Storing toys

[TheLoneWolf]

I'll be moving into a new apt next month and one of the cool things about it is that it's going to come with it's own seperate storage unit. I'm planning on storing some of my extra toys & resin kits in the unit, which is in the basement of the complex, but the place is a bit humid & very dark. Fortunately they'll be out of the sunlight, but does anyone know what effect humidity has on plastic and resin? Will it be safer to wrap my toys in airtight plastic bags?

[jenius]

Humidity is a real killer for boxes. Temperature changes are a real killer for plastic. Avoiding sunlight is definitely a good thing though on all counts. If you put everything in locking plastic tubs (the kind at Home Depot or the like) you'll probably help eliminate your humidity concerns... or at least that was my hope. I put everything in tubs and threw a few desacant packages in each tub and locked them. They're not airtight by any means (heck, most those tubs have a few slots for air so if kids get locked in them they'll have to die of dehydration rather than suffocation) but it's a lot better than nothing or just using a cardboard box.

Edit - If you want to go real agro, shrink wrap would probably be the best bet. Unfortunately, that might take you a LONG time. Plastic bags I'd worry about as it seems moisture manages to get into those things and then gets trapped inside. No science to that, that's just how it appears to me.

Edited May 15, 2007 by jenius

[pfunk]

I'll be moving into a new apt next month and one of the cool things about it is that it's going to come with it's own seperate storage unit. I'm planning on storing some of my extra toys & resin kits in the unit, which is in the basement of the complex, but the place is a bit humid & very dark. Fortunately they'll be out of the sunlight, but does anyone know what effect humidity has on plastic and resin? Will it be safer to wrap my toys in airtight plastic bags?

oxygen, water (humidity), and light are the enemy of plastics. cardboard is a wick for moisture, id be leary of keeping them in a damp basement

[kensei]

Why don't you use a 92 litre tub, and then find shrink wrap around it? that would be alright.

[do not disturb]

don't go with air tight. believe it or not if its opened and you touched it, air tight doesn't work. air tight works best when its straight from the get go.

as far as humidity, get some silica gel packets and put them inside each toy box. this will absorb any and all moisture that seeps into the box as well as the air around it. i suggest packets for the individual toy boxes and maybe a couple of cans of it within the room itself.

if you need a place to buy desiccant/silica packets, just google it. you can buy them in packet form or in bulk.

[Necron_99]

don't go with air tight. believe it or not if its opened and you touched it, air tight doesn't work. air tight works best when its straight from the get go.

as far as humidity, get some silica gel packets and put them inside each toy box. this will absorb any and all moisture that seeps into the box as well as the air around it. i suggest packets for the individual toy boxes and maybe a couple of cans of it within the room itself.

if you need a place to buy desiccant/silica packets, just google it. you can buy them in packet form or in bulk.

Beat me to it

[HoveringCheesecake]

don't go with air tight. believe it or not if its opened and you touched it, air tight doesn't work. air tight works best when its straight from the get go.

as far as humidity, get some silica gel packets and put them inside each toy box. this will absorb any and all moisture that seeps into the box as well as the air around it. i suggest packets for the individual toy boxes and maybe a couple of cans of it within the room itself.

if you need a place to buy desiccant/silica packets, just google it. you can buy them in packet form or in bulk.

Thanks for this. I'm going to pack up a bunch of my toys when I move. Are there any special concerns for toys that are mostly die-cast?

[do not disturb]

i don't own much in the ways of diecast toys but what i know for certain is that diecast/metal toys can rust/corrode over time either due to oils from your hands and/or moisture in the air. i'd say the best bet is to clean it with rubbing alcohol to remove any moisture/oils from your fingers and toss in some desiccant packets for good measure. i'm not sure about putting into an air tight container seeing as even a well oiled handgun will rust/corrode over time.

the above example would be fine for short term storage but i have no clue what to do in a long term case? i'd definitely do some more research before doing anything drastic. as i said i don't own too many diecast toys and i'm by far no expert in the field but i will add that i did the above for my 1/60 valks and so far(knock on wood)there are no signs of yellowing or anything else negative i can see. i've had a majority of them boxed up for well over a year now but who knows what they'll look like 10 years time?

[JEXPRIME]

Moving toys sux!!!

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Nothing lasts forever.

[TheLoneWolf]

Hey, thanks for the suggestions guys! Those are some really ideas!

I really like the plastic tubs and desiccant/silica packets method. What if I just got a tub(s), placed the toys in there plus the desiccant/silica packets?

[do not disturb]

Hey, thanks for the suggestions guys! Those are some really ideas!

I really like the plastic tubs and desiccant/silica packets method. What if I just got a tub(s), placed the toys in there plus the desiccant/silica packets?

the only other suggestions i can make is NOT to use the clear/translucent plastic tubs. get some solid colored ones so it blocks out as much light as possible. and if you're going to put your toys in ziploc bags or something, don't seal them, just leave them loose and roll them up. the oil from your fingers and the leftover air in a sealed bag is not good for plastics. if you look at lego packaging, the bags they use have holes in them so the plastic can breathe a little. i really have no idea why lego does this but its gotta count for something, there must be some reason for it.