boxes and growing, so the solution would need to accommodate a few hundred slabs.

Thanks

Edited April 15, 2017 by MadGenius

[Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet]

I know this is an aside, but inside those boxes are your books horizontal or vertical?  Seems like the consensus, from what I've seen, is that slabbed books are most safely stored horizontally.

Anyway, do you think you'd need specialized or custom stuff?  I'd think you'd be able to find lots of standard shelving options that would fit the size of slabbed books.  As long as they are fairly sturdy, as slabbed books tend to get heavy when you have as many as you do, I think you might be able to find a good variety of standard shelving options.

[ADAMANTIUM]

4 minutes ago, Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet said:

I know this is an aside, but inside those boxes are your books horizontal or vertical?  Seems like the consensus, from what I've seen, is that slabbed books are most safely stored horizontally.

Anyway, do you think you'd need specialized or custom stuff?  I'd think you'd be able to find lots of standard shelving options that would fit the size of slabbed books.  As long as they are fairly sturdy, as slabbed books tend to get heavy when you have as many as you do, I think you might be able to find a good variety of standard shelving options.

Agreed some sliding cabinets could be found, perhaps a business cleaning out an office of file cabinets. The reason I mention this is it could be under lock and key  

Also, I store my raws horizontal, my slabs are vertical in a CGC box. Did you suggest the slabs to be horizontal only if they're not in a box?

Edited April 15, 2017 by ADAMANTIUM

[Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet]

19 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

Agreed some sliding cabinets could be found, perhaps a business cleaning out an office of file cabinets. The reason I mention this is it could be under lock and key  

Also, I store my raws horizontal, my slabs are vertical in a CGC box. Did you suggest the slabs to be horizontal only if they're not in a box?

No, from everything I've read on the topic I've concluded that the best, safest way to store them whether slabbed or raw is horizontal...less gravitational pressure exerted on any particular part of the book.

I know that displaying them horizontally is not as aesthetically pleasing as vertically, especially if they're sitting on nice shelves. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet

[jcjames]

23 hours ago, Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet said:

No, from everything I've read on the topic I've concluded that the best, safest way to store them whether slabbed or raw is horizontal...less gravitational pressure exerted on any particular part of the book.

I know that displaying them horizontally is not as aesthetically pleasing as vertically, especially if they're sitting on nice shelves. 

Do you mean stacking them flat/horizontal? For raws, doesn't that put more pressure on the spines than the trimmed edge (unless you alternate them)? And doesn't stacking slabs horizontally on top of each other put more pressure on the bottom cases (as well as make getting the bottom ones out harder)?

 

[Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet]

2 hours ago, jcjames said:

Do you mean stacking them flat/horizontal? For raws, doesn't that put more pressure on the spines than the trimmed edge (unless you alternate them)? And doesn't stacking slabs horizontally on top of each other put more pressure on the bottom cases (as well as make getting the bottom ones out harder)?

 

Great question, raws should only be stored horizontally/flat if they are not stacked, as you mentioned, stacking raws would put undue pressure on the spines, whereas stacking slabs would only place pressure on the slabs.  I suppose that if one stacked enough slabs horizontally it could conceivably press down hard enough so the bottom books would be affected, but I'd think that would take a lot of slabs.

[ADAMANTIUM]

I've never heard of any of this  and not sure where this information is coming from. At the LCS the raws in bags n boards are vertical.

My comics from when I was a kid are in bagsnboards and stored vertically. The more expensive raws I have are bagged and boarded stored flat/horizontal on top of each other in a drawer and my CGC slabs are in a CGC box stored vertically.

idk why they would sell such "slab boxes" if it weren't meant to be used as such. The raws have been fine for a while. If they're all bagged and boarded, yes it would press down on the one under a little bit, but this shouldn't cause enough stress to create stress on the spine nor spine ticks imo. I think that it would make existing conditions worse, say a fold/crease etc being pressed by books on top "sealing the deal" so to speak. idk to each his own

[Mercury Man]

Horiwhatnow?  Are you saying raws -bagged and boarded- should be stacked horizontally?  Not vertically?   Or just unprotected raws?  And are you saying slabs should be stacked horziontally?  Not vertically?   

[ADAMANTIUM]

5 hours ago, Mercury Man said:

Horiwhatnow?  Are you saying raws -bagged and boarded- should be stacked horizontally?  Not vertically?   Or just unprotected raws?  And are you saying slabs should be stacked horziontally?  Not vertically?   

I'm not, but it was suggested earlier in the thread, I've never heard of such a thing. As I said to each his own, but maybe @Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet has had a different experience.

I keep my raws flat with bags n boards and slabs upright. FateHelmet, we're not trying to harp on you, it's just I've never heard of such a thing as what you suggested. If it were true you think that it would be common knowledge

[Mercury Man]

1 hour ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I'm not, but it was suggested earlier in the thread, I've never heard of such a thing. As I said to each his own, but maybe @Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet has had a different experience.

I keep my raws flat with bags n boards and slabs upright. FateHelmet, we're not trying to harp on you, it's just I've never heard of such a thing as what you suggested. If it were true you think that it would be common knowledge

I've never seen CGC books stored horizontally.  That makes little to no sense.  Not to mention the handy label at the top of the book, so you can see it when it is in a box vertically.    

[joeypost]

3 hours ago, Mercury Man said:

I've never seen CGC books stored horizontally.  That makes little to no sense.  Not to mention the handy label at the top of the book, so you can see it when it is in a box vertically.    

When gravity over time,  causes your books to have damage on the bottom edge, you will see how storing books long term on their spine side will make sense. I see damage caused by storing books upright all the time, especially with certain inner well designs.

Edited April 16, 2017 by joeypost

[joeypost]

4 hours ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I'm not, but it was suggested earlier in the thread, I've never heard of such a thing. As I said to each his own, but maybe @Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet has had a different experience.

I keep my raws flat with bags n boards and slabs upright. FateHelmet, we're not trying to harp on you, it's just I've never heard of such a thing as what you suggested. If it were true you think that it would be common knowledge

There are many threads over the years discussing this storage method. They are good reading.

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 hour ago, joeypost said:

There are many threads over the years discussing this storage method. They are good reading.

Thanks  I was thinking of getting a short box for raws, I need another one for my slabs anyway  I wasn't aware that it was a thing, I mean I know the LCS does the same with bags n boards for me to flip through, makes sense that I should do the same

[Ghost Town]

1 hour ago, joeypost said:

When gravity over time,  causes your books to have damage on the bottom edge, you will see how storing books long term on their spine side will make sense. I see damage caused by storing books upright all the time, especially with certain inner well designs.

What Joe said. I store my earliest Marvel books spine side down. Many of the pre-1965 books had underhang, overhang, or both. And the inner wells are deadly for books with underhang.

I'm sure gravity can eventually mess up any book. But the later Marvels don't have that underhang and are much less susceptible to slab damage.

[oakman29]

I have never stored my books, slabbed or raw flat. I have always stored vertically.

You don't really want to put added pressure to your books, that's why I use magazine holders.

They allow you to not put pressure on the books, and gives you ease of organization.

 

[Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet]

4 hours ago, joeypost said:

There are many threads over the years discussing this storage method. They are good reading.

Exactly, and what it seems to boil down to is really common sense, if all other things being equal and we are trying to mitigate the deleterious effects of gravity.  A book in a slab is resting on something.  If the slab is vertical then the focus of the gravity will be on the bottom edge of the book.  Laying any book down horizontally spreads out the effects of gravity rather than concentrating them on one specific area.  As long as slabs are not stacked too high I don't see it (horizontal stacking) contributing any additional degree of gravitational pressure on the book.

I'm sure in reality a lot of this is superfluous minutiae and in actual terms and practical results may not matter in the least.  Theoretically I think there can be no doubt that a book laying flat experiences the least gravitational effect on any particular area of the book.

[Dr.Fate'sFullHelmet]

3 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I have never stored my books, slabbed or raw flat. I have always stored vertically.

You don't really want to put added pressure to your books, that's why I use magazine holders.

They allow you to not put pressure on the books, and gives you ease of organization.

 

Nice rack!

[lizards2]

I remove slabs from my books to prevent slab damage, and I hang my raw books by their feet.

Edited April 17, 2017 by lizards2

[valiantman]

Spines down, gravity keeps the pages safely inside the cover.

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

27 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Spines down, gravity keeps the pages safely inside the cover.

 

Snap--  ---- I might consider that if I had that many  boxes for me are good for now, but I like you style to at least be able to flip through and lookat/enjoy every once in a while