Hi all

I got an idea the other night for organizing decals, and I thought I would run it by you folks and see what you guys thought. I was thinking of storing decals in page protectors in a notebook. This way I could keep them organized and make it easier to find what I'm looking for. My question is would this damage the decals to be stored like this for long periods of time?

Wolfsix

Stick them in a Ziplock bag first to keep them "dry".........

The local hobby store did this with thier AM decals, I would agree for your personal stash, zip lock them and slide them in a sheet organizer in a 3 ring binder.

i keep my decals in ziplock bags,if you need to keep them for long periods covering them with a piece of paper will give them a longer life by keeping them dry.
best regards

I've been storing them that way for over 10 years. I use the document protectors that load from the top and are closed on 3 sides. I have the 3-ring notebook separated with index pages like 1/35 US modern, 1/35 US WW2, 1/35 Allied WW2, 1/35 Warsaw Pact, 1/35 German WW2, 1/72, Sci-Fi, Aircraft, Ships, dry transfers and even some cars (I have the 1/24 Desert Storm era NASCAR and 2003 ARMY NASCAR decal sets). I even store my cardboard detail sets like MRE/C-Ration boxes, and some road sign sets in the 3-ring notebook.

As an old crime scene technician, I learned that anything plastic will eventually generate moisture. You might be better off putting your decal sheets in individual large (8 1/2 X 11) mailing envelopes, and then if you want you can punch holes in the edges and put them in a 3 ring binder.

Art

Hi guys

Thanks for the replys. I'm trying to clean up my storage area to get more room out of limited space.
Wolfsix

Wolfsix,

I too have had decals and dry transfers stored in page protectors for over 12 years and they are fine. I like that zip-lock bag idea. I'm sure it would just give some added protection....just my thoughts...

Here's what I do. I would not put the decals in a zip lock bag by themselves because it will create moisture inside. So I throw in a few dessicant packets. These are soft bags or small cylinder shaped gizmos filled with a moisture absorbing material. They come in medicine bottles and many other items. So, I keep them.
Once I sold $600,000 worth of non-lubricated air-compressors to a contractor. This was over 30 years ago, so it would be worth over $1,000,000 today. Every document in every exchange of paper said, "DO NOT WRAP THESE UNITS IN PLASTIC!" Well, he called me about starting them up after three years of storage, wrapped in plastic... After my heart froze and after he removed the plastic, the units were completely rusted solid. He went bankrupt.
So, put your decals in three sided page protectors or a zip-lock bag, but I'd go for the three-sided page protectors (for flatness) and all the page protectors in a box with a number of dessicant packets.

Sealhead

i have kept my decals stored in the page protectors for years without any problems. then one day i had a problem, the closet that i kept them in, was underneath a waterpipe (which i didn't know was there), and guess what-----that pipe burst. needless to say, i now use the page protectors kept in a binder, kept in a tupperware container, with a few of those moisture absorbing packs.