Curvature in Decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 17 Feb 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Summerdream	17 Feb 2003
I wanted to address the problem of curvature or slight bending of decks. I'm not talking about decks that are old either, I'm talking about relatively new decks all bought within the past couple of months that when you hold the deck flat in front of you, it is obvious they have a slight bend in the cards. I really don't believe it is the way I am storing them because only some of my decks are affected. I just received the Quest Tarot and Tarot de Paris 2 days ago and while the Quest Tarot has no bend in the cards, the Tarot de Paris cards all have a slight arch to them which is especially noticable when you fan the cards out. I wonder if this has to do with the quality of the cardstock? All my decks are stored in tarot totes and in baskets (not crowded) on my shelf. Like I said, some seem to have awful curves to them and others don't. I'm wondering if most of them already came with curves in them like Tarot de Paris did and I just didn't notice it before. Anyone else notice this problem with particular decks and is there a remedy to flatten them out smoothly? Blessings, Momof3girls

Alex	17 Feb 2003
That's a good question. My spiral deck has this problem, just can't flat it out, it's so irritating.

RedWood	17 Feb 2003
I like the curve...LOL I shuffle..poker style...I bridge the cards, it works out even in the long run.

Phoenix	17 Feb 2003
I usually take the deck in my hands, and bend it in te opposite direction. Or, somethimes, I place it under a very heavy book.

Minos	18 Feb 2003
I run the cards of a new deck over a table edge before using them (thanks Umbrae!) so they'll have that nice homey curvy feeling to them. It also makes them easier to handle and shuffle. My previous deck, which I didn't do this to, got kind of rat-eared from the difficulty of shuffling it properly (sort of like banging two wood blocks together) but this one, more flexible as it is, is holding up much nicer. There's a lesson there somewhere.

Trogon	18 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Momof3girls I wanted to address the problem of curvature or slight bending of decks. I'm not talking about decks that are old either, I'm talking about relatively new decks all bought within the past couple of months that when you hold the deck flat in front of you, it is obvious they have a slight bend in the cards. Hi Momof3girls, Personally, I don't think of this as a "problem"... as others have already mentioned I prefer to have that slight curve in the deck. In fact, if a deck doesn't have said curve, or curves in the wrong direction, I immediately start working on putting the bend in it that I want. For one thing, with the way I shuffle the cards, they have to have a specific curve to them (the center bows upwards when the deck is face down). The other thing is, with this curve to the cards, its easier to pick up the cards off a table. ;)

Summerdream	18 Feb 2003
Alot of you brought up good points about how it makes the deck seem to work better with a slight curve. I looked over my decks again last night and I guess the only ones that seemed awfully curved were the Shapeshifter (which I just got for Christmas) and haven't used too much and the Tarot de Paris which I just got and haven't even shuffled yet. The Shapeshifter seems to have a bow in the middle but when you lay it down flat the opposite ends stick up diagonally. It just bugs me....lol. I'm wondering if this happens more with decks that only have the plastic band in the middle because they don't have their own box. Seems the case with these 2 decks. Anyway, regardless I love all my decks! Blessings, Momof3girls

Khatruman	18 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Momof3girls The Shapeshifter seems to have a bow in the middle but when you lay it down flat the opposite ends stick up diagonally. It just bugs me....lol. I'm wondering if this happens more with decks that only have the plastic band in the middle because they don't have their own box. I understand the bowing effect of which you speak, where the ends diagonal to each other bend up so it seems that they would curl into a rod if it were to continue. This is different from the shuffle curve that others talk about, which is ok and comfortable. I have this curve with my Universal Waite deck, but that one came in a box, so it isn't from the band theory. I am really not sure how this occurs but I may use the Umbrae method with them to at least give a comfortable curve. Peace!

Summerdream	18 Feb 2003
Hi Khatruman! Yes you seem to know the kind of curve I'm talking about. I just did a quick search and found this thread from Tarotlady: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6839&highlight=bending+deck She mentions her cards are folding more diagonally too and the solution seemed to be to keep them in the bathroom while you are taking a shower and then leaving them under a heavy book for a few days. Maybe we should try this on these decks. It seems to have worked for her! Blessings, Momof3girls

Umbrae	18 Feb 2003
Normal playing cards develop ‘bends’ after a while – however many modern Tarot Decks are made with an inexpensive stock, and develop the bends quite early in their lives due to shuffling. So what to do…bend the entire deck in the reverse direction…cut the deck into three piles and complete the cut, repeat 2 more times. Putting your cards into a steamy environment is not recommended, moisture works its way into the cards, helping to delaminate them quicker – smooges become sticky…keep thy cards dry! Personally, I like my cards to have ‘bends’ in them.

Summerdream	18 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae So what to do…bend the entire deck in the reverse direction…cut the deck into three piles and complete the cut, repeat 2 more times. Thanks for the wonderful suggestion Umbrae! Blessings, Momof3girls

Emily	18 Feb 2003
I think the bends might happen when the plastic wrap gets put around them. My Crystal tarot (LS) has a slight curve and so has my Universal Waite - these are the only two decks that I have that are bent. The only other thing I noticed is that with these decks there is a little space left over in the box even when the LWB is in there too so the cards don't get squashed into their cardboard boxes but they don't get flattened either. :)

JPT	19 Feb 2003
The "bends" happen in the final processing of the cards. 1. All porous materials contain some degree of moisture from the environment. Printing ink adds some extra moisture and then the drying of the inks remove it. The print process is a series of wetting and drying stages. After each step the paper will readjust to the atmospheric moisture whever it is kept. The "hot pressed" paper stocks used in most cards have a smoother surface and generally less residual moisture. Still it IS paper. 2. After each side is printed and heat dried there is some variance in the shrinkage of the surfaces of each side and some of this depends on the "ink load" on each surface. Black tends to create a thicker coating than other colors. 3. Then (and this is where the problems arise) each side is coated on a different press with a varnish to make the cards last longer than if printed on ordinary paper stocks. The varnish is hardened with a passage through a drier and then coated on the other side. That varnish coating is also heat dried. The results are roughly similar to wood that is heated on one side but not the other - it shrinks and "cups" upward towards the heat. Heavier paper stocks are not as prone to this problem but they also have a thicker edge whick makes it harder to slide the cards together when shuffling. What to do?

Phoenix	20 Feb 2003
TeeHee! I tried the method of putting the deck in a damp room, and flattening it under something heavy. It really worked! My MArseille deck isn't as curved anymore.

cramnhoJ	23 Feb 2003
Having this problem myself. My Robin-Wood didn't have this problem, because it had loose plastic packaging when I bought it, plus its box was different, opening like a chest. However my Thoth had a box slightly bigger in width than the cards and the lwb had a smaller width than the cards, resulting in the cards being bent even when they were still new. I was thinking of one by one ironing them, then immediately putting the card in a book page to straighten them. Anyone tried this??

Astraea	23 Feb 2003
Alas, I have tried that and it didn't work for me. I have noticed lately that many, many decks are warped from the get-go (curled diagonally), and my husband, who is a printmaker, confirms JPT's statements about the problem being related to inks, drying time, heat and packaging. I have tried putting cards between pieces of fabric to protect them and then ironing them, and it didn't work. Maybe others have had better luck, though. Astraea

Rivvov	24 Feb 2003
Well, when I store my tarot deck without pouch, I cross the rubber band. I use the thinner, stretchier one, let it go around the deck one way, and then twist it before wrapping it around agan, so the band goes both vertically and horizontally. Keeps it from bending and also keeps the cards from slipping fromt he rubber band. But what works best is I wrap it in a plain piece of cloth. Fold it up, tuck it in, works great!

The Curvature in Decks thread was originally posted on 17 Feb 2003 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.