Comic book storage NOVICE seeks guidance from Knowing Nerds

[Kyer]

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Short version of mess below: how well do floppies and books fare in a dry climate stored in sealed non-archival boxes?
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Insect city where I live so I've been (since 2009) storing all my books in either Hefty zipping food bags and/or tight fitting document boxes.
Yes, yes, have been informed that this is a baaaaad thing. So have been trying to rectify this as quickly as feasible while still facing the fact that I'd rather read yellowing books than books with holes and eggs on them.

There's mainly about 50/50 of hardback trades and softback ones. Until actually went and started looking, figured well less than 25 floppies, but since a trip to the thrift store that saw an additional ten floppies....eh...maybe a tad over now. I really need to do an audit.

I've done some research (Hello, YT) on comic book storage via bags and boards.

Mylar lasts as good as forever, but has very sharp edges and is way expensive both for boards and bags.
Poly only lasts something like 4-10 years (going by different YT'ers blogs.)
4mil are the thickest bags and with boards fullbacks are almost twice the thickness of halfbacks.

Keep away from moisture and temperature extremes. (Well, I live in a dry environment so no moisture issues, but heat....heat is definitely an issue.)

Neither one really, truly seals from insects like silverfish, roach babies, and so forth, but I have airtight boxes so, hey.

I'm not a collector as in "I'm going to make money off of this someday!" Just collect so I can read about my favorite characters and all but two of my floppies are...eh...in 'very used' condition anyway. For those, poly would probably be fine, but the idea of having to buy new ones every five years does not sit well seeing as my money is getting more...less incomey shall we say since the new health care laws took effect.

What about no bags and boards at all?

Is there any (cheap) way to store floppies and trades in plastic or document where they will still be readable 30 years from now? (I figure by that time I'll be somewhere other than on Earth so its moot to plan beyond that an no relatives I know of would want them after I'm gone.)

[Don C]

If you have that many insects, I'd get an indoor bugzapper.

[Mark]

for the paperbacks I'd recommend micro-climate storage boxes, for the comics it doesn't sound so bad. What you might want to do is get a really good cabinet, line it with cedar and keep them in there. Oak is good.

[Kyer]

If you have that many insects, I'd get an indoor bugzapper.

I think these guys would just use any bugzapper to roast their pieces of paper before stuffing them in their mandibles. They are faster than The Flash and more devious than Doctor Doom.

for the paperbacks I'd recommend micro-climate storage boxes, for the comics it doesn't sound so bad. What you might want to do is get a really good cabinet, line it with cedar and keep them in there. Oak is good.

Last time I used some cedar blocks in my clothing drawer they stained the clothes ochre. I've looked with a wary on on cedar ever since. (Not to mention I dislike the smell of cedar more than moths do.) Will research on oak.

[DrawerBox]

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Short version of mess below: how well do floppies and books fare in a dry climate stored in sealed non-archival boxes?
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What about no bags and boards at all?

Is there any (cheap) way to store floppies and trades in plastic or document where they will still be readable 30 years from now? (I figure by that time I'll be somewhere other than on Earth so its moot to plan beyond that an no relatives I know of would want them after I'm gone.)

To start, if your goal is to preserve everything in their current condition you are asking the wrong questions. How to best protect paper collectibles is a frequent question and there is a lot of mis-information going around. So much so that we have started posting some accurate information at http://www.collectiondrawer.com/

As noted in that column, the most important thing is to store them in a cool area. The reason for this is heat acts as a catalyst that hastens the acidification process and causes the yellowing. Despite all the conventional wisdom, plastic bags do not halt this process since the acid is part of the wood content in the paper itself. Acidity rarely comes from external sources.

In fact, using the wrong type of plastic bags can cause even more damage since they are treated with chemicals called plasticizers that will leach into the paper over time, causing yellow staining in white areas. The plastic baggies you are using are horrible for paper storage, but even conventional plastic bags made from polyethylene will cause damage over time.

Mylar is the only truly archival plastic that should be used for storage. If Mylars are too thick for you, consider Mylites since they are made of the same material but are thinner and much less rigid.

Above all, if you are storing them in airtight plastic tubs stop reading this now and take them out. They should never be stored in an airtight container. Besides the fact that the molded plastic that tubs are made from have rounded corners that will bend the contents near the edges, not having ventilation will also cause heat build-up over time. In the worst case, you also create the risk of spontaneous combustion since the flash point of paper is comparatively low.

The main purpose of boards is to prevent bending, the second most common cause of damage I have experienced. The real value of bags is the keep the board next to the comic and protect it from outside contaminants.

If you are concerned about insects you need to store them in an area that does not attract pests and utiliize an exterminator.

[lokidoki96]

I only have 4 comic books and I have plastic sleeves for them. They also have a sort of a cardboard backing to them in order to keep them from bending. I store them in the graphic novel section of my bookcase until I can expand my collection. Is this a bad idea? They have space to breathe and no bugs get to them. We only have cockroaches but they stay in the garage... so they aren't an issue. Let me know what you think, thanks!

[Shawn Hopkins]

I'm not super hot on cramming trades and hardbacks into mylar. It seems like too snug a fit and just a chance to bend them because the size and shape can vary so much. I just put them unbagged in my regular comic boxes, unless they are magazine-sized, which I use a magazine-sized comic box for, or oversized, which I have a special plastic tub for. The most important thing is not cramming anything into too tight a container.

My biggest advice if you do use bags is be really careful with tape, or don't use it at all. I have tragically disfigured some valuable silver age comics with tape pulls.

Bags and boxes will not provide sure protection against insects, no matter what you use. They'll just eat through it. If you want to protect your books from bugs, you'll have to kill the bugs.

[Cold Water]

oh god.
If I had a bug problem-ANY bug problem-worrying about how I stored my comic books would be the LAST thing I'd be concerned about.
My first concern would be ridding my home of bugs. So that I could sleep at night. And eat. And function.

[Jeff Brady]

...not having ventilation will also cause heat build-up over time. In the worst case, you also create the risk of spontaneous combustion since the flash point of paper is comparatively low.

That's hilarious. Also, impossible.

[the4thpip]

If we're forced to discuss all politics topics in just one thread, can't we do the same for comic book storage and shelving issues?

[DrawerBox]

That's hilarious. Also, impossible.

Actually, no. It is hilarious only if you think yellow, brittle pages are funny and impossible only someone who has never built a fire. Google spontaneus combustion and you will discover it is very real. Keep in mind that the flash point of newsprint is relatively low. That is why it makes such good kindling in your fireplace.

There are several forms of combustion, not just bursting into flames. A slow form is one of the chemical changes that causes yellowing pages. That is why heat is so bad for paper.

[Jeff Brady]

In a sealed plastic tub with limited air, there's not enough fuel to make the paper suddenly erupt, no matter how hot it gets. And if it somehow does, that's because the rest of the house is already on fire.