gilded tarot-anybody know if its made in china?

HearthCricket said:

It sounds like you are going to have a difficult time with tarot decks. The lamination on some USG decks are heavy, like the Radiant Rider Waite, but I have no problems with most of the other decks. And the Gilded is by Llewellyn, so that is a completely different publisher. Do any decks by LS or Magic Realist Press bother you? Are you allergic to other things? My husband is allergic to certain inks. It never fails that he sneezes while reading the newspaper! I would say put them in a ziplock bag with some incense, but not sure how you would handle the incense, either.

Click to expand...

i don't have problems getting rid of the scents its the intital opening of the package that really gets me, even one sniff makes me so ill i get flu like symptoms.

That most definately sounds like you have an allergy for certain inks or laminate. Maybe you can let someone else open the package for you and first get rid of that smell. Or try and find out exactly what you are allergic to.
Personally, with what you describe, I certainly wouldn't try the Lo Scarabeo decks, they always smell very strongly when you open them first. IMO at least.

I've had some new decks with an intense smell too; I just lay them all out on a floor or table, preferably somewhere I won't be much, close the door and burn some Nag Champa. After a few days, the smell seems to be better.

Bodhran

I had this with the Thoth deck.

But at the same time, I know that I am very sensitive to certain smells. I suffer from hayfever and also rhinitis. There are certain smells that I can't stand, and they instantly give me a headache, I am like that with certain perfumes, the paint you use for painting houses, also the new car smell sets me off too. So, I know what causes mine. For you, no idea, might be the same thing.

It's not illegal inks it is the varnish or aqueous coating .... just leave them out in another room for awhile and the smell will dissipate. They were printed and cut and boxed in a very short period of time and varnish or Aqueous coatings are very smelly and didn't have a chance to walk away.

You can also spread the deck out in a shirt size gift box with a couple dryer fabric softener sheets. I did this with a deck that I got off e-bay that had a strong smoke smell. I forgot about it for a week or so and when I remembered to open it, the smell was gone. You might want to try that with your new decks to get rid of the smell.

karen

That's a good idea. I recently bought two Sonia Choquette oracle decks from Hay House that make your eyes water, the solvent-y smell from the coating is so strong (one more so than the other).

Oh yeah, I traded my Radiant mostly because of the smell - but I didn't really like the super glossy finish either. I replaced it with a pocket Universal and couldn't be happier with it!

Anyway, I am terribly allergic to many "smells" - air fresheners and perfumes and soaps and the like. Initially I thought it was the smell, but realize now that it's chemicals. I get the same reaction as you gorgeousbutterfly, congestion, headache (actually go into migraines from it). I counteract it somewhat by taking antihistimines (sp? LOL like Benedryl and Claritin) because it is so disabling to me that I could not go to Wal-Mart!

My suggestion to you with the cards is to put them into a sealed container with a cup of baking soda in it - in a cup or something, not on the cards! It may absorb the odor like it does in the fridge. A cup of vinegar might do it too, but the moisture might warp your cards and then they might smell like vinegar. After that you might find a place to let them air out a bit. If you can't get the smell out and it really bothers you, you will just have to decide if it is worth it to keep them or not.

Good luck - I feel your pain!

For people who are terribly allergic to the scents of new decks, maybe a solution would be to try to stick to trading for decks here that have the new smell gone off of them. That would mean waiting extra long for decks, of course, but it might be a solution. Or else have a friend who is not allergic order decks and spread them out somewhere at their house till the smell is gone.

For those of you with horrendous allergies, you could try acupuncture (I recommend Japanese-style, if you can find it), or you could find an NAET practitioner (they work specifically with allergies). I can't vouch for your results, but it would be worth a try...