OH NO! Help my bending babies!!

Little_Sparrow

My first ever deck (3 years old there abouts) my oh so very beloved Gilded Tarot deck is getting a backwards arch!

Its making them really hard to shuffle and I'm worrying about them falling apart if I do too much of the wrong thing to straighten them. These cards have my psychic energy all over them and I don't wanna do anything that's gonna tear them up!

The entire time I was learning I kept reading that they shouldn't be stored in their boxes that they should be kept in a natural material (like cotton) so I've been wrapping them up in a cotton bandana ever since I got them (which is what the books suggested).

So, with so many of you here on AT being much more experienced than I and even those of you who aren't may have dealt with this - any suggestions on how I can 'straighten them out' before they become impossible to work with!

AND
How can I prevent this tragedy from happening with my other decks??

Your help is much appreciated! I thank you!!

KMilliron

Try flipping them the other way and shuffling a bit?

Little_Sparrow

KMilliron said:
Try flipping them the other way and shuffling a bit?

Hmm - that is a thought

Manda

I don't riffle shuffle too much, but when I do, I shuffle all the cards face up for a while, then face down for the last couple passes. Keeps them on the straight and narrow.

Edited to say- Oh yeah, like KM said...

Barleywine

Little_Sparrow said:
My first ever deck (3 years old there abouts) my oh so very beloved Gilded Tarot deck is getting a backwards arch!

Its making them really hard to shuffle and I'm worrying about them falling apart if I do too much of the wrong thing to straighten them. These cards have my psychic energy all over them and I don't wanna do anything that's gonna tear them up!

The entire time I was learning I kept reading that they shouldn't be stored in their boxes that they should be kept in a natural material (like cotton) so I've been wrapping them up in a cotton bandana ever since I got them (which is what the books suggested).

So, with so many of you here on AT being much more experienced than I and even those of you who aren't may have dealt with this - any suggestions on how I can 'straighten them out' before they become impossible to work with!
AND
How can I prevent this tragedy from happening with my other decks??

Your help is much appreciated! I thank you!!

You might try the same thing dealers do in playing card games when a deck is slightly warped and won't shuffle cleanly:

Hold the deck sideways in both hands with the "bow" (convex side) toward you and your fingers on the concave side away from you, place both thumbs near the center of the deck and bend it gently away from you, exerting light pressure. Repeat this until the deck is straight enough to shuffle. You can also grasp the deck between thumb and fingers of one hand along the long edge with the index finger knuckle against the "bowed" back, then put the thumb and forefingers of the other hand along the short edge and push the deck a few times against the knuckle of the first hand (it should behave something like a car leaf-spring). Unfortunately, if the deck has taken a "set," you will most likely have to do this every time you use it. This could also be done one card at a time but you run the risk of creasing them. Personally, I wouldn't.

Little_Sparrow

Manda said:
I don't riffle shuffle too much, but when I do, I shuffle all the cards face up for a while, then face down for the last couple passes. Keeps them on the straight and narrow.

Edited to say- Oh yeah, like KM said...

How do you shuffle then? Just wondering. I know many do it differently so...

Little_Sparrow

Barleywine said:
You might try the same thing dealers do in playing card games when a deck is slightly warped and won't shuffle cleanly:

Hold the deck sideways in both hands with the "bow" (convex side) toward you and your fingers on the concave side away from you, place both thumbs near the center of the deck and bend it gently away from you, exerting light pressure. Repeat this until the deck is straight enough to shuffle. You can also grasp the deck between thumb and fingers of one hand along the long edge with the index finger knuckle against the "bowed" back, then put the thumb and forefingers of the other hand along the short edge and push the deck a few times against the knuckle of the first hand (it should behave something like a car leaf-spring). Unfortunately, if the deck has taken a "set," you will most likely have to do this every time you use it. This could also be done one card at a time but you run the risk of creasing them. Personally, I wouldn't.

Yes, I have bent them a few times I just don't know what kind of damage that will do if any. Its just so sad lol.

Barleywine

Little_Sparrow said:
How do you shuffle then? Just wondering. I know many do it differently so...

I don't riffle shuffle either, just hand-over-hand, thoroughly. I would think the riffle would bend them more than just sliding them flat. With the oversize Thoth deck, I lay them on the table-top and mix them around with both hands (but this can cause bent corners if you're not careful).

Barleywine

Little_Sparrow said:
Yes, I have bent them a few times I just don't know what kind of damage that will do if any. Its just so sad lol.

If the lamination is sound (no cracking or delamination, no frayed edges) it shouldn't cause a problem if repeated regularly. Just keep a sharp eye out for any early signs of delamination. You might also suspend the deck, bowed side up, between a couple of books and put a weight on it (just heavy enough to bring it straight), then leave it there for a while.

Manda

Little_Sparrow said:
How do you shuffle then? Just wondering. I know many do it differently so...

I usually sort into piles randomly, then pick the piles up randomly, to get a good randomization, then lots of overhand. I cut the deck in three piles and gather them back up. It works for me. Although it takes longer to shuffle my decks stay in good shape, which matters to me. I tried not acting so "precious" about my mass market Legacy of the Divine, riffle shuffling away, but the edges got tatty pretty fast and I did not love the deck as much. My OCD thing :laugh: