Light Considerations

Recommendations:

Use Polyester bags or sleeves
Use UV protected display cases – minimize exposure to ultraviolet light with appropriate filters.
All light sources in working and display areas should be filtered for UV radiation @ 30µW/lm
Use museum grade products when displaying your comic
Store in a dark environment e.g. Closet
The recommended lighting level for display of paper items is 50 lux or less

Try to Avoid:

Sunlight, Fluorescent light – use incandescent light or fluorescent protectors on your bulbs
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Windows– windows should have blinds to minimize direct sunlight

Enough cannot be said about this topic. Light accelerates deterioration of library and archival materials. It leads to weakening and embrittlement of cellulose fibres and can cause paper to bleach, yellow, or darken. It also causes media and dyes to fade or change colour, altering the legibility and/or appearance of documents, photographs, art works, and bindings. Any exposure to light, even for a brief time, is damaging, and the damage is cumulative and irreversible.

Although all wave lengths of light are damaging, ultraviolet (UV) radiation is especially harmful to library and archival materials because of its high level of energy. The standard limit for UV is 75 µW/lm (microwatts of UV radiation per lumen of visible light) but is preferable at 30µW/lm. The sun and tungsten-halogen or quartz lamps, mercury or metal halide high intensity discharge lamps, and fluorescent lamps are some of the most damaging sources of light because of the high amounts of UV energy they emit. Fluorescent bulbs emit stronger UV rays and will degrade comics faster than regular incandescent lighting. It is important to note that incandescent bulbs generate heat and should be kept at a distance from comics. Light levels should be as low as possible, and exposure should be for the shortest time that is feasible, windows should have blinds to minimize direct sunlight.

We would appreciate your support in teaching the collecting public that accumulated light eventually fades comic book covers. You cannot see it fade, just as you cannot see a tree grow, but go away and come back in 10 years and you will be surprised by how much that tree grew. The same thing applies to comic cover fading. Leave a comic displayed unprotected and a couple of years later compare it to an identical comic stored in the dark. WOW! Unfortunately, at this point, it’s too late for that comic; the damage is irreversible.

Mylar stops some of the UV light and is accepted as photo safe to direct contact and is used internationally by archives and museums.

Shameless Plug – Preserver Haven offers Stalward Premium and Stalward Elite range of polyester bags as well as Stalward display frames with UV protection to preserve your comics.

References

https://www.bcwsupplies.com/blog/2015/06/22/polyester-polypropylene/

https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/paper.html

https://www.awm.gov.au/about/our-work/projects/documents

https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/overview

https://www.keepfiling.com/archival-safety-a/134.htm

http://www.clearfile.com/archival-storage.aspx

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collections/preservation/choosing-safe-plastics.html

http://www.home-museum.com/howto/HowToArts/Materials/materials.htm

http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/167267/safe_enclosure_materials.pdf

https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/205695-are-acid-free-backing-boards-truly-acid-free-time-to-ph-test-amp-find-out/

http://www.spnhc.org/media/assets/SPNHC_CND_Supplies.pdf