Rust on staples.... How does CGC down grade? Be removed?

[all4comics]

I have some solid early Mad's which are perfect in every way except they have rust build up on the samples.. No rust migration! Does anyone know how or if you could get rid of it without getting a Purple label from CGC? Or should I just send them to get graded with the rust? Please help? Issues are #25, 26, 27 and 30 so they are worth sending...

 

Miles

[divad]

I have some solid early Mad's which are perfect in every way except they have rust build up on the samples.. No rust migration! Does anyone know how or if you could get rid of it without getting a Purple label from CGC? Or should I just send them to get graded with the rust? Please help? Issues are #25, 26, 27 and 30 so they are worth sending...

 

Miles

 

If the rust is as advanced as you say, just send them in as is, as any attempt to clean them will be detectable, and more than likely result in a PLOD. A firm toothbrush has been suggested here before, but any signs of scraping will kill you.

[Ze-man]

I would add/ask.. Will the rust continue to erode the metal.. and perhaps someday migrate to the paper eventually over time if left unchecked?

Or is the rusting process halted once removed from the enviroment that started the process?

I thought rust never sleeps.

Is it better in the end to clean them( non removal kind).. and live with the Plod label if the books are otherwise HG specimens?

 

Compared to trimming , CT, tear seals etc... To me non removal cleaning of the staples is among the least invasive forms of resto out there. You are not adding, but removing something that was not part of the comic in order to preserve it. Unlike other restoration removal.. rust is a natural occurrence. So is removing the rust as bad as CT removal? I thought once a book had certain types of CT removed it was no loger considered restored?.. So why then if you remove rust from a staple is it considered restored?

Isn't it just a more involved form of brushing dirt off the cover with your hand?

Similar to how unbending a crease with your finger is not viewed as resto. same as how paying to have a book heat pressed is also not considered restoration?

 

 

How does the coin world view cleaning off rust? It is as much to preserve the coin as it is to try and increase it's appeal and value. Is it viewed as a dirty word in the community?

 

Does rust normally only affect the exposed part of the staple, or does it rust on the interior as well in most cases?

 

 

Ze-

[Comicdey]

I'd send them in the with rusted staples, unless they are so ugly that they need to be replaced.

 

Rusting works from the outside in. When rust advances into the paper, it is just the wicking action of paper with moisture carring the materials. If the rust hasn't migrated, and the paper is still clean, then you're probably ok with leaving the staples as long as the comic is protected from the environment. You may get some color transfer from rust flaking, but the rust shouldn't progress into the pages without moisture/humidity.

 

As far as rust continuing to work it's magic long into the night, you can basically arrest the rusting (in our lifetime) by placing the comic in an environment that is not condusive. Dessicants are used to absorb moisture such as in the Pedrin Fortress products. Rusting requires iron, water and free electrons as it is a chemical reaction that occurs due to transfer of electrons. To prevent rusting, you have to prevent the transfer of electrons.

 

On a different note, doesn't removal of rust require removal of the staples if you want to get it all. Why do it at all if you can't truly fix the problem? Scraping one side doesn't seem to be a very useful option, although you'd need one of the professional restorers on these boards to answer that question, as they likely deal with rusted staples frequently.

[SUPREMO]

I submitted a 1968 Silver age square bound Marvel (marvel super-heroes 12) with a staple that had rust removed via 4 different grades of hobby sand paper (ultra fine to ultra, ultra fine). Typically, for non-squarebound books, I used to locate another lower grade copy with non-rusty staples and switch the staples out. I still have the msh 12 today and wouldn't sell it anyway...I had assumed the book would return with a restored label...it came back with a blue label and a 9.4 grade. However, a book in the same batch (a Nick Fury #7) came back "restored" with a trimmed cover that I hadn't detected...in retrospect, seems like "karma" in action.

 

For anyone on the boards that finds this disturbing, I have not done any "home restoration" as I now call it since 1988. I vividly remember a conversation with Harley Yee in 1988 during which he pointed out that such restoration wasn't appropriate if I ever planned on selling such "home restored" books. I completely agreed with him and still do. I still find it interesting that none of the books with replacement staples ever came back restored.