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 Replies: 40 / Views: 13,149 |
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
I thought since it was kind of a separate subject I would start another thread on this.
Does anyone do anything to 'seal' their mylar cardboard flips?
As I mentioned in my other thread about stapling flips, at the very start of my collecting, I was concerned that my nicer coins would be damaged over time if not sealed in some kind of air tight state. At the time I was reluctant to spend the money on so called 'air tite' holders as I was not sure if they worked or not. So I came up with the idea of using hot melt adhesive better known as hot glue to seal my cardboard flips.
I took a few of my extras and duplicates and put them in flips and run a small bead of hot glue around the edge of the flip and then closed it, let it set up for a minute or so then stapled it more or less just in case, to keep the card board from separating from the mylar.
I do not know if this is safe for long term storage, but the ones I did several years ago (approx. 8 years) have held up exceptionally well and I have not noticed any damage, corrosion or any other degredation on the coins.
So all that because I'm curious if anyone here has tried anything to seal their flips? Do you recommend it at all? If you have tried something that worked, what was it.
Basically my whole drive was to keep the coins in something convienient and easily viewable like a cardboard flip but with something like the protection offered by more air tight holders.
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Valued Member
United States
289 Posts |
I like your idea sadly Hot Glue is not to cheap
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I have sold a few kind of valuable pieces and I used a 2x2 flip and sealed the coin in it with one of those types of seals that melt the two sides together made for plastic bags you can buy at radio shack or Walmart just so if it was taken out of the flip I would know it if they tried to switch the coin for a lesser quality or a fake one |
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Valued Member
 United States
136 Posts |
eric, my wife works as a manager at a large hobby chain store and so I get discounts on the glue sticks but they also sell a lot of archival quality stuff, adhesives being one of them. However, not knowing any better, I never checked if the hot glue I was using was archival safe. What I have sealed has worked really well but I would feel way more comfortable knowing what I was using was safe for long term storage.
Bryan, I'm kinda liking your idea a bit better. So you are saying you are using something like an impulse sealer to seal the mylar cardboard flips? If so I like that idea as we know the mylar is safe.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1745 Posts |
The heat sealer works good. I would stay away from any chemical or adhesive. You don't want to introduce anything foreign to the environment.
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Well then, I will go find me an impulse sealer. I was concerned about the hot glue introdcing something unwanted. Even though the ones I have sealed that way are showing no signs of anything harmful, I would rather use something I was certain was not introducting something harmful.
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
A good 8" impulse sealer is about $35-50 new.
You can't seal 2x2 mylars, but you can seal plastic flips. Mylar flips are almost impossible to heat seal; the experts use radio welds.
Each time, the flat wire stretches from the heat. Normally a spring mech keeps it properly tensioned. Eventually it has more slack than the spring can adjust for, the wire flexes at the same point until it breaks.
DO NOT THROW THE WIRE AWAY AND BUY A NEW ONE. It's just getting started.
Get those little electrical connectors, matching the diameter of the one from the broken end. Put one on just enough to get a good grip on the wire, and smash it with pliers or in a vice.
Believe it or not, the repaired wire will outlast a bran new one! I mean like new=a week, repaired=several months. New wire $2-5, new connector 10¢.
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
hot glue will outgas, unless it's archival quality.
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Okay, so I wont be able to seal the mylar flips, but I can seal the plastic flips. However, aren't the plastic flips dangerous for long term storage? I nearly bought a few of those here recently until I was reading about the dangers of plastics and such, but perhaps it was certain plastics.
I would much prefer to have the clear plastic flips than the mylar cardboard ones provided the plastic flips are safe for long term storage.
If the clear plastic flips are safe, can someone provide a link to safe ones I can buy please? I'm not sure which brand and such to go with on those.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
sorry I went to bed early last night, The plastic flips I am talking about doesn't have PVC in them so they are safe for coins
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
I think they're called saf-t-flip. take one and hold a lighter under it. you don't want to see oily rainbow colors.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
hot glue will outgas, unless it's archival quality. And in some instances even archival quality may not be the safest idea. As with anything, different manufacturers make things differently and with glues, there are many, many different formulae used. Some actually add odor preventive ingrediants. Some actually add odor creative substances so as to not have bad odors during the usage. Some may emit toxic fumes. Some may contain almost anything imaginable which in those instances are there only to confuse attempts to copy their products. Glue is really not the best thing to use to enclose anything with a coin inside. I tape all 2x2 flips with 3M clear tape. Both plastic and cardboard ones. |
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
I like the tape idea too as it is cheap and easy. So my choices in protecting a coin from the outside environment would be
1. Use a mylar coin flip and seal the edges with 3M clear tape
2. Use Safe-T-Flips and seal them with an impulse sealer
That sound about right?
I dont want to do anything harmful to the coins, but the more I can do to seal them off from the environment while still being able to easily view and show them the better.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1348 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
just carl, got a question for you. Do you use the 3M tape on just three sides or do you go ahead and tape all four sides. Also, do you staple them and tape them or just tape them.
I needed a new stapler as it was so I went ahead and picked up a flat cinch stapler, but while I was there I picked up some 3M clear tape. I took a couple cardboard flips and practiced on them and the stapler works absolutely perfectly. So I then proceeded to tape the edges and that too worked great. But it got me to thinking about the need to either staple them or tape them or do both.
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Okay, I've been giving this some thought and here's what I come up with for my long term storage plan while retaining ease of viewing and such. I wanted to post it here to see what everyone thought.
Step 1: Put the coins in Kointain holders. Those clear round archival safe holders that fit the coins like a glove, at least the ones I've used so far.
Step 2: Put that holder in a Mylar cardboard flip.
Step 3: Staple the flip then tape the edges with 3M Clear Tape.
Now, I realize this is probably overkill, but I love my coins and I'm just anal that way. I want to be consistent across my coins and how I store them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the larger dollar coins other than perhaps use something like 2.5" flips. But as for the rest, what the thought on doing all that?
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Replies: 40 / Views: 13,149 |
Posted 05/12/2011 10:01 pm
