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Are "acid-free" backing boards truly acid-free? Time to pH test & find out!
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443 posts in this topic

9 minutes ago, AllenBurton said:

WOW! Such a great post. I've always been wary of the single coated backing boards. Kudos to the OP!

If they were any good at all, they'd dress in layers. :sumo:

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Just now, kingjohn3 said:

Can anyone tell me if Mylar bags will yellow over time? I have a ton of them and I thought that's the exact thing there were not supposed to do

They won't.

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4 minutes ago, mschmidt said:

They won't.

Didn't think so. I maybe should explain further what I have. I have a 2" thick stack of empty bags that look and feel like Mylar but when they're all stacked together like that it's a dirty yellow color.  Does that mean these are not true Mylars? I also have some with old boards in them that I cant tell if they are legit, any way to tell?

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3 hours ago, kingjohn3 said:

Didn't think so. I maybe should explain further what I have. I have a 2" thick stack of empty bags that look and feel like Mylar but when they're all stacked together like that it's a dirty yellow color.  Does that mean these are not true Mylars? I also have some with old boards in them that I cant tell if they are legit, any way to tell?

Yeah, "real" mylar (Mylar type D or Melinex) is completely inert, so it won't yellow over time. 

With boards it's easy - if they have smooth surfaces, they're not archival safe.

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4 hours ago, kingjohn3 said:

Can anyone tell me if Mylar bags will yellow over time? I have a ton of them and I thought that's the exact thing there were not supposed to do

I can tell you that mine have not. I bought mine when I first learned of them in the 80's, so the few hundred bags I bought still look like they did when I bought them. At the time they were called time-loks, mylites, and another name I cannot remember for the third type of mylar I used. The time-loks had a pre-made top flap, the mylites were really thin and you have to fold the flap, the third type I have are as thick as the time-loks but the top flap would really take some force to fold it, so I typically left it alone. All of these do not show any noticeable aging and Like I mentioned, even after all this time.

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7 hours ago, kingjohn3 said:

Didn't think so. I maybe should explain further what I have. I have a 2" thick stack of empty bags that look and feel like Mylar but when they're all stacked together like that it's a dirty yellow color.  Does that mean these are not true Mylars? I also have some with old boards in them that I cant tell if they are legit, any way to tell?

Sounds like they might be thick ultra-pro polys or something.  Those things are terrible.   Take a quick picture.

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I'll try to get a pic soon of what I have. Well I guess Gerberizing my collection is a no brainer but I'm thinking of using them with my "Archival Safe" NON- mylar BCW bags. Is that acceptable in terms of keeping a collection safe if I replace the bags every 5 or so years or does that defeat the purpose? Is there any kind of weird chemical reaction that could happen between the Gerber boards and polypropylene bags?

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They look to thin to be mylar.  I suppose they could be mylites with filth on them.

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Anyone know where I can buy E.Gerber half backboards? I have seen them on Amazon 50 backboards for like $22 dollars.

 

Does anyone have a link or something that can help? It would be appreciated 

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1 hour ago, Pgunz3 said:

Anyone know where I can buy E.Gerber half backboards? I have seen them on Amazon 50 backboards for like $22 dollars.

 

Does anyone have a link or something that can help? It would be appreciated 

EBay

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On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 1:34 PM, Pgunz3 said:

Anyone know where I can buy E.Gerber half backboards? I have seen them on Amazon 50 backboards for like $22 dollars.

 

Does anyone have a link or something that can help? It would be appreciated 

http://www.egerber.com/category.asp?CategoryID=449&SubcategoryID=562

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I've three types of boards :

-regular (theyve been yellow on the backside ever since mid 90s but comics seem to do well , kept cold temp but no too col)

-Ultra Pro just bought (smooth on one side , when you buy acid free then thats what you expect to get.....should be illegal to call it acid free if it isnt or state say "only 60% effective - not for 3+ yrs storage")

-BCW (i think from them , this is un-coated/pure white , i assume its acid free ?)

I've spent 100$ so Im not gonna shell out any more , maybe to my BTAS collection otherwise its low value stuff (90s Batman , Tec , Robin , SotB , LOtDK)

Was no point buying toploaders either , unless i get pockets to have inside (worried about Cazale & Presley autographs)

To not use boards sounds like a recipe for disaster imo , acid or not 

Edited by postersandstuff
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such a great post. I found it interesting how the MCP kind of went down very slightly in PH level as it shows it is absorbing the acids but also maintains that its till in the PH neutral 7 state

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Man, it would be awesome if the op could conduct a test on the plastic “ acid free” short boxes for graded and raw books. I have Gerber acid free short boxes for my raw books but people have been raving about the plastic boxes. I just don’t know if I trust them to be acid-free.

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