best clear boards - comic pro line, comic clear, comic skin? 3 3

[unagi]

Hi, any thoughts on pros and cons of three clear backing board products?  I've searched, including here, and didn't find much.

https://comic-pro-line.myshopify.com/collections/60-80pt-clear-boards

https://www.comicclearsupplies.com/shop-comic-clear

https://comicskin.com/product-category/crystal-clear-backing-boards/

I bought the comic pro line ones, which are very rigid (and seem much less bendable than the other two based on the YouTube videos I found).  But the comic clear product seems to be the same thickness at 80mil (vs 80pt for CPL and no info on the thickness of comic skin).  But the latter two are half the price of the comic pro line, so I was willing to give them a shot but curious if anyone has compared rigidity, archival quality, and clarity.

Thanks!

[theCapraAegagrus]

Pass.

[Jim Stienbarger]

Hi. I have done a lot of research in paper conservation specific to comic books and  consult a professional Paper Conservator to double check my conclusions.

Anyway clear comic book backing boards are made from the exact same plastic as mylar. They are great in my opinion.  They are archival, do not off gas into the comic book, nor do they hold onto or absorb acids coming from the comic book. Gases escape through openings on the comic bag. Traditional comic backing boards will absorb acids and all of them, regardless of brand name or calcium carbonate content will reach an expiration/saturation date. The more acidic the comic in the first place the faster saturation is reached. Once the calcium carbonate buffer is totally used up the board becomes a detriment to your comic. This can be anywhere from 2, 3, 5 years or even decades depending on which type of paper board you use ( more exact numbers are a project I'm working on in the future, but artificial aging testing equipment is expensive).

Currently I put my " keys" and favorite comics in mylar and use these clear backing boards. I seal the mylar flap with a transparent resealable dot. The front and back of the comic are very clearly visible. Really beautiful. 

An early fear I had when deciding on whether to use these backing boards or not was the absence of any alkaline buffer in the sealed bag. Conservators in the recent past worried that acidic paper trapped in a sealed environment would " stew in it's own juices " and accelerate deterioration of the paper. Mylar and other comic bags are not airtight hermetically sealed encapsulations anyway. But even if they were, recent studies show encapsulated acidic paper ages no more quickly than paper encapsulated with alkaline buffer added to the paper itself. Very good news. I still wanted some alkalinity in the mix anyway and add 2 sheets buffered microchamber paper to the inside my more "pulpy" comics.

The only drawback I see to these backing boards is that they are expensive.  1$ a board or more depending on thickness. However with this ridiculous supply disruption we're having fullbacks are approaching this expense too. 

Bottom line. I love them. I'd recommend if you decide to use them, wear plastic gloves while handling the board and centering the comic and putting it in your bag. Prevents fingerprints from showing and messing with the clearness.

[Jim Stienbarger]

Oh. Whoa.  Sorry for the long answer above. I miss read your question the first time ( it was late). I use Comic Clear.  28pt thick. These are pretty flexible ( though the ad says they are twice as rigid as a standard backing board) so I'm careful. I  like these a lot,  but haven't used any of the other brands. 

[shadroch]

How do these compare to regular boards weightwise?  The only plastic boards I tried were a decade ago and I decided then that adding 200 of them to a long box would make it too heavy to lug around to shows.  Are todays plastic boards lighter?

Edited February 3, 2022 by shadroch

[Jim Stienbarger]

Shadroch,

You are right the Comic Clear brand I use are heavy. I weighed to give you a good answer.  I use short boxes. With the plastic boards I put 120 comics in a box ( not tight, I like breathing room and easier to flip through). I also weighed a short box with 120 comics in it with standard paper backing boards. 

The Comic Clear box weighed 31.0 pounds. The standard board box weighed 23.4.

I don't use long boxes so I guess you could double the 31 pounds for those.  It would also depend on how tight you packed it.

They would be a pain to lug around. But I think the clear boards would make your presentation really nice. Maybe if you only used them with your most special issues it would lighten up the load.