Be careful when storing tarot cards in wood boxes from India

catlin

Oh, having a box shining like Baltic Amber sounds great! I am wondering if one of those funny new magic sponges might be of any use on my box. I have not tried such a sponge (I always thought they only work to remove kids drawings from wallpapers), but maybe I will try it on my box.
 

Emily

Hi Catlin,

I had my Diamond nearly ruined by one of these boxes a long time ago, I posted on it at the time. I thought it was safe inside the box and I went to get it out and found that the bottom of the deck box and one white extra card had been stained yellow. I was lucky it hadn't gone through to the deck proper but I took all my decks out of boxes and don't use them now at all.
 

Greywoolfe

I have two of these Shesham boxes- one in traditional Indian carvings that holds my crystals, and one that's carved with leaves and seeds, that holds my cards. I've noticed that the wood has a high tannin content and is naturally very oily, but that's all part of the woods' beauty to me. My decks are kept in silk bags within the box, and so far I haven't experienced any problems with them..
 

catlin

Thanks guys,
So I have learned my lesson with the Shesham boxes. I will never put cards in them without a lining or putting them in some simple baggy.
 

Savvy

Where would you get these boxes anyway? I'm having touble finding a box for my deck--the box it came is starting to fall apart.
 

Marua

Re: shesham boxes

You can usually find them in metaphysical stores, or maybe in home decorating stores specializing in asian furniture and artefacts. They are also available online at various websites.
Some with brass details, or engraved.

P.S: I also have a shesham trunk, I use to keep magazines and catalogs in, and it smelled horrible on the inside when I bought it. So now I'm doing a heavy makeover on it. :D
 

Shina

Fulgour said:
The wood is called "Shesham" and it is a kind of Teak~
it's very durable and and can be cleaned and restored
with good results. Some I've left with a raw finish look.

I've seen some of these boxes around too, though I use only cloth bags for my cards.

I once had a jewellery box made of Sheesham (I guess its the same wood we are talking about here). These boxes sure need to be cleaned before use.

Fulgour said:
I think they use brown shoe polish to finish them

Its not a shoe polish but the wood polish stains out of some boxes.

Authentic and good quality ones however do not have these issues and are ready to use.
I let my Dad do this stuff as he can identify these stuff better than I can.


catlin said:
I don't know what kind of wood the box was made of, I am not sure if it would be real Santal wood, it does not smell like that).

Ahh how much I wish to buy an authentic Sandal Wood box for my cards but they are way too expensive for me right now.

Btw, Sandal Wood stuff are the ones that are faked most... with ordinary wood and some perfumed paint to make it smell of sandal.
 

blackroseivy

About FABRICS (such as felt & silk): the stains will soak through!! For REAL protection, you'll have to use non-porous plastic!
 

Fulgour

remove any soaky residue

danubhe said:
About FABRICS (such as felt & silk): the stains will soak through!! For REAL protection, you'll have to use non-porous plastic!
I just saw this here, so if I may I'd like to add a quick comment. ;)
The felt I use is high quality and readily available at hobby shops.
I have even tested it in water to make sure that it is colour fast.

To avoid such stains one must clean the wood, and easy does it.
But you can tell when you've removed any danger just by testing
with a kleenex or rag... Going to work "hands on" will do the trick.