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Topic: Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter? (Read 8946 times) previous topic - next topic
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Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

I know if you're storing the CD and the booklet in plastic sleeves without the jewel case it's best if you use acid-free sleeves, but what about the outer sleeve for jewel cases itself? Does it matter since the sleeve will only touch the jewel case and not the booklet/CD themselves?

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #1
''I know if you're storing the CD and the booklet in plastic sleeves without the jewel case it's best if you use acid-free sleeves, but what about the outer sleeve for jewel cases itself? Does it matter since the sleeve will only touch the jewel case and not the booklet/CD themselves?''
It wouldn't matter if the jewel case itself touches the plastic sleeve as it will provide a barrier between it and the contents. There are certain situations where various materials 'off gas' and this may be harmful to paper and fabric. To be safe, a belt and braces approach should be used if the contents are irreplaceable and a 'safe' sleeve should be used. I have just discovered few days ago a double album of Joe Cocker, 'Mad Dogs....' that had a sponge layer to stop the cds moving around. This has deteriorated and ruined both cds in the process. I remember someone here posting something similar a while ago but I didn't think I had any packaging like that.
Paul

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #2
I have just discovered few days ago a double album of Joe Cocker, 'Mad Dogs....' that had a sponge layer to stop the cds moving around. This has deteriorated and ruined both cds in the process. I remember someone here posting something similar a while ago but I didn't think I had any packaging like that.
Paul

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=99850

By the way: what about a wiki entry on how to store and routinely take care of stored media?
... I live by long distance.

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #3
Thank you. I guess regular sleeve is okay then. Yeah I think a wiki entry on that would be useful.

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #4
I have just discovered few days ago a double album of Joe Cocker, 'Mad Dogs....' that had a sponge layer to stop the cds moving around. This has deteriorated and ruined both cds in the process. I remember someone here posting something similar a while ago but I didn't think I had any packaging like that.
Paul

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=99850

By the way: what about a wiki entry on how to store and routinely take care of stored media?

Wiki on stored media: I can make a start with a general description of how to help preserve items of value. I will put something together over the next week or so.


Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #6
Briefly mentioned here (with more details in the links)...
http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/record.html

Cheers,
David.

Great article, mine is tending towards a more general view, ill paste it here and it can be used as the start or part of a wiki, but not sure how.
I’m not a conservator so this is a general view to kick things off.
A treasured vinyl collection, cataloged and stored on purpose built shelving, only brought out on special occasions may well end up in the local second hand store after its immediate owner has left the stage, so to speak. So why look after it?
If you do, there is a better chance of extending its useful life or being able to realize a monetary value at sale. The conservation of an item may cost more than the item itself. Although conservation for any particular well kept vinyl collection may only require that doors be attached to the front of the shelves to reduce the entry of dust and light.
Vinyl is probably a good place to start as there is a lot around, with some of it old enough to see how it fared under various conditions.
It may be obvious but the more you handle an item the greater the danger. The object in conservation is to preserve and not to harm the item. If you have a valuable album or cd framed to hang on the wall, it’s no good if the framer permanently glues it in place to look good. If it is to be conserved it should come out of the frame in the same condition that it went in. The process has to be reversible. Patent containers, sold to preserve and display precious things are often the main suspects when it comes to damage over time. Anyone around in the 70’s that put their photos in cheap albums with  plastic cover sheets to keep the photos in place now know to their cost that it wasn’t a great product.
Vinyl itself has proved to be a good stable long term prospect, if you don’t play it too often. If you want to preserve it for whatever reason, talk to the guys (usually guys) here that know more about it and make a digital copy, stack the originals vertically in a dust free and dark place, with humidity and temperature control. Only handle the sleeve or contents when you are wearing clean 100% cotton gloves as oil from your skin can damage paper over time. Do not clean it, but if you must, make sure that the materials don’t damage it. Do not use paper tissues or anything made of cellulose as it will leave minute scratches. Only use clean 100% cotton material.
Hooray for modern times, I’m putting my cd collection on a hard drive (I’ve yet to tackle the vinyl) The CD hasn’t been around that long really but there have been some problems already. Disk rot, scratches, and as I found out, sponge packing that destroyed my cds as it aged. There is lots of advice around about how to clean scratches, but if a chemical agent is used in the process the results may not show immediately. For instance the plastic rear window in the soft tops on some old sports cars. They went forever milky whenever any chemical was used to clean it.
The advice is to always use caution when considering your precious possessions as time is the only proof that the methods used to preserve and store were correct.
All processes must be reversible.
Always use clean 100% cotton gloves and material for cleaning and handling, never cellulose based tissues or materials
Never use sticky tapes for repair, regardless of brand, and especially with paper based items.
Never use unproven chemical cleaners.
If possible select shady and cool areas to hang valuable posters, artwork or memorabilia.
Periodically inspect items stored longer term for possible damage by water, heat, or insect infestation.

Paul

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #7
Some of the outer plastic covers sold to protect LP jackets back-in-the-day actually leach the ink out of the cover. Same with very old platic stamp / cigarette card / postcard albums. Take the item out, and you have a ghostly copy of the image on the plastic. Not good.

Some people claim that repeated playing does not wear out LPs. The (major) deformation as the stylus passes each point on the groove is perfectly reversible - there is no damage. The pre-requisites are a decent unworn stylus, and a clean record (no dust, dirt, etc).


With CDs, (and if you wish, vinyl) you can make a decision between preserving the original artefact, or preserving the audio signal it contains. Having a hint of OCD, I try to do my best with both. Interestingly, some collections only try to do the first (e.g. the British Library seems to take extensive steps to keep the original book available for access, and only resorts to digital copying as a last resort), while others only try to do the second (see Double Fold, where the copies made aren't really up to much! There's a great comparison in that book, but I can't find the image on-line)


Here is the British Library's extensive CD+DVD care document...
http://www.bl.uk/blpac/faqcd.html
others here...
http://www.bl.uk/blpac/publicationsleaf.html


I think we need a sense of perspective though. Apart from those who buy purely as an investment, don't most people buy records and CDs to listen to them? No point if they spend their whole life on a shelf in a cold dark room. As you say, future generations probably won't get to thank you because the discs will probably go to the dump when you're dead.

Cheers,
David.

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #8
The plastic used for manufacturing CD cases is injection-molded Polystyrene; the plastics moulding industry sometimes call it FIP (Fast Impact Plastic).
It is the same plastic used in model airplane/ship kits found in hobby shops, therefore you could get useful info on the 'nature' of this plastic by talking to plastic modellers and people who sell things to plastic modellers.

Wikipedia —> Optical disc Packaging
Quote
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_packaging
A jewel CD case is the original compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was first released in 1982.
It is a three-piece plastic case, measuring 142 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm (5.59 in x 4.92 in x 0.39 in), a volume of 177.5 cm³, which usually contains a compact disc along with the liner notes and a back card.
Two opposing transparent halves are hinged together to form the casing, the back half holding a media tray that grips the disc by its hole. All three parts are made of injection-molded polystyrene. . .

Philips Research —> The history of the CD - The 'Jewel Case'
Quote
http://www.research.philips.com/technologies/projects/cd/jewelcase.html
When the technical development of the Compact Disc was virtually completed in 1981, the packaging and marketing activities were started.
And since the CD was a totally different product from the LP, a completely new packaging had to be designed. Numerous ideas were considered; samples were made, discussed, tested and rejected.
It was difficult to find the 'ideal' packaging, because consumer acceptance would be a decisive factor when the CD was introduced.
Some designs at first looked promising, but proved to be unusable because of problems in mass production. . .

Conservation OnLine (CoOL) —> Care Of Plastics, Western Association for Art Conservation (WAAC), Newsletter Jan 2002
Quote
http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/wn/wn24/wn24-1/wn24-102.html
PLASTIC: POLYSTYRENE
- UV radiation and excess light, photolysis, photooxidation ........................................................................: yellowed, brittle
- Moisture (high relative humidity) and moisture fluctuations, hydrolysis, swell/shrink ...............................: resistant
- Pollutants, solvents dissolution, environmental stress cracking ...............................................................: dissolved, swelled, stress cracked
- Danger to neighbors, stains, corrosion, stickiness, gases .......................................................................: none
[/size]

Therefore, after reading the above table by the WAAC, we can conclude . . . .
- acid-free outer sleeves for CD jewel cases are a waste of money; polystyrene is not degraded by neighbouring materials or normal everyday environments.
- opaque non-light-transmitting sleeves for CD jewel cases are a good idea; polystyrene is degraded by UV radiation.

 
Google string pattern search —> (preservation of|conservation of|archiving of) CD (discs|cases)
Quote
http://www.google.com/search?name=f&hl=en&complete=0&suggon=0&pws=0&filter=0&safe=off&safeui=off&as_qdr=all&num=20&newwindow=1&q=%28preservation%20of|conservation%20of|archiving%20of%29%20CD%20%28discs|cases%29&sout=1

Google string pattern search —> filetype:pdf (preservation|conservation|archiving|handling|care|storage) CD (discs|cases)
Quote
http://www.google.com/search?name=f&hl=en&complete=0&suggon=0&pws=0&filter=0&safe=off&safeui=off&as_qdr=all&num=20&newwindow=1&q=filetype:pdf%20%28preservation|conservation|archiving|handling|care|storage%29%20CD%20%28discs|cases%29&sout=1

Google string pattern search —> (ultraviolet resistance of|properties of|ageing effects of) Polystyrene objects
Quote
http://www.google.com/search?name=f&hl=en&complete=0&suggon=0&pws=0&filter=0&safe=off&safeui=off&as_qdr=all&num=20&newwindow=1&q=%28ultraviolet%20resistance%20of|properties%20of|ageing%20effects%20of%29%20Polystyrene%20objects&sout=1

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #9
Acid free is primarily for paper.

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #10
Acid free is primarily for paper.


I've been following this thread with some bemusement because of this point - I've never heard of "acid free" plastic. I suppose there may be paper sleeves for containing CD cases...

Don't use PVC bags, though.
PVC contains plasticisers which can leach out and attack polystyrene. Many power cables and cheap interconnects are sheathed in PVC, which is why they are placed in polythene bags when packaged in expanded polystyrene.
Regards,
   Don Hills
"People hear what they see." - Doris Day

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #11
Still love to buy CDs and records and love to preserve them for my future generations

Acid-free outer sleeves for jewel cases, does it matter?

Reply #12
I think that, if there was a chance to punch the designer of the standard CD jewelcase in the mouth or the nuts, all right-thinking people would join the queue.