waver99 Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Hey guys, wondering if you all had better knowledge what this is? Stored my comics over 10 years not changing the boards and sleeves. All upright and away from any water sources but some of my comics seem to still develop brown stain/spots both on the sleeves, in most cases on the boards, and in some cases seem to impact on the comic itself. Is this due to humidity and can I do something to mitigate it for the future? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turnando Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Looks like foxing to me. Humidity encourages it. If you search for foxing and old paper you'll find some resources. It looks like some of the spots on the bags are on parts that don't touch the paper so those might not be from the paper. Looks like mold is growing. Do you live in a humid climate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 That is mold. ThothAmon and Arkham 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waver99 Posted September 27, 2020 Author Share Posted September 27, 2020 Hmmm, in Singapore, maybe about 80% RH. Thanks, will try to find out how to de-humidify the environment after changing out all these boards/mylars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artboy99 Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Also I recommend trying to figure out where you obtained those bags/ boards/ books. All of your books are not affected by this correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicginger1789 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Definitely humidity related and definitely something that can damage the comics too over time (more likely with older newsprint style comics than newer printed books). 80% humidity all the time is gonna be harsh on comics over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waver99 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 22 hours ago, Slab Bulkhead said: Now did the board protect the comic from getting moldy or is the board the cause of the mold and it might transfer to the comic? The board did not protect the comic from getting moldy, for some comics where the board was especially brown, some of the patches transferred to the comic itself. On 9/28/2020 at 2:14 AM, Artboy99 said: Also I recommend trying to figure out where you obtained those bags/ boards/ books. All of your books are not affected by this correct? Yep not all, some were with no pattern I could establish. Modern issues that I picked up in the LCS, silver age issues, bronze age issues (some not all). Have changed out all the mylars and now use full-backs with dessicant (silica gel) in the boxes for my more expensive comics. Guess I can't pack and forget them like I used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkham Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Surely Singapore is more than 80% RH?! It’s like chewing the air year round!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Pontoon Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 You need to buy a dehumidifier. Packets of dessicant aren't going to do much. You also need a hygrometer to measure the humidity in the room where you store your books so you have an accurate gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waver99 Posted September 30, 2020 Author Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Arkham said: Surely Singapore is more than 80% RH?! It’s like chewing the air year round!! Hahaha, it certainly appears so. 15 minutes ago, Pontoon said: You need to buy a dehumidifier. Packets of dessicant aren't going to do much. You also need a hygrometer to measure the humidity in the room where you store your books so you have an accurate gauge. I have a dehumidifier but it raises the temperature so don't use it for the comics. I do use desiccants and also have a couple of tubs of damprid kept in the cupboard where my comics are kept (but outside the boxes). Checking the hygrometer, the room RH is about 70ish to 80%. Maybe microchamber paper next? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Obviously you can no longer store these books in their present location. You need to find a safer environment for them. Luckily for you, I live in the high desert of Arizona where the humidity is low eleven months a year. My depository is fully insured and storage rates start as low as four dollars per short box for modern and is an incredible 1% of GPA value per month on books over $500 in value. I don't normally do this but because your situation is so desperate, I can offer you twelve months storage for the price of ten., prepaid in advance. Act quickly ,as space is limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Pontoon Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 51 minutes ago, waver99 said: Hahaha, it certainly appears so. I have a dehumidifier but it raises the temperature so don't use it for the comics. I do use desiccants and also have a couple of tubs of damprid kept in the cupboard where my comics are kept (but outside the boxes). Checking the hygrometer, the room RH is about 70ish to 80%. Maybe microchamber paper next? You've posted numerous big books in the PGM forum (Incredible Hulk #181, Fantastic Four #48, Amazing Spider-man #129, etc). If you don't do something to mitigate the humidity, you're going to kill your books along with their value. That foxing and mold will undoubtably spread. I would read up ASAP on proper paper storage, humidity levels, foxing, etc. Those books need to be stored in a room with a dehumidifier and the RH dropped 20-30% and kept stable. Microchamber paper will do nothing to solve your problem. theCapraAegagrus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theCapraAegagrus Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 2 minutes ago, Pontoon said: You've posted numerous big books in the PGM forum (Incredible Hulk #181, Fantastic Four #48, Amazing Spider-man #129, etc). If you don't do something to mitigate the humidity, you're going to kill your books along with their value. That foxing and mold will undoubtably spread. I would read up ASAP on proper paper storage, humidity levels, foxing, etc. Those books need to be stored in a room with a dehumidifier and the RH dropped 20-30% and kept stable. Microchamber paper will do nothing to solve your problem. That'd be extremely unfortunate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradejunky Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Yep, as stated already that is foxing. If your hygrometer is reading 70-80 % you need to do something fast. Paper ephemera prefers a constant 45-55% humidity as going too low would quickly do the opposite to the paper and turn it brittle versus your current problem of mold. Don't put the dehumidifier in the same room as the books, because as you already stated, the unit produces too much heat. Place it in the hall or next room over etc. I live in FL and know all about humidity issues but we have central AC in almost all dwellings which pulls the moisture out of the air so I rarely ever use my dehumidifier. Even if I do use it sometimes, it is in a different room than my collection. Damp-Rid is pretty good but you'd need a lot of them to do the job depending on the size of this space. Do you have pics of the current setup/room etc. to show as that may give us a better idea on suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waver99 Posted September 30, 2020 Author Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 hour ago, gradejunky said: Yep, as stated already that is foxing. If your hygrometer is reading 70-80 % you need to do something fast. Paper ephemera prefers a constant 45-55% humidity as going too low would quickly do the opposite to the paper and turn it brittle versus your current problem of mold. Don't put the dehumidifier in the same room as the books, because as you already stated, the unit produces too much heat. Place it in the hall or next room over etc. I live in FL and know all about humidity issues but we have central AC in almost all dwellings which pulls the moisture out of the air so I rarely ever use my dehumidifier. Even if I do use it sometimes, it is in a different room than my collection. Damp-Rid is pretty good but you'd need a lot of them to do the job depending on the size of this space. Do you have pics of the current setup/room etc. to show as that may give us a better idea on suggestions? 2 hours ago, theCapraAegagrus said: That'd be extremely unfortunate. 2 hours ago, Pontoon said: You've posted numerous big books in the PGM forum (Incredible Hulk #181, Fantastic Four #48, Amazing Spider-man #129, etc). If you don't do something to mitigate the humidity, you're going to kill your books along with their value. That foxing and mold will undoubtably spread. I would read up ASAP on proper paper storage, humidity levels, foxing, etc. Those books need to be stored in a room with a dehumidifier and the RH dropped 20-30% and kept stable. Microchamber paper will do nothing to solve your problem. Good idea, I will take some pics this weekend and show you guys. Thanks so much for the tips so far! Arkham 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waver99 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Pictures are in, I keep them in a cupboard off the ground. Cupboard door is closed with three tubs of dessicant/damp-rids which are changed monthly. A relatively new set-up.Next step is to get a hygrometer and monitor temperature with the cupboard door closed. In each box about 20 silica gels packets kept to the side. Comics are also double-bagged in mylites 2 (M2) and then kept reversed (opening at the bottom) of a open top mylar4 (775R/ 800R). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverweb Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Buy one quickly, they aren't expensive. I bought this one for my guitars. Fortunately, my humidity is perfect for my acoustic guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
