Bought a ton of old National Geographics but they have a slight odor...

[firebird1999us]

They were stored in a dry, albeit dusty place - but they have a slight musty smell to them. They have no signs of dampness or visible mold. Anyways I was looking for ways to eliminate or nuetralize the odor?? It's kind of that smell old books get when in storage for a long time....

Anyways It's like 80 years worth of issues (1930 on) and I got them for super cheap from a guy up the street who was moving and couldn't take them...so I don't want to toss them, but I do want to get rid of the smell:headscrat

I've heard that the smell comes from a type of mold. I've also heard that putting them in zip lock bags in the freezer will kill any potential mold/smell or leaving them out in the sun will elminate the smell...also heard theories about rubbing alcohol?

I love the magazines and am in the process of doing some shelving for them. Anyways I'm trying a lot of different techniques (backing soda, sunlight, freezer, etc...) in attempt to get rid of the smell...

I'm likely going to stick them in boxes and treat them in 5 year increments. There's also a few "dealers" listed on the NG forum...so I'll probably consult them on Monday and see what they think.

Any book restoration/conservation experts in the house???

:shrug:

 

[lobra97]

its easier to log onton Nationalgeographic.com brother....its 2010....


you sure that guy wasn't a nature nut and ya know....all over em? the pages sticky?

 

[65fastback2+2]

its easier to log onton Nationalgeographic.com brother....its 2010....


you sure that guy wasn't a nature nut and ya know....all over em? the pages sticky?

now this will get moved to SD lol

 

[firebird1999us]

Actual answers are appreciated:shrug:

 

[jerrad]

Have you tried asking someone at a local library what they do?
Maybe call an art restorer that deals with older paintings.
Good luck man.

 

[low03tb]

Try getting them appraised somewhere. Who knows...could be worth a little somethin

 

[firebird1999us]

Have you tried asking someone at a local library what they do?
Maybe call an art restorer that deals with older paintings.
Good luck man.

I've found a few NG specific dealers through my research and am going to be in touch with them. The library is a great suggestion though. I'll try to find some archival experts too..

Try getting them appraised somewhere. Who knows...could be worth a little somethin

I'm not sure of the legitimacy of this site but someone passed it along to me:
http://www.dtmagazine.com/cmopg1924/natgeo1.html

Based on a lot of the other prices on craigslist when I searched locally, ebay, and some sites I came across when posing this question elsewhere they are in fact worth a considerable amount more than what I paid for them. But I bought them for the vintage ads, the landscape photography, and some of the other cool stories - not to sell. My grandparents had a ton of them when I was growing up but when they passed away no one had the forsight to keep them and threw them out...

These are crazy though because while cleaning some of the dust off of them I found that even the ones from the 30s have all the original maps in them. I don't think any of them have even been opened since the guy I bought them from started collecting years before:uh oh:

 

[flattrack53]

Have you ever thought about have a bonfire?

 

[carrrnuttt]

SicPress.com » Book Deodorizer

Wow. Brings back memories. When I was a kid, we had a collection of Nat Geos that was at least as big as that stack you got.

 

[firebird1999us]

SicPress.com » Book Deodorizer

Wow. Brings back memories. When I was a kid, we had a collection of Nat Geos that was at least as big as that stack you got.

Awesome reply! That's just the kind of thing I was looking for. I never thought about using a cooler like in the pic either...that's a great idea as I've got a few of those sitting around! It might take a few weeks but I think I can get through all of them:beer:

 

[ViciousJay]

its easier to log onton Nationalgeographic.com brother....its 2010....


you sure that guy wasn't a nature nut and ya know....all over em? the pages sticky?

i :lol1: and was thinking the same, god bless al gore's internetz