"Aging" Decks... Anti-Bling, if you will

GadgetGirl said:

Did you notice there were only 46 cards to this deck?

So this table-edging that you're doing? Is it just rubbing the fronts and backs over the side / sharp edge of a table? (yes I read linked thread, just making doubly sure.) Wouldn't this completely break the fibres of the card?

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Yup, I noticed it's not a complete deck. That might be why there are no bids (at least there weren't last time I checked). It might make a good stage prop, or individual cards could be used in art pieces.

And yup, I rubbed the fronts and backs over the edge of my desk. I think breaking the fibers is the idea? That's the sense I get from the threads that suggest it. I'm sure it will shorten the life of the deck, but I've had this RWS for years and it had never let go of that new-feeling stiffness. Now it's much more pleasant to handle. The U.S. Games mass-produced decks can take the abuse.

I wonder if it really is "vintage".

I'm glad the edging worked well for you! I haven't done any of this to a deck, I just saw no one replied to the original question and wanted to help..now I can't help but follow your progress.

I have wanted to ink the edges of my Merryday, but fear I'll ruin it.

I don't remember if I posted in one of the other threads already, so forgive me if I repeat myself.

I've tea-aged a copy of the Tarot of the Dead (Llewellyn edition). First, I table-edged every card, then I dunked the deck into a cup of strong black tea (slightly warm). Then I spread out the cards on a big towel with no overlap and let them dry.

They ended up looking beautifully and with a very slight warp to them. No stickiness or smells at all. I've attached a picture of the result. The cards at the very left of the picture show the original cardstock (they are the two extra cards which I didn't include in the dunking) so you can see the difference.

That looks amazing, Cat*! I love the warm color the cards picked up from the tea. They really have a vintage look.

SakuraFae, I wondered that too, about whether that was a faux-aging job. I finally decided if someone was going to do that, they'd most likely sell the whole deck and not a partial. It looks like there's still no bids... if it was a full deck I'd be tempted, fake or not!

I've seen some decks where the edges were inked, and to me the results seem really mixed. Some of them had bright color bleeding onto the cards, which I wouldn't want, myself. But I saw some others where the edge-inking looked quite nice. I don't remember the threads exactly, probably the Pimp my Rider thread has some examples though...

ETA: one of the threads on edging (these look quite nice)
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=123610

Just a few pics of the sanding process. I'm using 220 sandpaper meant for wood; it was labeled "very fine" and was the finest available in the limited selection I found at the store I went to.

For anyone wanting to try this, I would suggest using even finer sandpaper than 220. It still feels pretty coarse to me, and it hardly takes any pressure to get right down to the pigment, as you can see in the attached picture named "sandedRWSbackoops". I also do not recommend you hold the card and rub it on the sandpaper's surface: that's how I got that big white spot (you can even see where my fingertips were). Instead, cut a small piece of sandpaper and wrap it around your finger, then very lightly sand in circular motions.

I didn't have the extra cards for this deck or I would have practiced on them. I gave up on the idea of practicing sanding on a poker deck, because I'm sure I won't find one with the same stock and laminate. Still it might have been a good idea... but I don't mind making a few little mistakes. It's not that bad, and it's only a back.

Pardon the slight blurriness of the photos; I didn't bother getting out my tripod for these. After I stain them I will take better pics!

I did end up getting some of the Tim Holtz Distress Ink, in the "Antique Linen" color. "Tea Dye" looked a bit pink, and the store didn't have "Old Paper". I'm eager to see how it works.

ETA: Whoops, that should be "2 staves" not "4 staves"... *facepalm*

^ They look great !

As promised, here is a photo of my Steampunk Tarot aged using a Tim Holtz Distress ink pad in Antique Linen (the same color laura_borealis used in her post above). I used a foam make-up pad. I am using a stamping motion to get get a variety of tones (to make it look realistic).

I hope to complete the deck today.

The original card in white is to the left, and the aged is to the right.

I LOVE the way it looks aged and antiqued!

That looks amazing! It's subtle, too... just a hint of age. You did a great job.

Just a note: My pics are just of sanded cards, so far... I haven't antiqued them yet. That will probably be tomorrow, at the rate I'm going... partly because of some unasked-for help I've gotten! Little paws get into everything!

Attached is also a sanded vs. unsanded pic, for comparison.

@aurarcana: that link goes to a page that says it's an "invalid link". PLEASE try to post it again?? i really want to see what you've done

@laura_borealis: i LURVE the kitty helping pic!!

misfitknits said:

@aurarcana: that link goes to a page that says it's an "invalid link". PLEASE try to post it again?? i really want to see what you've done

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Sorry, I was trying to upload a larger version and deleted it! Here it is and I added it back to the post above.

http://www.tarotforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=46808

I'll post photos of the completed deck later on .

You should show pics to the Steampunk deck creator, aurarcana! I'm sure she'd love to see them.

Thank you misfitknits That's my Janie. She's still a kitten in many ways.