How To Laminate Cards?

gregory

It was on a roll. Maybe there is a better sort in this world !
 

tarotlyn

:):heart: REGARDING SEPARATION OF CORNERS & GILTING OF EDGES

Just popping back in to give the results of my "GLUE DOTS"...FANTASTIC!!! :):thumbsup:

they are SUPER thin and work perfectly... :heart: LOVE THESE SO MUCH!!!

TIPS:
I found that IF there is 'barely' a separation, then I just forced it open a little more
just enough to put on the glue dot.

Make sure you don't overlap itself...or double any part of it because then it is too thick.
Also, when finished, the corner with the glue dot, will be slightly thicker than
the other 3 corners but is not that much of a problem. And when you shuffle,
is not noticeable at all.

These glue dots are amazing, will not yellow over time, and are very sturdy and
after applying the dots, you can't even tell the card was separated on the corner.

PLUS...there is NO smell, NO glue oozing out, and it only takes SECONDS to fix!

Plus these are under $5 for 252 dots...can't beat that. get the 'ULTRA THIN' GLUE DOTS.

Here is their website: http://www.gluedots.com/products/ultra-thin-glue-dots-sheets.html

As far as gilting of the edges, the company I bought the 'gold metallic ink pad'
and ink from, has it on backorder...so I have to wait on that one...BUT, I think
it WILL work really good on laminated edges and should help to stop the separation of corners.
(then maybe I wouldn't even need the glue dots :bugeyed:...but I have already
used my glue dots on some other things around here.)

For instance: I printed out an extra card to put on the front of my tarot bag...
and I used my glue dots on the back of the card (many as you want) then I
just stuck my card on my tarot bag, and it works beautifully...I like glue dots
better than the 'self-adhesive' roll that comes with the xyron machine...and
glue dots are much less expensive too!!!

:heart: tarotlyn
 

tarotlyn

:):heart: POSTING RESULTS WITH THE GOLD GILTING INK PADS ON LAMINATION:

I just got my new 'StazOn Metallic' (Gold) ink pad and inker...OMG!!! :heart::thumbsup::)

This stuff is so wonderful...I LOVE IT... You just ink the pad according to the directions
and then, taking one card at a time, just tap the card 'edges' down into the pad
a couple of times and then put it on a paper towel to dry the front sides, then turn
over after awhile to dry the backs.

The ink pad that came with mine is like a sponge and when I press the card edges
down into the sponge (with strong pressure a couple of times) it will leave a
very nice antique looking gold border on the backs and the fronts (at the same time)... I LIKE :heart:

Now IF you don't want the gold to make a border on the fronts and backs, then you
would just lightly put the card edges into the ink pad sponge.
(pressing lighter = lighter gilt and pressing harder = thicker gilt)

The gold appearance of this particular brand drys like a very pretty antique gold.
I really like it a lot. I would like to try to find a metallic 'lighter gold' too.
But, this one is really perfect for tarot cards. AND works on lamination like a dream.

The gilting drys really quickly on the cards and is not messy at all except you
will get some of the gold on your right index finger (if right handed) when you
are dipping the cards into the sponge. You must be careful as you work on each
edge of the card because if you hold it wrong you can smear a little gold out of the
slight border area and smudge it on the image of the card. You can wipe any
smudges off with a kleenex or paper towel if you do it quickly before it dries.

My cards are drying right now, so I haven't tried shuffling them yet, but I did
take about 24 of them and put them into a pile and looked at the sides and they
are really old antique looking and gives the deck a very special beautiful look.

I am not sure how well the gold paint will wear on the lamination after using
the cards with shuffling and doing readings. I will come back here and post
the results after a lot of use so you will know if it is worth doing the gilting over
the lamination or not.

I figure that even IF it comes off the lamination on the front and/or the backs
that it still would 'seal' the corners and edges really well. I am pretty sure it will do that.
And if sealed like I think it will, the corners should not separate in the future with
lots of use.

Here is the exact ink and pad that I used:
The metallic ink pads (for plastic) are on this page: (I ordered the gold one)
http://search.store.yahoo.net/yhst-...autodone=http://eclecticpaperie.com/inks.html

When I ordered from them, they sent my glue dots first, and had back ordered
the metallic pad and ink for me...so it took a week longer to get but worth the wait!!!
Oh, and they didn't charge me for shipping because of the wait! so another plus!

I can't wait to try the silver and the bronze metallic pads too!

Adding: I only had to ink the pad about 5 times for the whole deck of 78 cards
(smaller cards though...8 to a page) I am not sure how many decks you could
gilt with this one inker bottle, but I bet it is quite a few decks! It doesn't take
that much ink at all to do the edges!!! :heart:

Oh, and I took some photos for you to see how my experiment came out.
These are of my Anna K deck that I made smaller (8 to a page) and glittered
then and then added the lamination and then the gold metallic gilted edges...yum! :thumbsup::)

You can heck out my photo links below to see how they look:
I think the gold looks much better in person.

Sorry photos came out a little blurry...I need classes in photography...:laugh:

:heart:HUGS
tarotlyn
 

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tarotlyn

:):heart: UPDATE on LAMINATION
(AFTER GOLD METALLIC INK GILTING OF EDGES AND CORNERS)
Used: 'StazOn Metallic' (Gold) ink pad and inker

Today, I gathered my dried deck into a pile and noticed that it is now a little
thicker deck because the gold ink tends to thicken the cards (if you put on a
heavier application of the ink, which I did)

This particular brand and gold color, when dried on the cards, is a darker gold
and looks quite antiqued. From the side, the pile, looks somewhat shiny when
in the light, but not overly. I, originally, just wanted a 'really shiny' gold, but after
seeing this more antiqued look, I absolutely love it for some reason.

It does fluff up the deck, as I said. I was able to shuffle without any sticking or
problems, but you can definitely feel the thicker quality of the gilted cards.
They are not slippery at all and that is apparent when shuffling. The fluffiness
of the cards seemed to make it easier to shuffle because the cards kind of separate
on their own...I used the hand over hand method.

Right now I have a brick on top of this deck, hoping it will smash it down a little.
I will leave it on over night.

Overall I really LOVE my new gilted deck! YAY!!! :party:

I will be back to post more results on 'how well this metallic ink wears on the lamination.'
(after I use the deck for awhile)

:heart:tarotlyn
 

tarotlyn

I am curious as to whether anyone is following this thread regarding 'gilting on lamination?'
Should I keep posting my results?...is anyone really interested? I haven't seen
any question or comment posts lately.

I hope I haven't hijacked the thread :bugeyed:...if I did, I apologize.

...there is more to update regarding 'gilting on lamination'...however I will wait
to see if anyone is really interested in that. :heart:

:heart:tarotlyn
 

LavenderLibra

Oh yes, please keep posting. I read many things with interest, with plans for the future...and then know it is THERE for reference, not just for me, but anyone else who decides to try this!

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! :D
 

tarotlyn

LavenderLibra said:
Oh yes, please keep posting. I read many things with interest, with plans for the future...and then know it is THERE for reference, not just for me, but anyone else who decides to try this!

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! :D

:heart::) Thank you! LavenderLibra! ...and you are right...I do the same thing...

Okay, then, regarding 'gilting on lamination':
Today I took the brick off of my deck and it really made a giant difference...
my deck is really back in line (so to speak! LOL) and not as quite as fluffy...

As to the shine of this 'particular gold' shade...(refer to my previous posts):
How the 'piled deck' looks from the side in different lights:
In neon lighting...it looks really fantastic...more shiny than in natural light.
In lamp light...not as shiny, but still very nice.

I still love this deck (gilted) because it gives it a very finished look and for some
reason, it just makes the deck feel special in your hands.

Regarding dried gilt gold that got smeared accidentally on front card images:
Don't worry too much about the smearing when you are applying the wet gilting
because when dry, you can just take a fingernail and scrape it off gently with
no problem at all. AND you can also scrape it off the 'front' border edges if you
had pressed the card way down into the inking pad sponge (forming a border
on front and back of card)

...SO, since you can scrape it off easily, that tells me that it would probably come
off later on down the line from a lot of usage. (I am speculating here)
BUT then it is really easy to just dab the area on the card (where gilt may get
scraped off) back onto the ink pad for repairing. Or just leave them that way for
an even more antiqued look.

The gilted edges and corners:
The gilt doesn't scrape off the edges or the corners of the card, and that was what
I was after in the first place anyway. I really don't think that these gilted cards
will ever separate (speculating again)...I would be very surprised as I put this
gilting on pretty thick.

Regarding drying the gilt on the cards:
I only left them on one side for a few hours and then turned them over and let
them dry overnight. Then compressed the whole 'piled up' deck with a brick
overnight.

Tonight while I was shuffling the deck and doing a reading...afterwards, I noticed that
my hands were 'slightly' gilted gold too! :laugh:... however they do not feel sticky at all...
...I think that the cards may need a little longer drying time.

Overall my thoughts about gilting over the lamination:
YES...:party:...LOVE :heart: the gilting results...
NOW...I want to order ALL the other colors...:bugeyed: :laugh:
I am imagining 'silver,' 'copper,' and I think their 'platinum' is the lighter gold.

XYRON AND SUPPLIES:
Oh, and a suggestion regarding the xyron machine lamination rolls:
Make sure you don't store your machine or the refill cartridge rolls in the heat!
(they must be kept in a cool area and if possible not over 76 degrees)

Also, when you are nearing the 'end' of the lamination roll, the lamination
doesn't seem to stick as well to your card stock. It may be that my roll was in
my machine for about 2 years before I finally got to the end of the roll...:bugeyed:
I didn't laminate any cards for about a year and just came back to this hobby :party::heart:
It could have gotten hot in the room that I used to keep it all in. For the summer,
it might be a good idea to keep your xyron and supplies in a room that receives cool air.

I will be back at another time to post regarding the ultimate wear of the gilting
over the lamination and also regarding how well the gilt stops the 'separation
of the corners' problem.

:heart: HUGS
tarotlyn
 

Alta

I have been reading and enjoying your adventures in laminating and gilding!
 

Debra

Funny enough, earlier today I was talking to another member who said she was following this with interest as it's obvious that you know what you're talking about and I agree--so yes you have an eager audience.

*ahem* any chance of some more pictures? (Most cameras these days, if you push the shutter button down half way, it will autofocus--it'll "snap" into focus--and then you can push the shutter down all the way)
 

gregory

Debra said:
Funny enough, earlier today I was talking to another member who said she was following this with interest as it's obvious that you know what you're talking about and I agree--so yes you have an eager audience.
That would have been me :D See - I'm here again !
Debra said:
*ahem* any chance of some more pictures? (Most cameras these days, if you push the shutter button down half way, it will autofocus--it'll "snap" into focus--and then you can push the shutter down all the way)
Mine has a little flower setting for "macro" which is good for close up stuff.