Comic Book Supplies, Necessities of the Serious Collector

If you want to keep your comic book collection in tiptop shape, comic book supplies will become part of your collecting life. As soon as a magazine is printed there are natural environmental forces going to work to try and destroy the ink and the paper. You have put in a lot of time, effort and enjoyment in acquiring all your comics. You don't want them to turn back to the dust and elements from which they came do you?

Elements such as humidity, temperature, pollutants, human skin oils and even the chemicals of the printed materials themselves, will start to deteriorate and discolor your comic books from day one. Tools that have been developed over the years to help us combat these natural forces are de-acidification paper, polymer type storage bags, stiff backing material, storage boxes and desiccants (dehumidification materials). Not only will these comic book supplies protect your comics for your own enjoyment, they will add to reinforce the future value of each comic book.

Most all of these supplies can typically be located down at your local comic book shop. But as I have discovered lately, there can be a world of difference in preservation abilities depending on what materials are used in the manufacture of comic book supplies. Quite typically what you may find downtown will be of sufficient protective quality to protect your comics for quite a while. Although, polybags, to put your comics into, are quite common and fairly cheap, Mylar bags are definitely the way to go. They will protect for 100 years (that may be a little overboard) as opposed to 2 or 3 years for poly.

There has been a lot of elaborate science, particularly chemistry, which has gone into preservation material manufacturing the last several years. MicroChamber material has been developed that will increase preservation from de-acidification and environmental breakdown for a vastly superior time period as opposed to typical materials available today. Beware though, comic book supplies manufactured with this new material can become quite costly. But if you have some serious collector's items, which you feel are worth a significant amount of cash, isn't the investment worth it? It is also no secret that CGC uses these materials in every comic book they grade.

I have created a page at my comic book site, which incorporates links to some rather technical scientific articles on preservation and using MicroChamber materials. You can read an in-depth discussion at www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com/comic-book-supplies.html . Be forewarned though, You may need a moderate understanding of chemistry and physics to completely follow some of the discussions. But the articles will open your eyes to what is available in the comic book industry for preservation supplies these days.

Now if you have a rather rare back issue that may well have a high dollar value, here is a process worth considering. De-acidification products are usually used to neutralize acids in the paper prior to storage of most paper products of a pulp nature. This is not to be taken lightly, as it is considered by most to be an extensive form of restoration. The current understanding of the process is that the staples are removed and the sheets are submerged, film developer style, in a bath of de-acidification material. Then the entire book is rebuilt with new staples. This process can cost around $50 per comic book, when done by a professional, but will restore and increase the life expectancy of your comic book by many years. This process, in my opinion, should only be considered for already deteriorated comics that may have a considerable future worth if restored.

One final item to consider, especially if you live in a high humidity area is the use of descants within your storage boxes. A desiccant is a chemical sieve for water, and is available for industry use in small packets or in buckets. For our purposes an 8 oz can (that looks like you'd keep a grasshopper in) can be simply put inside the box to absorb moisture and indicates when it is full by changing from crystal colored to pink. These same cans can then be reused by baking them for 3-4 hours in an oven at about 350 F. Each canister can cost around $9-$10 from one supplier called GAYLORDMART. 1 canister per short box and 2 per long box should be sufficient. Another consideration is the little packets typically found in a box of shoes. These are even more inexpensive, but would require further research to insure no harm would come to each comic book.

So as you build your valuable comic book collection, you will want to put some serious consideration into the comic book supplies that you will need. Materials and supplier source will become important variables in your overall decisions. I will have more interesting topics and sources from time to time at my site, so come on over and visit. You may even want to bookmark it.

Dave Gieber, a former rocket engineer, has decided to take up residency on the Internet. He is the owner and editor of several websites, one of which was built around one of his childhood passions; http://www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com . You can visit here to keep up to date on the world of comic books and comic book collecting. Feel free to sign up for his comic book ezine at http://www.comic-book-co llection-made-easy.com/comic-book-ezine.html

---

Civil War Uniforms: 5 Tips on Making Your Trousers Last Forever!

Are your pants wearing out too fast?Does it look like you are expecting a flood because your pants are too short?Make your Civil War Uniform trousers last... Read More

How to Use Textured Paper and Book Jacket Backgrounds to Give Your Scrapbook Dimension

Textured paper can add extra dimension to your scrapbooking page. Textured paper can be used to highlight focus items on your scrapbook page. Textured paper can also... Read More

Identifying US Coins with Bullish Futures

Okay, let's get something straight? I do not advocate the purchase of United States coins strictly for investment purposes. Like most traditional collectors, I believe coins are... Read More

Embroidery Basting Frames Use for Stabilizing Designs

Using a basting frame around designs can do a great deal to help prevent fabric puckers around a design, aid in positioning multiple or split designs and... Read More

Woodworking Tools: Right Selection And Care Will Save You Money, Part 2

Woodworking: Tools Of The Trade, Part 2 - Tools For CuttingA civilization's maturity and intelligence is judged, in part, by the diversity and sophistication of its tools.... Read More

The Use of Color and Photographs in Your New Scrapbook

Color coordination and contrast will highlight and accent your scrapbook. A well thought out color scheme can help define the theme of a page, attract attention to... Read More

Printing on Canvas

Given the progress in inkjet and media technology, demand for printing photographs and art on canvas is growing exponentially. Whether you have a good inkjet printer or... Read More

Kona Cotton: The Quilters & Embroiderers Dream Fabric

What, Exactly, Is Kona Cotton? Kona(R) cotton is a premium, 100% cotton broadcloth from Robert Kaufman Fabrics in Los Angeles. The company introduced the fabric in the... Read More

What Is A Reverse Painting?

Welcome to the world of Reverse Painting on Glass. Reverse painting on glass has been considered a popular 'art of the people' for many centuries. The use... Read More

Use Order and Text to Give Life to Your Scrapbook

There are no specific rules stating that all photographs or mementos must be placed in chronological order. Therefore, it is completely up you the order you wish... Read More

Idle Hands Beget The Devils Work

As a southern girl, sewing was a rite of passage. You never questioned if you should learn, it was a matter of when. Though I possess the... Read More

Saving Family Keepsakes for Scrapbooking

I'm new to scrapbooking, and I still can't believe all the possibilities there are for scrapbook layouts.When I first began I pulled out and organized a lot... Read More

Do You Really Know What You?re Buying?

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a popular gift show in my local area. My purpose in attending this gift show was to scope out my... Read More

Are Your Airbrush Products Selling? If So, Here Are 3 Ways To Further Skyrocket Sales!

One of the biggest challenges faced by airbrush artists are proof of what you say is true! The potential customer is going to find it hard to... Read More

Beautify Your Stamped Cards with Creative Coloring

Stamping is one of the most versatile crafts around because there are so many different options that you can use to enhance even the most basic stamp.... Read More

Making a Chunk Candle

Making chunk candles is an and fun activity for all ages. A unique technique using wax chunks of different colors gives the finished candle a beautiful texture... Read More

Production and Pricing of Craft Show Items

This is where you can really make or break your craft show career. Being able to produce quality crafts as efficiently and affordably as possible is the... Read More

How to Make Quilted Silver Beads

After making the leaf bead, I was impressed with the detail made possible by the metal clay. Therefore, I decided to use the same technique but create... Read More

Gift Baskets - Create Simple Easy Gifts For the Person Who Has Everything!

Have you ever thought about giving a personalized Gift Basket?Is it just me or do you also get excited when you give a gift to your friends... Read More

Wholesale Scrapbooking: Should You Start A Direct Sales Scrapbooking Business Just The Discount?

Have you ever thought about signing on with a scrapbooking direct sales company, just to get the discount on your own supplies? It can be a great... Read More

Handmade Quilts are Made with Love and Make Great Family Heirlooms!

Today's handmade quilts are more like a work of art than a bed cover. With all the wonderfully artistic quilt patterns available to quilters today, we are... Read More

Scrapbooking Ideas for Kids

Many times at auctions, or estate sales, a box of books will turn up a real treasure, like a scrapbook that was kept by someone in their... Read More

Sewing A Button On By Hand

I have so many people come into my shop saying something like ? I can't even sew on a button. How sad it is that a whole... Read More

Rubber Stamps ? For Teachers and Students

Once again we are reminded that summer is not long enough. It is the beginning of another back to school shopping season. New clothes, notebooks, pencils, and... Read More

Decorative Metal Work Techniques From The Early 1900s

Today's Metal Craft workers should truly appreciate the artistic skills & techniques used exclusively by the highly skilled metal artisans from almost one hundred years ago.Decorative metalworking... Read More

Weaving Photographs and the Use of a Collage to Give Your Scrapbooks Artistic Flare

For more dramatic results from your photographs, trying weaving two copies of the same photograph together. This technique creates a three-dimensional artist look. This technique would look... Read More