Bag, Board and Box #7: Boxes, Safes, Vaults and Storage

[Christopher L. Tumber]

This article is copyright 1994 by Tracey Heft. Permission has been granted
by the author for electronic distribution of this document for personal
usage provided it remain intact, unedited and unaltered. No commerical usage
or publication in other media is permitted without the expressed written
consent of the author.


Boxes, Safes, Vaults and Storage
by
Mr. Tracey Heft

Included in issue number #12 of the CBM, was a letter by
Mark Foy, who inquired about the appropriateness of using fire-
proof safes and metallic ammo-boxes for storage. His letter also
asked about using silica gel, an inert substance, to maintain
relative humidity at a pre-set level. I found his inquiry
especially timely, as I have been considering a column on
appropriate storage and shelving materials for a while now.
Before I get around to my thoughts on the subject of metal in the
storage area, perhaps a little background information on
materials commonly used by the average collector is needed.
In order to maintain the current condition of the comics in
a collection, it makes sense to ensure that all the materials
that come into contact with the books should be safe for the
items that are being stored. Not only should the materials be
non-reactive with the paper, but properly designed to provide the
books with support and therefore, prevent damage (such as creases
and spine roll) from occurring. For this reason, comic boxes
sold by many stores and dealers are suitable for the storage of
comic books. However, since many products advertised as
archivally safe are not always so, it is important to shop around
and be sure you purchase those products designed to preserve and
protect your collection from damage (products free from PVC's and
lignin-free are appropriate for the long term storage of paper
and related collectibles) .
Quite often, many collectors will avail themselves of the
nearest suitable "square" container in order to store books from
their collections. Filing cabinets, safety-deposit boxes, foot
lockers, refrigerators and chests made of pine, cedar or oak have
all been used as repositories for the long term (and short term)
storage of treasured comic books. While not all of these choices
are bad, some are definitely better than others.
Take for example wood, which is often found in contact with
valuable or collectible comic books either in the form of
shelving or as a container in which comics are stored (among the
more common types in use are plywood, cedar, pine and/or oak).
Regardless of which type of wood is used, it is known that all
types of wood emit vapours and other by-products that can form
organic acids. As can be expected, the compounds released into
the storage area in turn react with the chemicals contained in
the paper initiating a process which results in the degradation
of the collectible. I will concede that some wood types are
better than others but no wood is perfect.
Even if the wood has been sealed with a polyurethane varnish
or painted in order to protect the comics from harmful emissions,
generally speaking, products designed to protect and seal wood
also release harmful vapours which eventually result in the
formation of organic acids (different products release these
harmful contaminants at different rates). Melamine coated
particle boards are a little better choice, but need to be
treated along the exposed surfaces to protect against the release
of harmful vapours into the storage environment. In short,
although it is cheap, wood should not be used in the storage
environment and if at all possible, an alternative should be
sought out.
One option is metal, either in the form of shelving or in
the form of boxes, safes or vaults. However, metal has it's own
set of problems that the devoted collector should be conscious
of. For starters, unprotected metal surfaces are susceptible to
rust in the presence of moisture. For this reason all metallic
surfaces need to be coated with a moisture resistant barrier.
While most metal products used in the home or office are
enamelled, regular wear and tear can result in the exposure of
the enamelled surface to the ambient atmospheric conditions.
Non-enamelled surfaces should be coated with a protective layer
of paint in order to seal the metal from the environmental
conditions which can cause harmful reactions to occur.
Obviously, those surfaces which need to be painted, must
have a chemically non-reactive paint applied to them. Oil-based
paints and alkyd based paints both contain volatile components
which are emitted into the atmosphere as the paint layer cures
(which in itself can take a month or more). As can be expected,
these volatile can react with the chemicals contained in the
paper resulting in it's breakdown.
To avoid any problems, several collectors have made a
decision to store their more valuable comics in vaults or safes.
As well, the additional protection offered by vaults and safes
against the threats of fire and theft spur many collectors to
make the (sometimes) costly investment. Since vaults are
basically larger versions of the ordinary safe, the more serious
collector needs to look at the type of protection that is most
suitable for the comics being stored.
Basically there are two types of safes, each type designed
to protect against a specific threat. It is important to note,
that commercial safes are designed to protect against burglary or
fire, and not both. Therefore, when choosing a container in
which to store your collection, consideration must be given to
which threat poses the greatest danger to the collection - fire
or theft.
Of the two types of safes, so called "record" safes are
designed to withstand the incredible temperatures that are
prevalent during a fire. "Money" safes are designed to resist
burglary and vandalism for a momentary period of time. Common
metallic boxes, such as foot lockers, ammo boxes and other types
of cabinets - while cheap and readily available, do not offer
suitable protection from the threats of fire and/or theft. Even
if the box has a lock, a professional thief will have no problem
breaking into an ordinary container (not to mention, simply
carrying the box out the door).
As Gary Carter hinted at in his reply to Mr. Foy, comics
stored in metallic boxes and even wooden chests, are still
susceptible to environmental problems especially those related to
humidity and temperature. Mr. Foy suggested using sealed silica
gel packets to control the humidity inside the sealed micro-
environment.
Silica gel can be used to safeguard the collection from
humidity changes, but great care must be taken in order to insure
that the gel is conditioned to the proper humidity or else
accidental damage can occur. Silica gel, which is available in
different granular grades, will release moisture into a dry
environment and will absorb moisture in a humid one. As regular
reader's of this column know, rapid relative humidity changes
should be avoided or else damage to the collection will occur.

In response to Mr. Foy's letter, I think that using a
metallic container is not as simple as finding a box that fits,
putting your comics in and then sealing the collection away
forever. There are several factors to consider (as mentioned
above) and the final decision is ultimately influenced by
financial ability. As Gary mentioned, additives (such as
lubricants and grease) and the potential for rusting makes
choosing a metallic container debatable, but if the container
adequately supports the comics (which should be in mylars,
anyway) and a suitable environment can be created and maintained
in order to ensure the preservation of the comics being stored,
there should be no foreseeable problem.
For additional information on air quality and environmental
conditions that are ideal for the storage of paper and paper
collectibles, refer to previous columns in earlier issues of the
CBM.
I look forward to receiving more letters, as comments and
feedback are absolutely integral to this column. Until next
time, keep on collecting.


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Tracey heft, author of the Overstreet "Bag and Board" columns, is a
professionally trained paper and artifact conservator and a member of
The International Institute for Conservation - Canadian Group.
Tracey has worked extensively for the Canadian federal governement on the
restoration and preservation of priceless historic documents. He is also
working in the field of comics and collectibles restoration. Some of
the books Tracey has worked on include: Amazing Spider-Man 1, Fantastic
Four 1, Showcase 6,8, 11 and 14, Adventure 74, Captain Marvel Adventures 3.
Tracey may be reached care of Eclipse Paper Conservation (613) 230-6181 or
email at aa...@freenet.carleton.ca (until Tracey gets a net connection of
his own).

Photos and scans of sample work available on request.


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