Archival boxes tend to be made from paper that is acid free with or
without a buffer of CaCO3.  The lack of acid prevents the box from
contributing to the developement of Byne's Disease (or my prefer
name...Bynesian Deterioration).  It was thought to be of bacterial origin,
or at least having a bacterial component to the process, by Byne when he
did his original investigations.  If I can find my original posting on
this I will repost it (with references to Bynes papers).

Other archival containers can be made out of certain plastics,
borosilicate glass vials (shell vials), and metal.  Each and every
substance has its pros and cons and the final decission comes down to what
you are preserving and how much money you can spend on the supplies.

Charlie
******************************************************************************
Charlie Sturm, Jr
Research Associate - Section of Invertebrate Zoology
                     Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA
Assistant Professor - Family Medicine

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On Fri, 18 Jun 1999, Kay Lavalier wrote:

> Andrew Vik
> Tampa, Fl., USA
> [log in to unmask]
>
> John:
>
> What material is an archival quality box made from?
>
> Andrew
>
> John Jacobs wrote:
>
> > Bynes disease is a very serious problem to shell collectors and museums.
> > The Bishop Museum in Honolulu replaced their wooden cabinets with metal ones
> > a few years back because of this problem.  They also replaced their old
> > cardboard boxes with archival quality boxes.  Land shells are particularly
> > susceptible because of their thin shells.  Wood, acidic paper and cardboard
> > boxes can eventually cause Bynes disease.
> >
> > I've seen Bynes disease.  Once a shell has it, it's too late; the shell is
> > permanently damaged.
> >
> > John
> >
> > John & Cheryl Jacobs
> > Seffner, FL
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 5:09 PM
> > Subject: Bynes disease
> >
> > At http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/sea-site/1999-03/0031.html, Barry Kaye
> > wrote,
> > "Calcium carbonate is susceptible to 'Bynes disease' or 'Efflorescence X' -
> > basically, if stored in wooden cupboards or on wooden shelves in
> > unventillated stores, acetic or formic acid from the wood result in the
> > formation of hydrated calcium formates or acetates (the actual formula is a
> > bit more complicated). These new minerals appear as a white 'fluff' on the
> > surface of the ceramic (problem is very common with natural history
> > collections of shells, and results in white blotches, and damage to the
> > surface of the shell)."
> >
> > Interesting. I'd like to hear more. Are bacteria involved? What can be done
> > about it?
> >
> > Andrew K. Rindsberg
> > Geological Survey of Alabama
>