Re: Mylar protective sleeves

[Susanne Nevin <nevin@stolaf.edu>]

Several others thought the responses to my question were indeed of
interest to many...


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 12:54:41 -0500
From: Terry Belanger <belanger@virginia.edu>
To: nevin@stolaf.edu
Subject: Re: Mylar protective sleeves

At 08:15 AM 11/19/1998 -0800, you wrote:
>What is the best grade (and form) of mylar to use?  

This is an offline response. 

Mylar is a Dupont brand name; the generic term is polyester. There are, so
far as I know, no differences in grade; polyester is polyester. The brand
name of polyester we use is called Mellinex.

>We use 3 mil thickness but it's awfully stiff and hard to handle. (It
comes off a
>big roll and needs to be cut to size.) 

You can buy polyester in pre-cut sheets (University Products sells it this
way); but it's pricey. We buy polyester in rolls of differentwidths
(generally 300 feet long) from Cartolith in Florida. I keep the following
rolls handy:

	in 3 mil
		10 inches wide
		12 inches wide
	
	in 4 mil
		15 inches wide
		18 inches wide
		21 inches wide
		24 inches wide
		40 inches wide

When I want polyester folders, I just take the appropriate roll down and
cut off sheets of double the width I want on a board shears or papercutter,
fold them once, and I've got 'em.

Here's info about Cartolith, in case you decide to explore prices or whatever:

Cartolith Group
    3210 SW 14th Place
    Boynton Beach, FL 33426-9887 
Communications:
    Work phone: 800/247-6878
    Fax: 407/369-4204
    Remarks: purveyors of Melinex, their trade name for polyester

Cartolith will sell you rolls in any width to 40" and in almost any length
(we've found that 300 feet is as heavy and bulky as we want to go). The
prices are MUCH cheaper than at University Products.

Good luck, and let me know how you make out. -tb


Terry Belanger  :  University Professor  :   University of Virginia
Book Arts Press : 114 Alderman Library : Charlottesville, VA  22903
Tel: 804/924-8851   FAX: 804/924-8824  email: belanger@virginia.edu
              URL: http://www.virginia.edu/oldbooks/