Nobody knows what they're talking about, he literally uses it over color + the Absorene he said don't use on color (and didn't) yet in the end he did it anyway. I stopped buying CGC cuz more and more guys are ruining comics lazy graders don't end up giving restored label
So happy you posted this! Bought a Hulk 180 that's coming in the mail and it needs some cleaning before a press and now you taught me exactly what to do, perfect timing!
As they should be, tbh. I'm sure those guys at CGC can smell the peroxide as soon as they open the comic. CGC allow subtractive restoration. As soon as you introduce any chemical agent to lighten pages, you're asking for a purple label. Glad they seem to be getting on top of this.
@@dansxmencomics yes, as far as I'm aware. Dry cleaning with, for example, absorene dirt erasers or putty, cotton pads etc would be considered subtractive restoration. You're only removing dirt, there is no chemical component being added to artificially enhance the books appearance.
Saw a video recently where a guy says he did not use peroxide or lights (dry clean only) and still got a purple label on multiple comics. So be careful.
@@300baud I think I saw the same video. I have to be honest, I did not think the guy was telling us the whole truth about his cleaning of those comics. Just a feeling I got when watching. I should also point out that he bought those comics from another dealer, so who knows what had been done to those books prior to his own cleaning work on them.
Have a look at "improve comic collecting" vide. Looks like CGC are starting to send out purple restored labels on these. Waiting for his follow up video
@@richardolney1822 ya I'm hoping he does a vid with CGCs response. At least if they say it was the absorbene we can black light or something to make sure we dont leave stuff residue behind. However I'm skeptical that CGC will have anything to say because graders notes are mostly vague if they exist at all.
I watched that as well. It could be a case of him being a harsh, dry cleaner OR that CGC are being stricter on cleaning. Interesting situation. To clean or not to clean. Or let CGC clean. Hmm.
Big fan, but a few thing you didn't do. Use a backing board between the outer cover and interior pages to reduce damage and sharpen edges. When pressing cut staple notches so staples don't blow through the cover like CGC pressers did to some of your books.
I would make sure to clean the work surface before flipping the comic and working on the other side, since the other side had dirt and possibly deposited some onto the work space.
Great video! Learned a lot! you mentioned doing a video on your pressing routine, but haven't been able to find it. Did you ever end up doing one, and if so, could you link it here? Thanks!
I think some people believe that peroxide stays in the book and slowly breaks down the paper. Peroxide will decompose into water and oxygen fairly rapidly. It doesn't remain embedded in the fibers of the comic book. If I bought a book and was later told peroxide was used to "improve" it, I wouldn't care one bit. I look at it as simply a more intensive, yet short lived, agent used to clean the book and bring it closer to its original appearance.
This. Top Comics Pressing has some great videos on the science behind h2o2 and blue light LED. They really put my mind at ease. That being said, you can certainly overdo it to the point where a book looks unnaturally white for its age.
Everybody uses different items and steps for dry cleaning. It's never the same method it seems. Some people say "never do this" while another person says "always do this." So it can be pretty frustrating to determine what is the right way. Same thing for pressing.
Nice! I'm going to try this on some of my readers soon. And yeah, magic eraser will take ink, or paint off of things. I learned that on a dirty Stay Puft Marshmallow man.
Wasn't sure where to look. In my fifties with neuropathy. I can't feel properly to turn pages in modern paper comics. Would the tacky putty they use in office work harm the comic? Thanks.
I haven’t had the best luck with that either. I tried to use those magic erasers on the mostly white back cover of New Avengers 11 and it got scuffed. I think I’ll stick with the cotton pads and then absorene.
@@pillar81you guys need to stop being greedy and stop ruining comics for a buck, any pressure will remove ink but so undiscernable it is to cgc, they don't dock the tampering so collector's end up suffering from your greed
Hi any tips on how to age comics to make them look authentic? With tears, yellowing, coffee stains and burn marks for instance. I have a bunch of old Batman and Superman comics from the 1930s and 40s but they’re in really nice condition because my great great grandfather kept them in a vault so most people don’t believe they’re that old. Thanks.
@@MintHunterComics well I’m interested in taking my mint condition golden age comics and antiquing them by adding various kinds of simulated wear and tear. So perhaps I could let my dog chew on some, read them while eating pizza, or leave them out in the rain. I’d love to hear if you could share any advice on effective aging methods.
I really hope you are kidding because if you are actually going to destroy original Batman and Superman comics from the golden age then you should not have them in the first place.
@@breakingthelaw7974 I agree. This whole exchange reminds me of a SNL sketch about a make-believe package shipping company called Jiffy Express. You can look it up online here, if you never saw it.
Hi James I hope your weekend went well. I have emailed you after the claim sale and a few times and haven’t received a reply. Thank you great content as always
Yes and no, depends on the "tool". Absorbene sponge can lift color if using to much pressure but is pretty safe once you develop your technique. Artists eraser will pull color very quickly, reds yellows and black. It can also remove gloss if the area is over worked. Mr Clean, this is abrasive and can damage your book if you apply too much force or over work one spot. Make up pad, pretty safe overall. General rule, dont over work one spot and you should be good :)
@@MintHunterComics another TH-camr called “Lunch Money Comics” has a presser who uses a wool sock (literally) to buff the front and back cover. Apparently it shines the gloss up quite a bit.
It's disgusting when you think about all the gross stuff that must be on old comics... people sneezing on them, sweat, dirty hands, reading them in the toilet etc.
I bought the Magic Eraser and the difference it makes is nuts. You just have to be extremely careful to not go over any color with it
Nobody knows what they're talking about, he literally uses it over color + the Absorene he said don't use on color (and didn't) yet in the end he did it anyway. I stopped buying CGC cuz more and more guys are ruining comics lazy graders don't end up giving restored label
Bought a bundle of Spider-Man comics from the 90s and they were filthy! Thanks for this .
So happy you posted this! Bought a Hulk 180 that's coming in the mail and it needs some cleaning before a press and now you taught me exactly what to do, perfect timing!
That was really useful. Looking forward to the press.
Some folks are now getting purple labels for wet cleaning and page whitening. Heads up.
As they should be, tbh. I'm sure those guys at CGC can smell the peroxide as soon as they open the comic.
CGC allow subtractive restoration. As soon as you introduce any chemical agent to lighten pages, you're asking for a purple label.
Glad they seem to be getting on top of this.
@@martyrocks2091 ok, so dry cleaning is still getting blue labels, correct?
@@dansxmencomics yes, as far as I'm aware. Dry cleaning with, for example, absorene dirt erasers or putty, cotton pads etc would be considered subtractive restoration. You're only removing dirt, there is no chemical component being added to artificially enhance the books appearance.
Saw a video recently where a guy says he did not use peroxide or lights (dry clean only) and still got a purple label on multiple comics. So be careful.
@@300baud I think I saw the same video. I have to be honest, I did not think the guy was telling us the whole truth about his cleaning of those comics. Just a feeling I got when watching. I should also point out that he bought those comics from another dealer, so who knows what had been done to those books prior to his own cleaning work on them.
Have a look at "improve comic collecting" vide. Looks like CGC are starting to send out purple restored labels on these. Waiting for his follow up video
I saw that too. He just does dry cleaning and pressing and got dinged hard on a handful of books. Super curious how that will all pan out.
@@richardolney1822 ya I'm hoping he does a vid with CGCs response. At least if they say it was the absorbene we can black light or something to make sure we dont leave stuff residue behind. However I'm skeptical that CGC will have anything to say because graders notes are mostly vague if they exist at all.
I watched that as well. It could be a case of him being a harsh, dry cleaner OR that CGC are being stricter on cleaning. Interesting situation. To clean or not to clean. Or let CGC clean. Hmm.
@@shadowman8786 almost positive cgc doesn't clean. Only presses.
Meticulous work! I love the content. Dry cleaning is as far as I ever go. Nice job
I really needed to see this. Thanks James
Oh hell yeah, I’ve been wanting a good tutorial for this kind of thing.
Thank you! I’ve been looking for a video like this where it goes in depth
Just picked up a press and started reading the CPR book! Excited to see this sort of content from you!
Sorry, all I'm looking at is that awesome never-before-seen LL cover! The Drools!
Pentel click erasers work really well,and easily with very little pressure.
James can you do a video on use of Microchamber paper for PC collection and maybe discuss using a board in the middle page
I very much appreciate it learning how to clean. Could you post a list of the cleaning agents and materials that you use?
Could you do another tutorial for black covers? Great video
Use absorene but there’s not much else you can do. Maybe cotton balls. But anything else removed ini
Big fan, but a few thing you didn't do. Use a backing board between the outer cover and interior pages to reduce damage and sharpen edges. When pressing cut staple notches so staples don't blow through the cover like CGC pressers did to some of your books.
Thanks for this awesome information video. It was nice to see how a comic can be restored from not so good looking, to I would buy that copy.
I would make sure to clean the work surface before flipping the comic and working on the other side, since the other side had dirt and possibly deposited some onto the work space.
Indeed
You are a very good teacher!!
Great video! Learned a lot! you mentioned doing a video on your pressing routine, but haven't been able to find it. Did you ever end up doing one, and if so, could you link it here? Thanks!
Thanks James, first time really getting the concept. Ive always heard the youtube Gents mention this stuff...
Great video, cant wait for the pressing video!
I think some people believe that peroxide stays in the book and slowly breaks down the paper. Peroxide will decompose into water and oxygen fairly rapidly. It doesn't remain embedded in the fibers of the comic book. If I bought a book and was later told peroxide was used to "improve" it, I wouldn't care one bit. I look at it as simply a more intensive, yet short lived, agent used to clean the book and bring it closer to its original appearance.
This. Top Comics Pressing has some great videos on the science behind h2o2 and blue light LED. They really put my mind at ease. That being said, you can certainly overdo it to the point where a book looks unnaturally white for its age.
Awesome vid, man!
Everybody uses different items and steps for dry cleaning. It's never the same method it seems. Some people say "never do this" while another person says "always do this." So it can be pretty frustrating to determine what is the right way. Same thing for pressing.
Can your next video be how to press a square bound book like X-Men annual 14
Nice! I'm going to try this on some of my readers soon. And yeah, magic eraser will take ink, or paint off of things. I learned that on a dirty Stay Puft Marshmallow man.
Awesome Video, what would the biggest jump in grade you have seen once a Clean and press has been done?
great stuff, thanks for sharing!
THANKS FOR THE TIPS!!!!
Wasn't sure where to look. In my fifties with neuropathy. I can't feel properly to turn pages in modern paper comics. Would the tacky putty they use in office work harm the comic? Thanks.
*_There are things you can do to improve water damage, just not with the dry method._*
Can you talk about the dangers of scotch tape on bagged and boarded comics? It presents a danger especially when opening the bag. Thank you.
I thought the MAGIC ERASER is a slight abrasive. Like light sand paper. It could remove gloss and actually sands off the top layer of a comic
You must be careful, you can't DIG - you gotta lightly scrub - that's why it's a dry erase and nothing abrasive
I haven’t had the best luck with that either. I tried to use those magic erasers on the mostly white back cover of New Avengers 11 and it got scuffed. I think I’ll stick with the cotton pads and then absorene.
@@pillar81you guys need to stop being greedy and stop ruining comics for a buck, any pressure will remove ink but so undiscernable it is to cgc, they don't dock the tampering so collector's end up suffering from your greed
@@vibecity5381 Any type of restoring that is 'undiscernable' is not likely to affect the market value of it, tho.
Hi any tips on how to age comics to make them look authentic? With tears, yellowing, coffee stains and burn marks for instance. I have a bunch of old Batman and Superman comics from the 1930s and 40s but they’re in really nice condition because my great great grandfather kept them in a vault so most people don’t believe they’re that old. Thanks.
I'm not sure I understand the question!
@@MintHunterComics well I’m interested in taking my mint condition golden age comics and antiquing them by adding various kinds of simulated wear and tear. So perhaps I could let my dog chew on some, read them while eating pizza, or leave them out in the rain. I’d love to hear if you could share any advice on effective aging methods.
I really hope you are kidding because if you are actually going to destroy original Batman and Superman comics from the golden age then you should not have them in the first place.
@@breakingthelaw7974 I agree. This whole exchange reminds me of a SNL sketch about a make-believe package shipping company called Jiffy Express. You can look it up online here, if you never saw it.
Would like to see a more advanced cleaning video and maybe a pressing tutorial as well
Will do!
Great video. Thanks for sharing 👍🏾 where did you get the cleaning materials?
I borrow my daughters art kit erasers lol
Great video
This may have been covered in a previous question but...would you recommend wearing cotton or some type of latex gloves?
Use caution or a mask around those magic erasers. They break down as you use them into a fine powder that you don't want in your lungs. Stay safe
wow it looks great
A good video on cleaning o might try on some of my comics
You should!
I don't like the idea of the magic eraser. In my experience using magic erasers, they are like a 2000 git sandpaper. Am I wrong?
Thank you!!
Does this work on glossy white covers?
Awesome thanks. How about doing a video on cleaning a dark to black cover. Im having issues with those.
Where do you buy all this stuff at?
Great video!!
Thanks!
How’s the gloss after the magic eraser? It sounds abrasive in the video
It’s not abrasive, I does a nice clean without removal of gloss. The abserene also helps keep the gloss
Where is the pressing video at?
Hi James I hope your weekend went well. I have emailed you after the claim sale and a few times and haven’t received a reply. Thank you great content as always
This is a great educational episode about how to clean comics I would be a little scared to it I don't want to ruin the comic
There is no shortage of worn books to practice on, so try on some reader copies first.
Damn you can really tell a difference
magic eraser is basically a 5000 grit sanding block
So I
Shouldn’t use it on my old comic books
Does this not pull the shine off the book?
No
Yes and no, depends on the "tool". Absorbene sponge can lift color if using to much pressure but is pretty safe once you develop your technique. Artists eraser will pull color very quickly, reds yellows and black. It can also remove gloss if the area is over worked. Mr Clean, this is abrasive and can damage your book if you apply too much force or over work one spot. Make up pad, pretty safe overall. General rule, dont over work one spot and you should be good :)
@@consumetheliving great advice. Should be a pinned comment. 👍
@@MintHunterComics another TH-camr called “Lunch Money Comics” has a presser who uses a wool sock (literally) to buff the front and back cover. Apparently it shines the gloss up quite a bit.
CGC is cracking down though.
Not on dry cleaning… they offer it themselves!
They’re tossing out those purples labels so they can have a monopoly on the clean and press market
Keep up the cleaning and videos thanks for the tips I might have did a trial and error experiment during this video 🫡👍
It's disgusting when you think about all the gross stuff that must be on old comics... people sneezing on them, sweat, dirty hands, reading them in the toilet etc.
Same as the cash we carry around, cleaning Bill's is fun too
You are a very good teacher!!