Any luck 'aging' US Games decks?

[Hedera]

I am so sad to hear that with the Joie the Vivre, US Games has gone back to their old(ish) ways of slick, slippery, thin, plasticky cardstock....


There are several US Games decks in my collection that I would love to use, but every time I pick them up and try to shuffle them, I am fysically put off by the feel of the cards.

Still, US Games have published some lovely decks with that unfortunate cardstock, like the Fantastical Creatures tarot and now the Joie the Vivre.
I keep wanting to buy that last one, but I keep being put off by the thought of having another one of those tempting-but-useless decks!


So, I was hoping that anyone has found a way to make the cards 'age' a little bit, gracefully; perhaps to make them feel less slick, to make them stick together just a tiny bit more with shuffling.


I've tried with the Fenestra: I've spent weeks shuffling it every evening (can't do riffle-shuffling, especially not with those kinds of cards, so I shuffle hand-over-hand) for an hour or so, but it didn't seem to make any difference.
With the Transformational, I've tried sliding them over the edge of a table, forcefully, in all directions.
Still - nothing.

The only thing is, if you ever do get a grain of sand or something in between the cards while shuffling, that gives them the most unsightly and horribly noticeable scratches!
I don't want scratches though: I'm looking for age, patina, silkyness instead of plastic.


Any ideas?

I do really like the looks of the Joie de Vivre, and it would be lovely to use during the upcoming dark weeks, but that horrible lamination....


I might just get it and start experimenting with, I don't know: paint thinner, salt water, nail polish remover, lemon juice, brimstone and treacle, anything - but if anyone knows of a better idea I would LOVE to hear it!

 

[Zephyros]

I know the feeling, I haven't bought any decks recently, but I have a few that are too slick to shuffle, plus I'm a clumsy shuffler anyway, so that compounds it, and that's one of the reasons I dislike LS decks. But there's nothing I can think of that would do that.

What about placing them face down in the sun? not for long, just an hour or something like that. Just throwing around ideas, I'm not sure if that's even a good one. Noothing wet, though, I doubt the cards would survive it.

 

[MareSaturni]

The lamination you are talking about is the extra-sticky one US Games has started to use during the last few years, right?

If that's so, I only found one way to soften it - use use use the deck.

Really, no powder, no tricks. You have to sit down and shuffle your deck whenever possible. If you know how to riffle-shuffle, you should try this too... it's good to 'break' the stiff cards.

It seems to me that these slightly shuffle-worn decks last more than the pristine ones, because the cards slide easily against each other when you are using the deck. And because the cards aren't so stiff anymore, they get less bent if you happen t come across a rough-shuffler sitter.

Almost all my super-slicky USG decks are very comfortable to shuffle nowadays, due to the extra shuffling work. Shuffle your deck at the bus stop, in front of the TV, as you wait in the line... from all tricks people shared here on AT, I found that shuffling and using the deck is the best way to get rid of any stiff-n-sticky lamination.

 

[Hedera]

Cheers Closrapexa!

Sunshine is a good idea actually; when and if we do manage to get some here, that is...
The power of sunshine to (partially) break down plastics etc can be quite amazing!
But liquid on these cards would not be a problem, either. As long as you don't soak them in it (the edges are vulnerable, the flat sides aren't) they do withstand quite a lot.

Too much, really....


Marina, yes, I'm talking about the decks printed in Italy; but they are not sticky (at least not the ones I have so far: Radiant RWS, Fenestra, Transformational, Fantastical Creatures) but rather the opposite, incredibly slick and slippery.
They are virtually impossible to shuffle because they are *so* slippery - cards keep spilling all over the place.

And I've shuffled the Fenestra more than I've shuffled any other deck ever, but it's not make a lick of difference so far...
That's the trouble with these decks: they do not seem to get worn in. They might get damaged, but that's another thing.

 

[nisaba]

I am so sad to hear that with the Joie the Vivre, US Games has gone back to their old(ish) ways of slick, slippery, thin, plasticky cardstock....

I'm thinking very fine sandstone to score the laminate, then perhaps if that isn't enough, doing the whole Umbrae method after they have become less waterproof due to the sanding.

 

[Hedera]

Nisaba, yes, I might have to resort to something like very fine steel wool... I'm a bit afraid to, though!

If I can find the spare cards for the Fenestra and the other decks, I should have something to experiment on: I figure two sides of the card, and maybe I can divide each card in half as well, so that each would give me 4 different areas for various experiments...

And now I'm suddenly thinking: I've looked into de-scratching vintage watch glasses (ones from the USSR, that were made of acrylic); people have successfully used toothpaste and Brasso for that, rubbing out scratches and restoring the surface.

I might give that a try!

 

[SilverSquirrel]

Bending and softening against the edge of a wooden cabinet worked well to age a marseilles deck of good card stock, one of the fancy new renditions. But I wanted to warn you not to make the mistake I did, which ruined the deck so badly I had to throw it away! Coffee staining. Forget coffee staining. I thought I was being clever but the Fool struck again.

I hope you have better luck.

 

[Laura Borealis]

After trying several methods, I'm convinced that aging is hopeless with U.S. Games decks.

 

[Tuilirose]

I wonder if Resin powder, like dancers use to keep their toe shoes from slipping, would work?

 

[Bhavana]

send them to me. I love them stiff and hard, not soft and floppy.

I don't know why I don't have any trouble shuffling these decks - my hands aren't small, but they aren't big either....I just do hand over hand for a minute or two, usually vertically since the cards are a little too wide sometimes. I don't riffle because I don't want the decks to lose that substantial crispness. While I could live without the shininess, I love the card stock of most of the USGames decks.

Well, thank goodness there are so many decks and different publishers to choose from.