Warped and twisted deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 27 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

similia	27 Jan 2005
I recently got a brand new deck (Romani) and although it was fine when I opened it, a couple weeks later it is starting to warp/twist. It's not been wet, or damaged or hardly even used. I assume its partly due to the production materials, as no other decks I have have done this (except with my Mythic Deck, which is larger and pretty shabby thin cardboard and took years instead of days) Is there something that can be done to prevent this? Can it be better stored, flattened etc..? I've had it in a wooden box (felt lined), where I often store new decks while I get used to them. This is a fairly humid area at the moment (summer with some rain) but not extreme. Does anyone know what the best way to store a deck is (from an archival perspective). I recently heard even the old silk wrap is a bad idea. Thanks in advance

Dark Inquisitor	27 Jan 2005
I don't know about archival methods, but when I moved I wrapped my decks in small plastic bags and then taped them tightly around the midpoints to prevent warping. This is good if you know you will not be using a deck for a long time. I had an old IJJ Swiss deck from the 70's that I bought used, and it came warped . I turned each card face to face and bagged and taped it as described above, and then weighted it down. Sort of causing the warp to fight itself. It takes time, but it will straighten eventually. However, it may always have a tendency to revert. Just shuffling your deck against the warp will help too.

Fulgour	27 Jan 2005
Paper is composed of wood fibres, which retain the qualities which they manifested during life. Wood has a memory, and fibre still behaves according to its nature. Get a feel for how the cards are behaving, handle them to experience how they are attempting to align as a group, and then gently ply them, flexing the whole pack, to allow it to expand its inner energy.

Cerulean	27 Jan 2005
No warping in a relatively cool home or a trunk of a car, in a bag... but your humidity at present sounds a little intensive. Do you have a box safe for storing photos? They also have inks, paper and qualities similar to cards and storing your cards in a similar photo-safe way might help prevent further problems... The link below is one of many when I was trying to find suggestions on google to 'prevent paper or book warping'... "Keep smaller items together in good quality envelopes and folders." I store things actually in plastic storage units that have some air ventilation and if there are covered lids in a storage closet, I actually don't pop lids closed, but stack them loosely...but the boxes don't have a lot of weight in them either. Sometimes I'll pop an unused deck in a good envelope; from what I remember, the Buckland Romani box and the little white box were too flimsy for me, so I used a manilla envelope for the book and cards. If your bookshelf stores books and other items safely, you might want to put the cards in a manilla or photo-safe envelope and then store it away from direct sunlight on one of the shelves. I took a warped, old deck I got for free, then I made out of thick Xmas wrapping paper an original and tighter 'case' for cards--but then any old stationary box that stores envelopes and paper well might also work for you. Maybe even a good paper bag? Anyway, I put the deck under thick books and after awhile, it lies flatter. Here's a small link to some storage suggestions. http://www.beckhambooks.com/home/care.htm Or here: I found such items cheaper at a 'drugstore' or stationary/office supply: http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=60196&CATID=60437 Best of luck in your solutions! Regards, Cerulean

similia	28 Jan 2005
Ah, thank you all for your suggestions. I had tried reversing some of the cards, however the warp seems to be contagious, and they all changed to warp the same way! I've got a heavy box on top at the moment, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully when the weather turns things will improve... I'll look at the storage containers locally too. A photography supplier sounds like a great place to start. I have had them in the wood box on my bookshelf next to my bed, so I can quickly grab them. Fulgour's suggestion of gently plying them sounds good too, maybe also some general use will loosen them up. Worst case scenario it will add to the character of the deck. (My whole experience with this deck has been geared towards "nature". When deciding to purchase them another deck suggested "The Empress" as the gift they would bring me. I quite like the idea of the deck hanging on to its beginnings as a tree in that context)

Kit	28 Jan 2005
Similia, when I read "warped and twisted deck" I though this was some weird deck that you a) Couldn't connect to or b) A strange deck with freaky images :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Thought it was quite funny... ...That said, have you tried industrial stength, super, incredibly wide rubber bands? I'd put three around the deck and leave them for a while, perhaps in a cool cupboard. Kit

Dark Inquisitor	28 Jan 2005
I have found that rubber bands can deteriorate and stick, and/or cause grooves in the sides of the cards so I can't recommend using them.

similia	28 Jan 2005
Kitty Fisher wrote: Similia, when I read "warped and twisted deck" I though this was some weird deck that you a) Couldn't connect to or b) A strange deck with freaky images :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Thought it was quite funny... ...That said, have you tried industrial stength, super, incredibly wide rubber bands? I'd put three around the deck and leave them for a while, perhaps in a cool cupboard. Kit I thought a provocative title, might get me a few more lookers, so I went with it. Sorry to dissappoint you. (This isn't the first time I"ve used this tactic on this forum ;) ) I have been warned about the rubber bands however. As Dark Inquisitor points out it may cause worse problems. I did have rubber band around one of my other decks, but it was wrapped in fabric first, so I guess less of a problem.

Alta	28 Jan 2005
I use fabric wraped rubber bands for several of my decks without problem. That is, the one which come without separte boxes. works fine. I also read posts where using rubber bands, not the wrapped kind, have caused severe problems as they can deteriorate over time and bond with the cards!

Cocobird55	28 Jan 2005
You might try fanning the cards out and putting them under a couple of telephone books for awhile. Sue

tarotlova	30 Jan 2005
Have you tried ironing them? I store all my tarot decks in brightly colored foil covered carboard boxes that I get at the Reject shop! I've never had a problem with them warping no matter how long they have been in there.

RedMaple	30 Jan 2005
I would stay away from plastic bags, as they will increase humidity. With all textiles, and wood is a textile, plastic storage containers are discouraged because they promote decay. On plastic-coated cards, this may not be true. I have some warped cards, I just keep shufflling them against the warp and they are starting to straighten out.

similia	02 Feb 2005
Thank you all for your help! I stored my deck spread out on a desk under phone books for the week, ruffled so they are face to face against the bend. The weather is now a bit dryer (not any cooler though!), and between the two they are now straight again. I have a great new bag for them to live in and I'll be sure to keep them well out of moistures way in the future. Cheers :D

The Warped and twisted deck thread was originally posted on 27 Jan 2005 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.