Anime-Beta TNG

Which are the best cel bags to use? The ones with adhesive or the ones without?

I've bought cels that arrive in sealed bags, and others that don't.

I've always thought that leaving a cel bag open is preferable because it lets the paint fumes escape and lowers the risk of damage?

But just recently, I've also read that you should keep cels sealed up to minimise air getting in and causing line fading.

This hasn't really been a big issue for me in the past because I had only bought lower grade/cheaper cels (That doesn't mean to say I don't look after then carefully) But now that I've started to buy some more expensive cels, I want to make sure I store them correctly (currently in unsealed cel bags in an Itoya book.

Can you knowledgeable people please help me out? ^_^

There are many different opinions but I personally use the sealed bags and then snip a small corner off to let it "breathe" so to speak. It also stops the issue of trapping air in the bag when sealing it. I don't know why but I feel the cel is better protected mostly sealed up.

As soon as I post this though, someone will come along who uses a different method lol.

Yea... and here I am lol.

I personally do not seal my bags, their are some who believe (like myself..) that sniping the corners doesn't offer enough air for the cel/sketch.. so I prefer the non-adhesive kind. Their is also one other reason, say its your yearly (or half year) bag changing time.. You open that nice sticky adhesive and you decide to take your cel out of the bag... Did I mention the adhesive is really strong? Yea... If that stuff touches your cel paint expect some paint to come off. It’s NOT fun. (luckily only happened to one of those junk freebie cels I got and since then changed to non-adhesive..)

So yea.. not sealed for me.

Get the ones without adhesives because they make inserting and removing cels a pain. Sometimes the sticky side will stick to the cel accidentally and you may end up bending the cel. I usually cut the adhesive flap off. You can use a lil' scotch tape after inserting the cel to keep the flap close if you want.

It doesn't affect the issue of allowing fumes to escape since you can always snip a corner off. I'm not sure abt keeping cels sealed, I thought we were suppose to do the opposite, let fumes from the acrylic paint escape. Anyway, most of the plastics can breathe, so air can enter. Maybe for paper, like sketches, it makes sense to prevent air from going in.

Also, pls do NOT use mylar/polyester for cels. They have static charges and will stick to cel over time. Paint can come off when you try to seperate the two. Use archival polyethylene or polyproplene bags.

Whatever your inclination towards type of cels bags, whatever you go for will have very little effect on protection or damage to the cel.
It's a good idea to replace used bags every few years just to keep the artwork in good condition as the emmited paint gasses have an adverse effect on the celluloid/paper over time. Retaining these gasses in the same bag is not good.

I prefer bags without adhesive because, as EOP mentions, that stuff is really sticky making removal of the artwork tricky. If you're into the conservation of your artwork anyway, I'd assume the glue itself would give off some nasty fumes overt time and have an adverse effect on the art inside the bag.

Regular bags with foldable flaps are my recommendation. Just fold the end over and stick them in a cel folder or tape it closed with 2 small strips of Scotch Magic Tape [which is easy to remove at a later date] or achival tape.

I have heard so many theories over the years, I don't know which is better. Personally, all of mine are in unsealed bags. I prefer the non-adhesive type so I can avoid having the cel stick to the bag (ie more convenient) when changing is needed.

I am not sure how important letting a cel breathe is. I mean, my cels are placed inside a cel bag, which is inside a plastic sleeve in a closed book - how much air circulation can there be?. Whether my bags are sealed or unsealed isn't likely to change much. It may be different for you if your storage method is different though. My understanding is that UV light and movement (rubbing/sliding around inside the bag) is what causes line fading.

I really really don't like the sticky bags!!!

I had no idea there was so many ways to seal cels in cel bags. Needless to say i've learned alot. Thanks everyone.

(sorry I can't contribute much to this conversation )

Ahh, cool. Thanks for the help everyone. I'll be sticking ot the non-adhesive bags