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Mylar + microchamber paper

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If i were to slab a book and the inner well was mylar and i did not include mcp, how long before the book starts to eat itself?

The book will not eat itself. Books will last for years in nothing but a Mylar and a backing board. The environment in which the book stored is more crucial to page quality longevity than microchamber paper.

 

The point of mcp is to primarily trap the off gassing of the Barex, not the book.

 

That's not true at all - barex is completely inert. The mcp is there to absorb the off-gassing from the paper.

I disagree.

 

Ineos Barex

 

Barex Summary

 

From the second link:

"Barex® resins belong to a family of acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers (AMAB) and offer high barrier properties to gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, as well as outstanding chemical resistance and inertness."

 

Since day 1 we've put Micro-chamber paper into our books to catch the natural off-gassing that occurs with newsprint an paper products. We chose to do this based on our desire to protect the certified books for future generations to enjoy.

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I was curious about this as well since "the other company" won't be using MCP.

 

Really? Such a low cost preventative measure - at 2-3¢ each in bulk, it seems like a non-issue. Especially considering that 6¢ per slab is worth guarding against potential comments and discussions such as this one where people say "But CGC puts microchamber papers in!" Small investment to avoid a topic where your service is viewed as "less than" your competitions.

 

For me, MCP is one of those things you put in a comic for long-term preservation in terms of yellowing, odor, etc. Now that I know more about it, I put them in all my books.

 

Is there a link for a good place to purchase MCP? I knew that CGC placed them in slabbed books, but for some reason, it never occurred to me to put them in my mylar'd books. :ohnoez:

 

Good thread....

 

Board member InvstmntComcSuply (formerly grinin) sells MCP here on the boards.

 

+1

 

He's got precisely trimmed papers for each age, too - so they fit snug and don't hang way far out, but go to the edges of the book.

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I think it's crazy overkill to put a piece between each page - I usually do 1 piece behind the front & back cover and 1 piece in the middle.

 

+1 to that, too.

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Since day 1 we've put Micro-chamber paper into our books to catch the natural off-gassing that occurs with newsprint an paper products. We chose to do this based on our desire to protect the certified books for future generations to enjoy.

 

And that's why you spend 6¢ on the MCP. To be able to tell that to your customer. To cheap out, you open yourself up to always having to defend your position on a product that most people view as helpful to the books longevity.

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If i were to slab a book and the inner well was mylar and i did not include mcp, how long before the book starts to eat itself?

The book will not eat itself. Books will last for years in nothing but a Mylar and a backing board. The environment in which the book stored is more crucial to page quality longevity than microchamber paper.

 

That's not entirely true.

 

The acidity within the pages of the printed comic is it's own worst enemy and the paper acts as an alkaline buffer.

 

I went through a collection of comics a couple of years ago that were all (yes the whole collection) sealed in those glass cases - what are the called again? Fortresses.

 

And every book looked like the cover stock had started to darken. Of course I can't prove anything but I have a feeling it was because

 

a) the environment was too dry

b) the acids within the book were affecting the book

 

And again, it acts as a buffer between the interior pages and the cover to prevent oil transfer as many interior inks will pass oil from interior to cover.

 

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If i were to slab a book and the inner well was mylar and i did not include mcp, how long before the book starts to eat itself?

The book will not eat itself. Books will last for years in nothing but a Mylar and a backing board. The environment in which the book stored is more crucial to page quality longevity than microchamber paper.

 

That's not entirely true.

 

The acidity within the pages of the printed comic is it's own worst enemy and the paper acts as an alkaline buffer.

 

I went through a collection of comics a couple of years ago that were all (yes the whole collection) sealed in those glass cases - what are the called again? Fortresses.

 

And every book looked like the cover stock had started to darken. Of course I can't prove anything but I have a feeling it was because

 

a) the environment was too dry

b) the acids within the book were affecting the book

 

And again, it acts as a buffer between the interior pages and the cover to prevent oil transfer as many interior inks will pass oil from interior to cover.

Very interesting Roy!!!

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Interesting discussion...

 

How many people use MCP on their raw books? Before CGC I never heard of MCP and even after I heard about it I've still not used MCP on any of my raw comics.

 

I'm sure there are those who do and perhaps it's beneficial but how many people really use it on raw books?

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Interesting discussion...

 

How many people use MCP on their raw books? Before CGC I never heard of MCP and even after I heard about it I've still not used MCP on any of my raw comics.

 

I'm sure there are those who do and perhaps it's beneficial but how many people really use it on raw books?

 

I use it in copper & older books. Newer books are printed on lignin-free paper, so the mcp benefits are negligible.

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Can't believe I missed this thread. Quite a few people use microchamber paper on raw books and the numbers are growing. It protects in ways that fullbacks cannot. Mainly by severely curtailing deterioration from within the book itself.

 

It acts as a scavenger to absorb acidic precursors, which would otherwise become acetic acid, the main culprit behind yellowing and browning of books. It also neutralizes many pollutant gases which are damaging to paper. These gases are far more common indoors than one would expect, due to off gassing from carpets, particle board, plastics, other parts of your collection, etc.

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Interesting discussion...

 

How many people use MCP on their raw books? Before CGC I never heard of MCP and even after I heard about it I've still not used MCP on any of my raw comics.

 

I'm sure there are those who do and perhaps it's beneficial but how many people really use it on raw books?

 

I use it in copper & older books. Newer books are printed on lignin-free paper, so the mcp benefits are negligible.

 

My use is limited to SA books; although a good idea on BA and CA, I've personally never had any tanning or browning issues with these books (and BA books are now 40+ years old). :) Production methods and paper quality were significantly different before 1975.

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Can't believe I missed this thread. Quite a few people use microchamber paper on raw books and the numbers are growing. It protects in ways that fullbacks cannot. Mainly by severely curtailing deterioration from within the book itself.

 

It acts as a scavenger to absorb acidic precursors, which would otherwise become acetic acid, the main culprit behind yellowing and browning of books. It also neutralizes many pollutant gases which are damaging to paper. These gases are far more common indoors than one would expect, due to off gassing from carpets, particle board, plastics, other parts of your collection, etc.

 

My understanding is that you offer MP in different sizes? I'd like to get some for my Silver Age raw collection. Do you recommend 3 pieces per book?

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All different sizes pre-cut and in stock

My personal preferences:

 

0 pieces in drek

1 piece in Modern keepers

2 pieces in modern keys

2-3 pieces in newsprint keepers, depending on state of preservation

5 pieces in newsprint keys (behind covers, centerfold, at 25 and 75%)

5 pieces in newsprint books that are high value due to state of preservation (dripping colors, white pages, etc.)

 

PM sent

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My use is limited to SA books; although a good idea on BA and CA, I've personally never had any tanning or browning issues with these books (and BA books are now 40+ years old). :) Production methods and paper quality were significantly different before 1975.

 

Newsprint was essentially unchanged until Baxter paper in the early/mid 80s

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Is it true that CGC slabs must be sent in and re-slabbed every 5-7 years because the MCP must be replaced?

 

-----------------

 

http://www.comicpreservation.com

 

Excerpt:

 

Note: It is best to replace these sheet every few years, to avoid toxin feedback. Sometimes you will see shading on the sheets over time, which is the toxins bleeding on the Micro Chamber paper from the comic. A Micro Chamber sheet can only hold some much waste and you don't want polluntants to bleed backon to your preservation project over time, so just check the sheets and replace them as needed.

 

----------------

 

Haven't there been cases of books retaining white pages without MCP so long as they are stored in proper conditions? I just had my brother send in his childhood collection (BA/early copper), that were stored in an interior closet with nothing more than polypropylene bags, the pages looked white to me, but it will be interesting to see what they come back as.

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