how not to damage a omnibus

[mtop2036]

So im pretty new to comics and I have 5 omnis that I haven't read yet. I keep reading things about how you can damage your omnis by opening them wrong or reading g them wrong or storing them wrong. What exactly are these things that I could ruin my books? I know of the spine steetching exercise although I don't k ow the exact details on it. And what is the best surface to read an omni on? Would it hurt to place a pillow on my lap and read the book on that?

I would like my books to last my whole life and possibly longer for future children I may have.

Thanks

[DrGregatron]

Be careful about storing the ones with huge pagecounts on your book shelf. Gravity's pulling on that huge book block is bound to take its toll. Shelving big ones for even a short time can put a lot of stress on the spine.

[Hellboydce]

Would you only bother with the post it note thing on the big uns? Onslaught, Powers and the like? No need for it on stuff like Aaron's Punisher?

[Groo Odyssey]

I've read about some people putting post it notes under the pages in omnibuses to keep the book from sagging. Can someone post a pic of how they cut up their post its? I saw an Avengers vol 2 omnibus on the shelves of my local chapters still in shrinkwrap. The pages were already sagging and it looks awful.

[Rimmer]

I've read about some people putting post it notes under the pages in omnibuses to keep the book from sagging. Can someone post a pic of how they cut up their post its? I saw an Avengers vol 2 omnibus on the shelves of my local chapters still in shrinkwrap. The pages were already sagging and it looks awful.

I constantly see the "post its" comments, and I just can't help but think, "why isn't everyone doing what I'm doing?"
I use strips of cardboard from various boxes I have lying around. They're about the perfect height to fit between the shelf and the bottom of the pages. They're WAY cheaper and easier to deal with then cutting up and wasting post-it notes. And you can make it the entire length of the book, and then I write on the cardboard in magic marker what the book is, so when I inevitably rearrange my bookshelves, I know which cardboard piece goes with which omnibus.

No matter what you do, it's a good idea. On the really small omnibuses (those that are ~OHC sized) I don't bother, but all the typical-sized ones I use the cardboard method. It only takes a few minutes to create one, and then you can rest easy that your omnibus will stay strong for the long haul.

[Groo Odyssey]

Do you roll up the pieces of cardboard?

[mtop2036]

Although I store my omnis vertically right now ill probably get a book shelf with many shelfs that's only a little bit wide than an omni so I can lay them Down. I wonder if a cushion of some kind would work the same. Like some soft foam.

[mtop2036]

I constantly see the "post its" comments, and I just can't help but think, "why isn't everyone doing what I'm doing?"
I use strips of cardboard from various boxes I have lying around. They're about the perfect height to fit between the shelf and the bottom of the pages. They're WAY cheaper and easier to deal with then cutting up and wasting post-it notes. And you can make it the entire length of the book, and then I write on the cardboard in magic marker what the book is, so when I inevitably rearrange my bookshelves, I know which cardboard piece goes with which omnibus.

No matter what you do, it's a good idea. On the really small omnibuses (those that are ~OHC sized) I don't bother, but all the typical-sized ones I use the cardboard method. It only takes a few minutes to create one, and then you can rest easy that your omnibus will stay strong for the long haul.

Can you maybe give us some pictures?

[kodave]

I constantly see the "post its" comments, and I just can't help but think, "why isn't everyone doing what I'm doing?"
I use strips of cardboard from various boxes I have lying around. They're about the perfect height to fit between the shelf and the bottom of the pages. They're WAY cheaper and easier to deal with then cutting up and wasting post-it notes. And you can make it the entire length of the book, and then I write on the cardboard in magic marker what the book is, so when I inevitably rearrange my bookshelves, I know which cardboard piece goes with which omnibus.

No matter what you do, it's a good idea. On the really small omnibuses (those that are ~OHC sized) I don't bother, but all the typical-sized ones I use the cardboard method. It only takes a few minutes to create one, and then you can rest easy that your omnibus will stay strong for the long haul.

What if the acidity from the cardboard leaches through to the bottom of the pages and irreparably damages them long term?

[BoyMeetsComics]

My suggestion is get a bunch of good bookends (ones with a carriage that goes under the books) and press them against your books. That will keep the spine from sagging. If libraries use them for their books, they should also work for fat omnibuses.

[mtop2036]

What about reading g the books. What are these things I keep hearing about that can damage the book by opening it wrong or whatever.

And how many times do I need to do the spine exercise and do I need to do it every time I read it?

[banky]

What about reading g the books. What are these things I keep hearing about that can damage the book by opening it wrong or whatever.

And how many times do I need to do the spine exercise and do I need to do it every time I read it?

The spine exercise is good for the first couple of times you open a new book. After that, the spine should be flexible enough to open without problem. Spines are designed for that motion. Detrimental shearing motion- pulling a book from a tight shelf (or from storing several books flat) is bad. Any motion which the books were not designed to handle should be avoided. This came up before, extremely large volumes (1000+ pg books like the Simonson Thor) can be stored flat by itself if you want to avoid vertical stress to the textblock.

[mike1981]

Use acid-free comic backing boards.

Measure the width of the page-block, fold over 4 times to get the proper height, cut and place under the page block.

Simple and safe.

[kodave]

Use acid-free comic backing boards.

Measure the width of the page-block, fold over 4 times to get the proper height, cut and place under the page block.

Simple and safe.

This is probably a dumb question, but those usually have like a glossy side and a plain/matte side. Are both sides acid free? I assume they would have to be. What side are you supposed to have touching the back of a comic book?

[banky]

This is probably a dumb question, but those usually have like a glossy side and a plain/matte side. Are both sides acid free? I assume they would have to be. What side are you supposed to have touching the back of a comic book?

The entire backing board should be acid-free cardboard, so it shouldn't matter which side you use. I think the glossy side is preferred by most shops but the ink-bleed migration occurs over time on either side (I've seen plenty of glossy sides with ink-toning from old books from shops). Collectors worry about these things excessively but the main thing to realize is the main problems with regard to ink migration and acid degradation comes from the materials used in older books like newsprint (lignin) and glossy covers. If an old book was made from a bad batch of newsprint with acidic content - it will degrade quicker than your other books and risk ink bleed. This is why it's recommended to change bags and boards after a few years. Once there's evidence of deterioration (acetone smell, ink bleed) you can isolate bad books. I've seen some floppies with "baxter" paper turn brown and degrade before a few of my newsprint copies. It has to do with the paper content - NOT the storage materials used. Bags & boards are buffers to limit degradation.