Help! New to this: Some questions about safely storing cels.
In an incredible act of kindness, I was gifted a portfolio of cels from a very obscure VHS tape that I used to watch when I was very little. (The tape was "The Kingdom Chums: Original Top Ten" for anyone curious.)
This is my first time owning animation cels, and I want to make sure that I take proper care of them. I know that when storing cels in an Itoya binder, you need to put them individually into polypropylene bags, with holes/openings for air flow. I also know that you need to put a sheet of MicroChamber paper on top of (not behind) the cel to help protect it. I also know you need to change out the bag every 6 to 12 months or so.
What I am not sure on, and need some assistance with, is the following:
1) Do you need to use MicroChamber paper specifically, or can you use other acid-free interleaving archival paper?
My budget is quite tight, so I was hoping to avoid spending $50 or so on paper. I saw someone once recommend this paper instead, but I wasn't sure if it was good or not. Basically: Do you NEED MicroChamber specifically, or can I use something else that is just as good? Are there any good substitutes? I want to save money, but I won't buy anything that would harm the cels. If I gotta go with MicroChamber I'll do it.
2) Is there a recommended/special way to store the cel sketches?
The cells I was gifted came with their original sketches as well. I want to preserve these as best I can. Do you store them the same way as a painted cel? Inside a polypropylene bag? Do you need the MicroChamber paper? Is it safe for me to store the sketch behind the cel, but in a separate bag? (The two wouldn't be touching in any way.) I just want to make sure. I do not want to ruin these things by doing something stupid. I imagine they're probably easier to preserve, as they don't have as many chemicals involved, but I have no idea. Any info would help a lot.
Those are my biggest questions. Any tips you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much!
Posted Jun 13, 2024, 6:30 AM UTC