Card care and maintenance

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Jan 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	30 Jan 2002
My Robin Wood deck can probably be classed as overused. I have been using in mostly exculsively for over a year now, and its been through alot. But now its started to show it. The cards themselves are bending upwards vertically, so it makes it a bit difficult to shuffle them. This may've been caused by a certain person *Kiama throws a glance at Malachite ;p * who decided he would riffle my cards instead of lace them! I'm not sure though. My question is, how can I stop this happening even further? How can I get them back to how they were? Kiama

Jeanette	30 Jan 2002
Kiama, I'm no expert, but I would think that once the damage is done, it can't be reversed if this is a deck you plan on still using. What I mean is, perhaps you could restore them using some kind of method antiques dealers, museums, and such would use, but it would be pointless if you'll still be handling them. If it's the corners coming apart in layers, maybe a tiny bit of glue, and then compress the card between heavy books and left overnight to dry. This would be time consuming and probably wouldn't last too long. You could just get a new replacement deck, and offer the used one to overly-energetic shuffling friends ! :)

Thirteen	30 Jan 2002
Quote: Kiama (30 Jan, 2002 18:46): My question is, how can I stop this happening even further? How can I get them back to how they were? I agree with Jeanette. Luckily, this isn't a rare or obscure deck. If it was, then you'd really have a problem. But this deck can be "reincarnated" easily. Remember, the spirit of a really good deck never dies, it just moves into a new pack. Lay the old one to rest with all due ceremony--bury, burn or incinerate it--but have the new one nearby, ready to crack open when you're done. In this way, you can reincarnate your faithful deck, restoring it to the way it was on the day you bought it.

Talisman	30 Jan 2002
'Lo, Kiama, Here's something from an early preface to Rachel Pollack's "Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom." Rachel and her partner went to Europe, and Rachel writes, "We took our cards with us, laying them out on tent floors by candlelight, carrying them in our backpacks through rainstorms and snow until they took on the look of a deck handed down through generations." Now, this is a deck that has been well-seasoned. My Robin Wood deck looks okay, but feels this way, soft and warm in my hands. My first deck, the Aquarian, looks okay, but the edges are warm worn gray and the deck feels soft and shabby. The deck has never been re-ordered, so the very first shuffle-layout when I opened the deck brand-new with excitement is still there. The colors have changed. What was white is now ivory. Order your deck fore-square. Sit your heaviest dictionary on top, and let the deck rest awhile. (If you don't have a heavy dictionary, shame on you!) When you go off to the ends of the world, and can't carry your collection, which Tarot deck are you gonna shove in your pack? Talisman

Butterfly	30 Jan 2002
I've had quite a bit of success on frayed and seperating corners when I use clear nail polish. In fact you can't notice the corners as any different. Just paint them and squeeze them together- it only takes two minutes.

Logiatrix	31 Jan 2002
kiama, that vertical curl is easiliy remedied by simply shuffling (riffling) the deck the opposite direction of the curling. i've had to do this with several used decks. in trading, i don't like to hand over cards that look "beat up", so i've found many ways to fix decks. i have just about every color of felt-tip marker in the spectrum, for instance! nail polish is good, but i find that watered-down school glue (clear) isn't as heavy on the paper. for discolored edges on white cards, try correction fluid ("liquid paper" or "white-out"). a very light oil (almond, olive, etc.) will remove scratches from matte cards. be very careful about what you choose to use for repair when it comes to chemical odors! i have tried glues and markers that left horrible, almost permanent smells on my cards--yuck! also, i've gotten decks with cigarette odor in them, so i baked them in the oven! (low temp, of course!) the heat for about 20 minutes, and handling the cards a lot, makes the smell go away. good luck with your deck!

DeLani	31 Jan 2002
Hey Kiama, My Robin Wood is also my most-used deck. I have used it for almost 10 years now; both personally and at psychic fairs. I'm not exagerrating when I say I have done at least 1,000 readings with it. It is beginning to fray, and looks a lot darker than brand new ones. It is softer and warmer. But I like that. It proves the deck has seen some years; it's been around awhile. Honor it's battle scars and signs of age! But aside from aging, it sounds like there is actual damage - curling up and torn corners results from RIFFLE SHUFFLING. That is why I NEVER NEVER let anyone treat my cards that way. All I can say is try the great suggestions given here; and in the future, don't let anyone treat your cards that way again. (OK, that's my opinion - they're your cards, do what you want :) ) Good luck, DeLani

Pollux	01 Feb 2002
Quote: Thirteen (31 Jan, 2002 09:01): Lay the old one to rest with all due ceremony--bury, burn or incinerate it--but have the new one nearby, ready to crack open when you're done. In this way, you can reincarnate your faithful deck, restoring it to the way it was on the day you bought it. This of Reincarnation sounds intriguing. And I think it's even suited for the Imbolc itself! A Holy Fire, smelly ashes to mourn death, a new deck to celebrate (re-)birth... ;p

Thirteen	01 Feb 2002
Quote: Pollux (02 Feb, 2002 01:19): This of Reincarnation sounds intriguing. And I think it's even suited for the Imbolc itself! A Holy Fire, smelly ashes to mourn death, a new deck to celebrate (re-)birth... ;p What an excellent idea! Imbolc's always gets me in the "spring cleaning" mood. Now you've got me thinking it's long past time to rid myself of some books and decks I bought but never really made use of. Not burn them, but give them away, perhaps, so they'll have a new life with someone else. It's certainly up to Kiama as to whether it's time to let-go of this deck and reincarnate or restore and maintain. Feb. 2, however, would be a perfect day to do either.

Kiama	02 Feb 2002
You guys have put me in quandary. I can hardly see myself letting go of my deck! I don't know why, but I just can't... Howver, n the bookshop about 10 minutes walk away from me, there is another Robin Wood deck looking very *very* tempting! Oh dear... Kiama

Thirteen	02 Feb 2002
Quote: Kiama (02 Feb, 2002 20:09): You guys have put me in quandary. I can hardly see myself letting go of my deck! I don't know why, but I just can't... Howver, n the bookshop about 10 minutes walk away from me, there is another Robin Wood deck looking very *very* tempting! Oh dear... Got a wacky idea here...I warn you, it's radical...but I think you should...do both! :) Keep the old one and buy a new one. The old one can be repaired a bit, then honorably retired to a nice wooden box, and trotted out for only the most mystical and special and important occassions. The new one can take on those jobs that a young, new, hard-working deck should take on. The nine-to-five readings. I'm sure the elder deck will pass onto the younger deck all it's experience and wisdom. How's that sound?

Original Destiny	03 Feb 2002
I ask my clients to cut the cards only. To shuffle them is difficult enough for me let alone someone who is not used to handling TAROT cards. If you feel that you need to replace the deck then go ahead.Personally I could never get rid or destroy an old deck, I retire them. So when you are using your NEW deck ask the client to cut the cards into as many piles as they want then stack them up into one pile. They can do this as many times as they want, thinking all the time of the purpose of the sitting

Briarfoote	05 Feb 2002
Personally, I am a do both kind of person. I find it hard to part with something that I have invested so much time and energy into. It would be like throwing away a sketchbook that was full. :) If it is true that the objects we pick up, handle, cherish, or just carry for some time become imbued with a part of our spirit; the only way to part with something like that would be through an appropriate ritual. Thirteen, I think, has had it correct in both posts. "All due ceremony" or "do both". If you are collecting vote, I vote with the do both. It can remain your special deck - a place of honor, but deserving some rest. Think of it as meditating. :) Oops... I'm rambling again. ----------------------------- My kind of skywriting doesn't require an airplane.

catlin	06 Feb 2002
I also would suggest to give the deck a special place of honour. It has served you well for such a long time and was faithful to you so why not honour it? I still have my old RW althogh it does not look so splendid anymore but I cannot part with it.

Jewel	06 Feb 2002
Quote: Thirteen (03 Feb, 2002 05:55): Quote: Kiama (02 Feb, 2002 20:09): You guys have put me in quandary. I can hardly see myself letting go of my deck! I don't know why, but I just can't... Howver, n the bookshop about 10 minutes walk away from me, there is another Robin Wood deck looking very *very* tempting! Oh dear... Got a wacky idea here...I warn you, it's radical...but I think you should...do both! :) Keep the old one and buy a new one. The old one can be repaired a bit, then honorably retired to a nice wooden box, and trotted out for only the most mystical and special and important occassions. The new one can take on those jobs that a young, new, hard-working deck should take on. The nine-to-five readings. I'm sure the elder deck will pass onto the younger deck all it's experience and wisdom. How's that sound? Well I agree with the keep them both philosophy. I have 2 Robin Wood decks (for other reasons but 2 non-the-less). I now use the "young" deck for most of my studies, and the older deck remains in a wooden chest on my nightstand at my fiance's home. That way I have a deck there at all times ;). To me the original deck (the "older" one) is just incredibly personal so it is "MY" deck, and use it only for me. The "young" deck has taken on the qualities of the "older" deck, but I will use that it in reading for friends. Both of my decks are in excellent condition, but were printed several years apart and the colors are a little darker one deck than the other. Anyway Kiama, I say get a second and keep them both! Love & Light,

tarotbear	07 Feb 2002
WOW! I always riffle my cards! I find that 'riffling' them in the opposite direction helps to flatten them back out.

Geenius at Wrok	07 Feb 2002
What's so awful about riffle-shuffling? My deck is so large and slippery, I simply can't shuffle them any other way. And I've tried several of the ways that people have recommended, including the split-your-deck-in-half-and-mash-the-two-halves-together method, which seems a lot more likely to damage the edges of the cards than a good, clean riffle will.

fairyhedgehog	08 Feb 2002
I can't riffle the cards. I use the 'take half the pack and mash them together' method, combined with the 'take most of the pack and clump it onto the other hand in chunks' method. I never feel like I'm doing it right, whatever I do. All the best, FH PS Look no sig! Will that really speed the board up, do you think?

Liliana	08 Feb 2002
lol that sounds exactly like me fairyhedgehog, i dont feel like Im shuffling them right either, i can even riffle a normal deck let alone a tarot deck, I usually end up mixing them all on the table then picking them up oneby one but it takes sooo long, thats whyI asked how people physically shuffled on the reading tarot board awhile ago but only one person answered.

divinerguy	09 Feb 2002
I'm a swoosher. I put em on the table and swoosh the cards around till they're nice and mixed. Easy on the cards and easy on the reader. Lots of touching of cards, too. Gary

The Card care and maintenance thread was originally posted on 30 Jan 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.