Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell

Subject: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 13 Aug 17 - 10:38 PM

I recently bought on-line an old folk music magazine from the mid-1970's. It is a thin magazine with about 30 pages. However, as soon as I opened it from the package it was shipped in, I noticed a very, very strong musty smell. It is a rare magazine so I do want to keep it but wondering how I can get the strong musty smell out of it?

I have taken it outside and set it on a box so that if the air gets to it for awhile it will help. If anyone know of any safe way to get rid of strong musty odors in a magazine please post message.
I don't really want to spray anything on the pages as it will dampen the magazine pages, especially since it is over 40 years old.
Other then the strong smell the magazine is in good condition.
Thank you.

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 12:04 AM

If the magazine is in good condition the smell is coming from the aging of the pages. Not much you can do about it. Keep it dry, dry, dry; stored in acid free folders, boxes &c and keep it out of the light as much as possible.

If there is a comic book store nearby, try asking for MicroChamber interleaving paper. Bags Unlimited stocks it too. That will help buffer the acids in the paper a bit.

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 12:12 AM

I use perfume ads that I get in advertisements from department stores as bookmarks. It helps a lot.

-Offer's Believe It Or Not-

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 12:29 AM

To Guest Phil:
Where do you get acid free boxes? Are they expensive? I just need one & don't need a whole box as it is just for this one magazine.
I have never heard of MicroChamber interleaving papers before. I'm not sure if there are any comic book stores near me. I will look up online tomorrow to see if there are comic book stores in my area.
(Not a store I would normally be going to), since I am not into comic books) Well....I do have a lot of comic books from when I was a kid, like Veronica & Archie, Little Lulu, Nancy & Sluggo, Little Lotta.
:-))))) oh yeah and Richie Rich!!

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,pauperback
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 09:42 AM

Several hints here:
eBay Booksellers 

This is a new one to me and it's seems to work, too -

"We've tried many tricks to get the odor out. Kitty litter/baking soda/fresh air have had limited success.

 

We acidentally found what SEEMS to be a better method. We tucked the book into one of those cheap (99 cent store kind of cheap) plastic gallon bags (twist tie) in order to keep the smell from going into other books. Came back a couple months later and found that the bag itself had absorbed most of the odor. So we kept doing that with clean bags a couple more times and it worked fairly well. Not complete, but fairly well."

I would strongly suggest not to mix any musty paper with non-musty paper. The plastic may mitigate mold or mildew spores spread.

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 10:26 AM

We have a large collection of old magazines dating back to the early sixties - most don't smell, but the few that do/did were improved by leaving them in the open air for as long as the weather permitted
"Acid-free folders
Beware of the quality
We stored some hand-written music manuscripts on one someone have is and it lifted the print off
Go reliable
The old method with published books used to be sheets of tissue paper over the most vulnerable bits (usually illustrations)
One of the strangest problems we ever encountered was with a somewhat rare bok entitled 'Edinborough Musical Miscellany' (1804)
An intrepid bookworm, obviously finding it too difficult tp chew its way from page to page, had made its way its way upward leaving a long ridge across several pages
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 07:36 PM

I'm told that a cinnamon stick will work wonders.


Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 08:01 PM

Lin:

The smell is the paper turning brown. "Pulp" paperbacks and newsprint are the worst.

Acid free storage box isn't worth it for just the one mag. They are $$.

Good comic book stores usually carry archival grade bags &c that fit sheet music too. And you don't have to buy 500 of them at a time.

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: meself
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 08:29 PM

Musty Smell ... lessee ... wasn't he a Country & Western singer from the '40s-50s?

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 10:39 PM

I sent this thread to a conservator friend & here's his reply (I did a google search on Bainbridge 'Artcare' mat/mounting board &foudn Bainbridge is an American company & the boards are available in UK & Australia, too)

...................

Phil is on the right track. The microchamber papers, which are a bit difficult to get, contain zeolite molecular traps for VOC's ('volatile organic compounds'). The same technology is used in Bainbridge 'Artcare' mat/mounting board, which is widely used by picture framers.

If the offending item is put in a polyethylene/polythene ziplock bag (or whatever) with offcuts of Artcare board, small sizes that framers generate in excessive quantities, the zeolites will scavenge the stink molecules, and the alkaline buffered board will not harm the magazine. It could, theoretically be stored this way indefinitely.

That's better than a crow flying off with the magazine ('outside') to line its nest, eh?

-----------------

Subject: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 13 Aug 17 - 10:38 PM

I recently bought on-line an old folk music magazine from the mid-1970's. It is a thin magazine with about 30 pages. However, as soon as I opened it from the package it was shipped in, I noticed a very, very strong musty smell. It is a rare magazine so I do want to keep it but wondering how I can get the strong musty smell out of it?

I have taken it outside and set it on a box so that if the air gets to it for awhile it will help. If anyone know of any safe way to get rid of strong musty odors in a magazine please post message.
I don't really want to spray anything on the pages as it will dampen the magazine pages, especially since it is over 40 years old.
Other then the strong smell the magazine is in good condition.
Thank you.

Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate
Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 14 Aug 17 - 12:04 AM

If the magazine is in good condition the smell is coming from the aging of the pages. Not much you can do about it. Keep it dry, dry, dry; stored in acid free folders, boxes &c and keep it out of the light as much as possible.

If there is a comic book store nearby, try asking for MicroChamber interleaving paper. Bags Unlimited stocks it too. That will help buffer the acids in the paper a bit.
----------------------

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,pauperback
Date: 15 Aug 17 - 02:10 AM

Well I've tried the baking soda between the pages bit on a bunch of Arab as a second langage workbooks from a unheated garage, along with some kind of strange flag, headgear and a address book full of Arab names and NY addresses. The books were going on ebay. This was the summer of 2001. After the attacks I struggled with calling the FBI about the address book until I finally screwed up the courage to do it.

The lady on the phone was very nice but flustered (can you imagine the number of calls?) and me, well stammering a bit trying to explain this little stash of a radical muslim convert I had in my possession. The lady asked if this address book had any direct conection to the events, I said no, then sorry and good bye.

Then the antrax business happened and here I was with all this stuff full of white powder. I decided in the climate after 9/11 with me having called the FBI and the far reaching powers of the Bush White House I may be on someone radar so I burnt the whole lot late one night. Strange times. Good luck with your magazine.

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 16 Aug 17 - 09:12 PM

I have had good results with Borax (dry) when sealed in a plastic bag. (REFRESH three times in the first year)

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Do NOT use for photographs...I have only used this with printed paper from 1880' up until today.

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 16 Aug 17 - 09:18 PM

When I saw "Old Folk" and "Musty Smell" together in the same sentence,
I couldn't help thinking I'll be 60 soon and no longer shower as frequently as I used to... 🙄

Subject: RE: Old Folk Music Magazine w/ Musty Smell
From: EBarnacle
Date: 16 Aug 17 - 09:57 PM

The question I have not seen is whether the paper feels a bit damp. If so, consider placing some reconditioned moisture absorbing capsules in the plastic bag with the mag. These come with some foods and vitamins as part of the packaging.

Garg, all the way back to the 1880's? How long have you been around?