Clean & Press
The purpose of dry cleaning comics is to remove dirt and stains without harming the book itself and restore it to its former glory without using chemicals or other liquids. Dry cleaning is the most popular form of care for comics.
After cleaning the comic, the process is often followed up with a press where the comic is put under heat and pressure for some time to smooth out waves and dents.
This cleaning and pressing process makes the comic look much better, and the results can feel like magic.
Restoration
Restoration is adding foreign material to a comic book through certain techniques to return its appearance to an ideal or original state. This is usually not done to comics unless the book is damaged or in very bad shape, as many collectors prefer unrestored comics in their collections. However, restoration can, in many cases, be justified as it can hugely improve the visual appeal and make the comic readable again.
Conservation
Conservation repairs are performed to preserve a comic book's structural or chemical integrity using professional techniques and materials. It excludes aesthetic repairs such as color touch and piece fill.
All comic books, whether from the golden, silver or modern age, are all printed on paper that is made from wood pulp. Lignin (a substance found in wood) breaks down and causes the paper to become increasingly acidic, discolored and brittle. Included in your returned comics, is a microChamber Interleaving Paper that contains specialized molecular traps specifically designed to capture by-products of deterioration and atmospheric pollutants which threaten paper-based collections. MicroChamber papers can also absorb odors such as mildew or smoke.
Preservation
The use of archival materials and methods for storage and display can have a big impact on the longevity of your collection.
All comic books are bagged and boarded or encapsulated for storage, display and handling. This protects them from dirt and moisture, minimizes flexing and stress of the fragile paper, and protects from the oil and salt in people’s hands.
We use only hight quality archival Mylar (polyethyleneterephalate) bags that keeps them safe for much longer time that traditional bags or plastic sleeves. Each comic also comes with a appropriate backing board (acid-free) or clear plastic backing board when appropriate for display purposes.