Specifications
for Phonograph Record Storage Boxes with Cushioning Boards
Specification Number 300-313-6/24/02
This specification is provided as a public service by the Preservation
Directorate of the Library of Congress. Any commercial reproduction
that implies endorsement of a product, service or materials, in any
publication, is strictly prohibited by law. This Specification is written
for L.C. purchasing purposes and is subject to change when necessary.
I. General Specifications - II.
Product Requirements - III. Inspection
A. Stock Composition
- Pulp:
- Fiber: The stock should be made from rag or
other high alpha-cellulose content pulp. It must not contain any
post consumer waste recycled pulp.
- Lignin: The stock must give a negative reading
for lignin as determined by the phloroglucinol test when tested
according to ASTM D 1030, X5 spot stains and shall have a Kappa
number of 5 or less when tested according to TAPPI T 236 cm-85.
- Impurities: The stock must be free of metal
particles, waxes, plasticizers, residual bleach, peroxide, sulfur
(which will be less than 0.0008% reducible sulfur as determined
by TAPPI T 406 om-88), and other components that could lead to
the degradation of the paper and artifacts stored therein.
- Metallic Impurities: Iron must not exceed 150
ppm and copper shall not exceed 6 ppm when test according to TAPPI
T 266.
- Optical Brighteners: The stock must be free
of optical brightening agents.
- pH:
The stock should have a pH value of 8.0 - 9.5 as determined by TAPPI
T 509 om-88, cold extraction (modified by slurrying sample pulp before
measurement).
- Alkaline Reserve:
The alkaline reserve should be a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 5%
calculated as CaCO3 when tested according to ASTM 4988-89.
- Sizing:
Only neutral or alkaline sizing shall be used. No alum rosin or rosin
sizing should be used as determined by ASTM D 549-88.
- Thickness and Basis Weight:
60 pt. board: the minimum basis weight should be
800 lb./3,000 ft2.
- Color:
The color of the stock will normally be tan, cream, buff or will be
specified on the purchase order. The color must not be so dark that
it obscures color-dependent test evaluations.
Bleeding: The color must show no bleeding when soaked
in distilled water for 48 hours while held under suitable weight in
contact with white bond paper. The color must not rub off.
Retention: The color of the stock must not change
more than 5 points of brightness as measured by directional reflectance
at 457 nm (TAPPI T 452 om-92), when exposed 24 hours to a Xenon arc
lamp in an Atlas Weatherometer under the following conditions: Irradiance
Level: 1.0 watts/m2 at 420 nm. Inner filter: Borosilicate
glass. Outer filter: clear soda lime glass. Black panel temperature:
50°C. Wet bulb depression: 8.5°C.
- Surfaces:
The surfaces of the stock must be free of fingerprints, dirt, bubbles,
knots, shives and other abrasive particles.
- Creases of Folds:
The stock should not fray, crack or split when folded and/or creased.
- Abrasion:
The outer surfaces of the stock must show a loss of less than 2% of
the total weight (mounting card and sample) when tested with a #CS10
wheel and 100 wear cycles according to TAPPI T 476 om-84.
- Stiffness:
Stiffness will be evaluated according to TAPPI 489 om-86, after conditioning
by TAPPI method T 402 om-88.
60 pt. board must have a minimum internal stiffness
of 5,600 Taber units in the machine direction and 2,500 in the cross
direction.
- Adhesive:
If an adhesive is required, it must not soften or run. The adhesive
must not cause the stock to become transparent or alter the color
of the stock. The adhesive must not yellow, discolor, or fail (causing
delamination) over time. When used, the adhesive must not extend beyond
the joined area.
B. Pull Cords
- Description:
The pull cords must be made of black nylon cord which is formed into
a loop by fastening the two free ends together with a metal clasp.
The dyes of the strings must show no bleeding when soaked in water
while held in contact with white bond paper for 48 hours.
- Attachment:
The pulls should extend out two inches from the edge of the right
side (proper left side) of the box. The pulls must be mechanically
attached (without the use of adhesive) to the box and when pulled,
not come out of the box or separate from itself. The pull should be
secured to the box by looping around a curly ended, U-shaped tab cut
into the right flap of the box floor, illustrated below.
- Evaluation/Testing Procedure:
The pull cords should not come apart when subjected to the following
test procedure. Use an Instron Tensile Tester with a 50 kilogram load
cell, with the jaws set 2 inches apart and the cross head and chart
speeds set at 10 inches per minute. Cut the pull cord in half at the
point opposite the metal clasp and mount the two loose ends in the
jaws of the tester. The cord must remain connected at the metal clasp
when subjected to a force of up to 8 kilograms.
C. Metal Edge Stays
- Description:
The metal edge stays should be made from a single unit of 0.0088 gauge
cold rolled steel coated on the exterior with chrome, lacquer or baked
enamel. The metal stays should be one inch wide and contain a minimum
of 8, 4-prong eyelets per 2 inch length.
Color: The metal edge stays should be chrome or colored
so that they blend with the box.
Corner Joints: All cut corner joints of the box
should be joined with continuous, tarnish proof, metal edge stays.
The stays should stop 1/4 inch from the end of the seam-cut at the
top and bottom folded corners to avoid the problem of the stays working
loose. The prongs of the stays should fully penetrate the box board
so that they are visible on the inside and be free of sharp, raised
edges inside and outside.
D. Cloth Tape
- Cloth:
The cloth tape used to secure the back corners of the box should be
a 100% cotton, starch filled cloth. This can be the "Holland" type
(such as #2843 Holland), a "C" cloth type or comparable cotton cloth.
Coatings which will accelerate deterioration are not acceptable. Pyroxylin
is not acceptable. The cloth should be a minimum of 2 inches wide.
- Adhesive:
The adhesive used to secure the cloth tape must meet the requirements
in "A.11. Adhesive" above. It can be water activated, "acid-free"
protein such as a pre-gummed type, or a poly vinyl acetate which does
not offgas acetic acid.
E. Identification
- Information:
Each box should be identified by the name of the supplier or manufacturer,
year of manufacture and the actual pH.
- Placement and Size:
The identifying information must be embossed or stamped on each box
and not be larger than 2.5" long and 1.5" high. It should be centered
on the bottom of the box, legible from the outside.
- Embossing Method:
If embossed, it should be impressed from the outside of the box. The
impression should be legible from the outside only. There should be
no penetration to the inside of the box.
- Stamping Method:
If stamped, it must be done on the outside of the box. The ink must
be a black based ink which does not fade, smear, bleed, or rub off
after drying. The inked stamp impression must be neat without excess
ink and there must be no penetration to the interior of the box. There
must be no ink on the inside of the box from any source.
F. Packaging
- Containers:
The items must be packed in standard commercial containers which are
constructed to ensure that they arrive at the Library of Congress
in dry, undamaged condition.
I.D.: The outside of each container must be identified
by type, size and number of items within, manufacturing run or batch
number and Purchase Order number or Contract number.
G. Testing
- Responsibility:
The supplier is responsible for meeting all the requirements specified
herein. The Library of Congress has the right to perform any of the
tests set forth in the specification where such tests are deemed necessary
to ensure that supplies conform to prescribed requirements.
- Sampling:
To sample for testing, shipments will be sampled according to MIL-STD-105E
at inspection level S-2 with an acceptance quality level of 2.5 percent
defective from each lot offered. Copies of MIL-STD-105E are available
from Naval Publications and Forms Center, Standardization Document
Order Department, Building 4, Section D, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia,
PA 1911-5094.
- Methods:
Tests will be conducted in accordance with specified test methods
of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the Technical Association
of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). Publications describing these
tests may be ordered directly from the technical associations at the
following address:
- ANSI, 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018
- ASTM, 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
- TAPPI, One Dunwoody Park, Atlanta, GA 30348
- Tests:
Requirements
|
Test Method |
Lignin: |
negative/Kappa 5 |
ASTM D 1030, X5 or TAPPI 236 cm-85 |
Reducible Sulfur: |
< 0.0008% |
TAPPI T 406 om-88 |
Iron: |
< 150 ppm |
TAPPI T-266 |
Copper: |
< 6 ppm |
TAPPI T-266 |
pH: |
8.0 - 9.5 pH |
TAPPI T 509 om-88. cold extraction, slurried pulp |
Alkaline Reserve: |
2 - 5% |
ASTM D 4988-89 |
Alum Rosin Sizing: |
negative |
ASTM D 549-88 |
Basis Weight: |
60 pt: 800 lbs./3,000 ft2 |
TAPPI 410 om-93 |
Color Bleeding: |
none |
See above, "I. 6. Color" |
Color Retention: |
< 5 points |
TAPPI T 452 om-87 |
Abrasion: |
< 2% |
TAPPI 476 om-84 |
Stiffness: |
60 pt: 5,600 MD Taber units 2,500 CD |
TAPPI 489 om-86 |
H. Quality Assurance Inspection
- Sampling:
To evaluate non-tested requirements, shipments will be sampled according
to MIL-STD-105E at inspection level S-2 with an acceptable quality
level of 4.0 percent defective from each lot offered.
A. Construction, illustrated below
- Overall Construction of Box
- The boxes should be constructed as illustrated below.
- The boxes should consist of one blank of 60 pt. board stock
which meets the specifications above.
- The side walls of the box base should be doubled either half
way up or the full length.
- The rear box corners (not the lid) must be secured with cloth
strips all along, from top to bottom, holding the corner edges
together.
- The inner panels should lay flush with the box and not ride
up on top of an adjacent crease.
- Cut-out holes are not acceptable on the box sides.
- Metal pulls are not acceptable.
- Metal edge stays should secure the box corners as indicated
above and illustrated below.
- The boxes must be sturdy enough to withstand normal wear and
tear during use.
- The lid must be able to withstand repeated opening without cracking,
splitting, fraying or otherwise losing strength along the hinge.
- The flaps on the floor of the base should not bind or ride up
on top of an adjacent crease when pressed into place.
- Squareness of Box
The box must stand at a precise right angle when resting on its bottom.
All angles of the box, particularly the bottom of the box must be
square.
- Cushioning on the Floor of Boxes
a. CONSTRUCTION: Cushioning on the floor of the boxes should be
provided by three boards. The bottom and middle boards should be
lightly adhered to each other using a non-off-gassing adhesive,
not tape. The bottom board should be adhered onto the center
of the middle board. The top and middle board should not be
adhered to each other.
b. SIZE and TYPE of BOARD: The long sides of the boards
should be cut to be a "push tight fit" into the box. There should
be no gaps between the sides of the box and the cushioning pieces
which would allow a phonograph record to slide into.
Bottom Board/B-Flute: LENGTH: Should be cut to
fit between the bottom flaps of the box. The board can be one inch
shorter than the space between the flaps.
WIDTH: The board should fit between the crease edges of the floor
of the box.
Middle Board/B-Flute: LENGTH and WIDTH: The board
should be cut to fit tightly enough to be a push fit to hold it
in place without adhesion to the box. THERE SHOULD BE NO GAP AT
ALL ALONG THE LONG SIDES OF THE BOX.
DIRECTION OF FLUTES: Long
Top Board/60 pt board: Same size as Middle Board.
c. BOARD SPECIFICATIONS:
B-Flute board: must meet Library of Congress Specification for B-Flute
Corrugated Board #600-612-6/19/02 or latest version.
60 pt. board: should meet the same specifications for board used
to construct this box.
B. Workmanship
All boxes must show good workmanship. They should be clean, free from
frayed or torn edges, improperly aligned panels or interior trays, and
unnecessary scores or cuts. All dimensions of the box maker's blank should
be accurately cut, scored and slotted so that the assembled parts fit
closely without binding. Lids should remain shut when closed, but not
bind. Edges must be straight, corner joints must meet exactly, and corners
must be 90 degrees.
C. Dimensions
- The boxes should have the actual space of the specified height AFTER
insection of floor cushioning
For 12" DISCS |
Length
|
Height
|
Width
|
Inner Dimensions |
13 1/16"
|
13 1/16"
|
2 7/8"
|
- Openings and Lids of Boxes for 12" Discs
The height of the opening of the box should be one quarter of the
height of the box.
The overlap of the lid should be a minimum of 2".
For 16" DISCS |
Length
|
Height
|
Width
|
Inner Dimensions |
18 1/2"
|
18 3/8"
|
2 1/4"
|
- Openings and Lids of Boxes for 16" Discs
The height of the opening of the box should be 3" deep.
The overlap
of the lid should be 4" and the lid should be 7" long.
An examination will be made to determine whether the items comply
with all requirements. The qualities and characteristics which will
be examined include the following:
Testing Inspection
- Materials must pass all composition and performance specifications
stated in "I. General Specifications".
Visual Inspection
- Materials must meet all requirements in "II. Product Requirements".
FAILURE TO MEET ANY OF THE SPECIFICATIONS WILL BE CAUSE FOR
REJECTION.