Hello Natalie and all,
Cardboard is your nemesis when you are a paper collector. It is loaded with
acid and will bleed into your material very quickly. It not only causes
yellowing but brittlization as it depletes the paper of any suppleness it might
have had. At the very least, you can put the items in a plastic bag and then
back in the box. That wouldn't my suggestion for long term storage. There are
several companies out there that sell archival storage materials and, while
they are very good products, they are costly and, in my opinion, not that
necessary unless you have extremely valuable items. I have been a collector for
over 35 years and I keep my movie posters inside of a plastic bag and then into
a manilla envelope that I can label with the title. Because of my constant
examination of materials that I have framed, so that I can keep up with the
latest materials available for preservation, I do go into those manilla
envelopes and check the posters all the time and they are fine. I always tell
my customers not to store their posters in cardboard tubes as most people
coming in my door have their posters in cardboard tubes or laid on a piece of
cardboard with a bag over them. Since most dealers ship their items to
customers in cardboard tubes, the customer just leaves them that way for
storage. An alternative is to go to your local hardware store and go to the
plumbing department. Get a piece of pvc pipe cut (one with about a 4" mouth).
It is inexpensive and is a very good alternative to a cardboard tube. So,
that's the scoop. Hope it helps..........ps. if you have your items stored in
boxes, just try to keep the boxes off the floor or away from an outside wall.
That is where you get high amounts of moisture "breathing" into the room.
Sue Heim
www.hollywoodposterframes.com<http://www.hollywoodposterframes.com/>
(800) 463-2994
----- Original Message -----
From: Natalie Elliott<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Moisture and paper storage. Any advice?
Tom's story has highlighted for me my large collection of paper items and my
current problem.
Recently I moved into an old house with very little storage and lots of
little, pokey rooms with even less room for storage. The house is in a flood
prone area and while we missed out on the recent floods in the area thankfully,
I still have the problem of lots of stuff downstairs. It is safe from water but
not from mould and mildew. I bought some stuff up recently and they have the
beginnings of some nasty stuff growing on them.
Aside from bringing everything up (not really an option) is there any way I
can store these things in the interim? Everything is in cardboard boxes
downstairs.
Thanks,
Natalie
--- On Wed, 13/2/08, Tom Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>
wrote:
> From: Tom Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>
> Subject: [MOPO] Mopo - salvageing FLOOD paper - a report- and experiance
> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
> Received: Wednesday, 13 February, 2008, 3:21 PM
> Hello Folks - Last Thursday I had a basement flood.. Thought
> I would
> offer some
>
> Facts that may save others from this. Hers what I did and
> some ideas..
> One dont leave boxes on basement floor near a Floor-drain.
> DUH!!! well
> i just bought the house in Agust so I didnt think it was a
> issue
> as the baeement is finished with a wood floor. The area I
> had the boxes
> was furnace room that has a cement foor. I had thought
> enoght to put 2
> x4 lumber under most of the boxes yet I had some with Books
> on the
> floor. When I saw 2 1/2 inches of water I initially went
> into shock.
> Then I went to hardware and bought a sumppump. This will
> take the water
> via a garden hose up the stiars outside. Lucky it was clean
> clean
> rainwater from melted snow so it wasnt dirty sewage. Next
> I took the
> books and decided I would practice
> learning Book drying. Many of these books were 1st edition
> coffee table
> and Films of Books and some nice Photography Books in the
> 20-100 range.
> So i called a rooto rooter sewer cleaner company and they
> came out and
> opend whatever blocked it for 118.00 with sumppump another
> 50 and hose
> 24.00
> Then O called my insureance.. My policy doe NOT cover back
> up
> rainwater.. so it was a loss of items and costs to repair.
> So as I looked at the books I thought, This is actually a
> oportunity to
> learn restoration..even if I just bring to reading copy
> quality this
> could be a service i could offer to help collectors and
> also save others
> in same situation. So heres what I did.. I have taken each
> book and
> movie magazine and have dryed papge by page.with a hair
> dryer and fans.
> Its a very long process and when you 1st start the pages
> are like sealed
> together and very tender and can rip... so hers my process:
> I take the
> Book and fanfold out and from the top I hit with blasts of
> heated air..
> the pages eventually will scatter apart it just take
> patience and being
> gentle at that stage,, then as the pages spread open I
> leave the book
> open and turn upside down and do other side.. The enamel
> coated paper
> stock tends to stick harder however heat will get it to
> release
> The Pulp stock hold more water however tends to release
> better. Then the
> paper will get mottled and krinkled appearance and fluff
> out.. so the
> book expands in size and looks hopeless.. Yet satge two is
> a BOOK PRESS
> I had one and its a cast iron flat clamping devive that
> presses the book
> out tite and flat and even.. I have movie magazines in
> there now and
> they Look good.. Just remember to allow to dry as
> the wetness cause the sticky pages.. also.... another
> trick i was told
> about from libraiand to remove smells and water is to
> immerce the items
> in KITTY litter and it absorbes oders and also moisture and
> stups or
> inhibits the musty mold growth.. OXygen is best and
> circulated air, so
> Like for instance I have the hugest Book Of Christopher
> Finch - The art
> Of walt disney that is tons of pages and so i took a fan
> to keep air on
> it It looks like a Hoge flower at monet boy after its dryed
> then Ill
> clamp and allow to be pressed
> Also.. you can IRON out kinkles with a Clothing iron.. USE
> a slip sheet
> so not to scortch the paper
> also some steem with take wrinkles out also rolling the
> pages reformes
> the paper.. all paper was made wet when it was made so its
> all good..
> anyways that my progess so far Ive put several days into
> it.
> The other thing when having a loss like this.. I thought Of
> all the new
> Orleans people and California Fore people and see that my
> losses were
> nothing.. so after grieving over the books I thought.. Im
> glad this
> happened..
> Also its the 1st time ive looked page by page in years so i
> rediscovered
> lots of Images I forgot..
> One book was on LanaTurner written By a customer one of my
> 1st LOU
> VALENTINO- Lou bought Movie magazine from me when I was
> just gettin
> started and used some in the Book,, so It was awesome
> deeing his book..
> Lou aslso was art editor for LIFE magazine and went to
> Peopleand helped
> me in 1989 get a article on Adam West in people.. so it was
> a great
> flashback... Also my Hurrell book was in there..
> and George said he couldnt even find them when he wated
> one, and also a
> book on CS BULL.
> and about 40 others,, the Movie mags were not a bad loss
> but some great
> Covers like Colbert, Lana, Hayworth, Ror and Dale, and some
> Tony Curtis
> and Leigh. All in All this was a great experiance
> To prepare me and get me to consider new strategies for
> storage and what
> if senerios.
> I suggest that Plastic bins and storeing in areas that have
> no water
> pipes and not water seeping areas
> and perhaps even in higher area remember rooks can leak so
> covering in
> plastic may be best
> Hope that helps someone best to all. what a education :)
> Tom
>
> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at
> www.filmfan.com<http://www.filmfan.com/>
>
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