Desiccant for our boxes?

[Johnny]

I am sealing up most of my boxes in 2mil bags with 30 grams of desiccant in each one and moisture indicator cards - I have a dehumidifier also in my basement as it use to seem moist to me and I worry about my boxes ALOT! I am a little OCD.

I will still have my regular rotation boxes but the ones not in use much will be bagged up on shelf.

Any ideas or feel free to shoot down my plan. I love constructive criticism.


Just sharing my plans.

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Johnny that's pretty much what I have planned for my boxes but I haven't done it yet.

 

[Johnny]

Johnny that's pretty much what I have planned for my boxes but I haven't done it yet.

I just wanna have them for a long time and at this point I understand how fragile they are. Nothing lasts forever, but most can be prolonged.

I always here people complain about corrosion, spotting/pitting on aluminum and it worries me.

 

[redbenjoe]

i think the boxes that wont get into your rotation should get sold --
i love EVERY box i ever sold --
but --to me --its better that they get enjoyed instead of BAGGED !!! :'-(

my 2 cents

 

[Johnny]

i think the boxes that wont get into your rotation should get sold --
i love EVERY box i ever sold --
but --to me --its better that they get enjoyed instead of BAGGED !!! :'-(

my 2 cents

I agree with the fact they should get enjoyed, but the boxes switch rotation and while there waiting they need to be protected from father time and mother nature with all her elements. My favorites will just be bagged less of the time.

If I sell every box that isn't listened to today or tomorrow - I may never get them back. :'-(

Ira you have over 100+ boxes how do they ALL stay in rotation, especially if there in different places.

I'm not saying to DCM4U them in a pile of rubbish, just to try and preserve them as long as I can, so that maybe after I'm gone they last long enough to be enjoyed for many years to come.

 

[MasterBlaster84]

i think the boxes that wont get into your rotation should get sold --
i love EVERY box i ever sold --
but --to me --its better that they get enjoyed instead of BAGGED !!! :'-(

my 2 cents

Ira, bagged doesn't mean never gets used it just means your keeping the dust and air off of them until you get back around to them. Sure would be nice to have a perfectly clean boomer when you wanted to break it out plus keeping the air from getting to them should help them last longer, especially the rubber parts and metal parts that would corode.

 

[MasterBlaster84]

i think the boxes that wont get into your rotation should get sold --
i love EVERY box i ever sold --
but --to me --its better that they get enjoyed instead of BAGGED !!! :'-(

my 2 cents

I agree with the fact they should get enjoyed, but the boxes switch rotation and while there waiting they need to be protected from father time and mother nature with all her elements. My favorites will just be bagged less of the time.

If I sell every box that isn't listened to today or tomorrow - I may never get them back. :'-(

Ira you have over 100+ boxes how do they ALL stay in rotation, especially if there in different places.

I'm not saying to DCM4U them in a pile of rubbish, just to try and preserve them as long as I can, so that maybe after I'm gone they last long enough to be enjoyed for many years to come.

 

[redbenjoe]

you are right --
i have more than 100--
the way i try to protect the 60 or so -
that get used rarely --
is that i rented an air conditioned storage room --

but --i still will TRY :'-( :'-( to sell a few dozen of these
precious gems --

its so hard to imagine life with ONLY 70 boxes

 

[Johnny]

you are right --
i have more than 100--
the way i try to protect the 60 or so -
that get used rarely --
is that i rented an air conditioned storage room --

but --i still will TRY :'-( :'-( to sell a few dozen of these
precious gems --

its so hard to imagine life with ONLY 70 boxes

Ira..... I need to say DIBS! I know you have the mother load down there in Florida!

I just hate to think of my boxes not lasting :'-( I love my boom boxes

Admitting you have a problem is half the battle

 

[redbenjoe]

florida sucks for box presevation --
i have sold some "mint' jobs to critical norm

and he always says my antennas are corroded
( even the orange tippers)

 

[Superduper]

Ira. When you stop rotating the "big monsters" due to weight, I'll be waiting...

BTW, for the rest of you guys with OCD syndrome over the excess moisture in the air, I have a bunch of large packets of rechargeable dessicant. They were originally intended for gun safes and the like. I think they are either 1/2, 1 or 2 pounders. I forget. I have documents in a safe and over time, they get sort of soggy feeling to them. I put 1 or 2 bags into the safe and they crisp right up. They really do work to "suck" up the moisture. So if you want to build youselves a crate for storing your boomboxes, put a bunch of these packs in there and it will help safekeep your boomboxes. The only thing is that you need to build it air tight. When the time is ripe to replace them, just pop them into the oven at 200 degrees until dried, and they are ready to be reused again. This is especially useful if you have a lot of boomboxes and don't want to bag them individually.

 

[Jovie]

Is there any downside to such clinically dry conditions,I wonder?Might belts and such dry and crack?Anyone?

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Is there any downside to such clinically dry conditions,I wonder?Might belts and such dry and crack?Anyone?

Possible but I'd rather have the belts go bad than the Chrome and metal parts to corrode, rust or pit. I think the benefit far outweighs the risk but only time will tell. I think our old friend DripTip keeps his boxes in plastic bags so maybe he would know as well as any of us how that's worked over time.

 

[Superduper]

Is there any downside to such clinically dry conditions,I wonder?Might belts and such dry and crack?Anyone?

NO.

I think our old friend DripTip keeps his boxes in plastic bags so maybe he would know as well as any of us how that's worked over time.

I am thinking that storing boomboxes in plastic bags might not be a good thing if they are sealed unless it is sealed with desiccant bags. The reason is that plastic does not "breathe" and moisture present in the air will eventually condense if the temperature drops enough and be unable to escape. Controlling the environment is way better than sealing a boombox inside a plastic bag with unconditioned air.

If you don't believe me, try this: Open up your watch and change the battery during a nice warm day. Everything looks great until the first time it gets cold. Then the inside of the watch glass fogs up and droplets starts to form. You can get rid of the fog by heating the lens with a blow dryer but it always comes back. The watch is sealed and moisture laden air is trapped, sealing in a perpetual rain forest. From the factory, most fine watches are sealed with nitrogen gas which is inert. That's why Omega, Rolex and other fine watch makers charge so much money to change the batteries. They need to reseal it in nitrogen environment.

 

[floyd]

I am sealing up most of my boxes in 2mil bags with 30 grams of desiccant in each one and moisture indicator cards - I have a dehumidifier also in my basement as it use to seem moist to me and I worry about my boxes ALOT! I am a little OCD.

I will still have my regular rotation boxes but the ones not in use much will be bagged up on shelf.

Any ideas or feel free to shoot down my plan. I love constructive criticism.


Just sharing my plans.

if you keep your boxes in your basement just make sure they are at least 3 feet off the floor ,i'm in construction and i have seen what happens to houses nobody ever thought would flood ,sometimes it's due to ruptured pipes other times from busted water heaters ,just a word of caution better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Johnny]

if you keep your boxes in your basement just make sure they are at least 3 feet off the floor ,i'm in construction and i have seen what happens to houses nobody ever thought would flood ,sometimes it's due to ruptured pipes other times from busted water heaters ,just a word of caution better to be safe than sorry.

Good idea, thanks Floyd!

 

[ahardb0dy]

I had my Aiwa 880 stored in my Dad's basement up in NY in a cedar closet for over 15 years, no special prep for storage, just set it on the floor and moved down here to Florida, a few years ago when I brought it back home, it looked the same as the day I placed it there, the only problem was the belts turned to that famous Aiwa goo but even the speaker surrounds were, and still are in excellent condition.

 

[MasterBlaster84]

I had my Aiwa 880 stored in my Dad's basement up in NY in a cedar closet for over 15 years, no special prep for storage, just set it on the floor and moved down here to Florida, a few years ago when I brought it back home, it looked the same as the day I placed it there, the only problem was the belts turned to that famous Aiwa goo but even the speaker surrounds were, and still are in excellent condition.

Seems one of the best ways to store boxes for longevity is to keep them in a closed temperature controlled space without sunlite like an intereior closet.

 

[ahardb0dy]

worked for mine except for the belts but small price to pay

 

[MasterBlaster84]

worked for mine except for the belts but small price to pay

About the only thing I could see working for the belts short of removing them would be to vacuum seal the boxes and I don't think I'm ready to try that.