[ARSCLIST] ZipLoc? Sealed plastic storage for 78s? (was CD Jewel case recommendations)

[Jon Noring <jon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

George Brock-Nannestad wrote:
> Dave Nolan wrote:

>> I'm not sure about jewel cases, but I have just migrated my large collection
>> of CDs and CDRs to "JewelSleeves".
>>
>> http://www.jewelsleeve.com/
>>
>> ..................... [accomodate] 1 on either side of the soft
>> synthetic pad inside the vinyl jewelsleeve (and 3 if you squeeze
>> them in tight - good for 3-disc concert recordings you are likely
>> to not access very frequently).

> ----- I am going to check the website you quote, however I felt it more
> important to get a warning out straight away: you do not want a sleeve made
> of "vinyl", i.e. softened polyvinyl chloride. The softening agent - which is
> usually detectable by its smell - will to some extent act as a solvent for at
> least the lacquer layer involved in the label printing and possibly (in some
> polycarbonates used for the disc itself) provoke crizzling in the long term.
> For this reason play it safe, use non-smelly polyethylene sleeves and keep
> them in the dark.


Yes, that was my first thought when I heard the word "vinyl": the
possible long-term interaction of the vinyl with the CD (either with
the playing side or with the label side).

I have a vinyl case which holds CDs for the car, and the vinyl, which
is in direct contact with the CDs, has stuck to the label side of some
of the CDs. (Fortunately I give the RIAA heartburn and burn the CDs *I
own* for playback in the car to protect the originals -- the car
environment and car CD player are harsh on CDs.)


To followup this discussion thread, I have two questions, one related
to the economical storage of CD and CDROMs, and the other to 78 RPM
shellac records:

1) Instead of JewelSleeves, how about ZipLoc (or similar brand) Food
   Storage or Freezer Bags? Since these bags have been designed to
   come into contact with food (they must be food grade), I would
   surmise they are made of a material which won't interact with a CD
   or CDROM. The ZipLoc box I am now looking at does not state the
   material the bags are made out of. (Is it polyethylene?)

   (The 1 gallon ZipLoc bags are just large enough to hold 10" 78 RPM
   records, and it is intriguing to consider using them for sealed
   storage of 78's -- maybe slipped inside a stiff paper sleeve to
   protect the plastic itself. An alternative is to put the 78 into
   a clean 78 record sleeve, and then put that inside the bag.)

   Ultimately, the use of ZipLoc would not be appropriate for long-
   term storage if they are sensitive to air pollution, e.g. ozone,
   and over time disintegrate. But they are quite inexpensive, they
   appear to be able to handle some heat (hot food), and come in
   various sizes and thicknesses. I can't help but think they are
   quite inert and will last for a very long time. There is not even
   an MSDS required for them, which further tells me ZipLocs are made
   from a quite inert plastic.

   What do the archivists here say?


2) Restating item 1) above for 78 RPM records, I'm looking for sealed
   plastic bags or "sleeves" to permanently store 78 RPM records. I
   figure once a 78 has been cleaned (using the techniques discussed
   here recently), it makes sense to store it in sealed plastic, the
   plastic of course being "permanent" and won't interact with any
   part of the 78, whether in contact or not (again, note my being
   intrigued with using one gallon ZipLoc freezer bags which have a
   nice reopenable seal, and are very inexpensive.)

   What proven commercial products exist which are used by archivists?


Thanks!

Jon Noring