"Defacing" Decks

[Taamar]

For concerns about color bleeding, use an art fixative spray, they come in matte and glossy and may also help a too-slick card stock (here's hoping it'll make the Tarot of Tranformation usable for me!)

I'll be giving my Robin Wood a dye job soon, I didn't know it needed one until I saw the scans and said "YES! That looks better!". I just noticed, also, that on the Wheel of Fortune the happiest girl is the blondest girl.

I may have to circumcise the guy on the lovers as well, because I was born at the tail end of the 'circumcise all boys' mentality and started having kids as the beginning of the 'circumcision is mutliation' mentality... thus all the adult units I've seen are cut and the kids aren't... so my brain has gotten the silly 'uncut = juvenile' connection somehow, and I need the dude on the Lovers to look like an adult.

 

[nisaba]

<laughter> I can just see it - you with the ritual knife, and the Rabbi saying his stuff in the background, holding down a screaming Tarot card ...

 

[sapienza]

Edited to say; One question I wanted to ask, Is ; when you colour in the borders with permanent markers.. when later you shuffle them does the colour come off even when dry onto the other cards.. like wear itself onto them as they are continuosly shuffled..

I am asking this because i may just colour the borders of Ancient egyptian. both back and face of card instead of trimming. I really dont like white borders. but i dont want to make the cards look dirty (if you know what i mean) , if the black ink eventually starts wearing onto the cards..

Well, yes and no. Yes, the black has worn onto the backs of the cards, but I haven't had ANY problems with the fronts at all. So I guess the backs look a bit dirty, but it bothers me far less than how they originally looked. And I've just chekced again and there is no black at all on the fronts of the cards other than the borders. Another thing to mention is that you can see some scratching and wearing on the black borders though, the same as if you buy a deck with black borders (like the World Spirit) they seem to wear pretty badly. It's still been worth it for me though. But in saying that, I don't read with it any more. Also, it is a BIG job, with a lot of potential for disaster, and I'm not sure it's one I'd try on an out of print deck As for fixative sprays, I'd be concerned that would change the feel of the cards too much, would it make them feel thicker?

Oh, I've attached a scan of the backs, so you can see what I mean about the colour transfer.

 

[sapienza]

I just noticed, also, that on the Wheel of Fortune the happiest girl is the blondest girl.

Yes, and I think that speaks volumes about the deck. I actually think that Wheel card is, probably without exception, one of the worst I've ever seen in any tarot deck. It's often the card that makes me think 'why do I even own this deck?'

Anyway, good luck with your dye job Taamar

 

[Dancing Bear]

Well, yes and no. Yes, the black has worn onto the backs of the cards, but I haven't had ANY problems with the fronts at all. So I guess the backs look a bit dirty, but it bothers me far less than how they originally looked. And I've just chekced again and there is no black at all on the fronts of the cards other than the borders. Another thing to mention is that you can see some scratching and wearing on the black borders though, the same as if you buy a deck with black borders (like the World Spirit) they seem to wear pretty badly. It's still been worth it for me though. But in saying that, I don't read with it any more. Also, it is a BIG job, with a lot of potential for disaster, and I'm not sure it's one I'd try on an out of print deck As for fixative sprays, I'd be concerned that would change the feel of the cards too much, would it make them feel thicker?

Oh, I've attached a scan of the backs, so you can see what I mean about the colour transfer.

Thanks Sapienza for your reply.. I do love those backs to your deck.. really nice and bright.. and the black really doesnt make too much difference.

Yes I am also concerned it being an oop deck and i dont want to do too much to them other than read them, BUT!! I am not a white border person..to me they are distracting too much...I may just have to try to get use to the white borders, If not, i will then rethink what i will do with it.. as I do love this deck, and really want this deck to read with. As i do with the druidcraft.

DB xx

 

[Mellaenn]

I actually think that Wheel card is, probably without exception, one of the worst I've ever seen in any tarot deck.

I agree with you...I just got this deck and basically, I like it, but that Wheel of Fortune is hokey!

Anyway, back on topic...I have never written on any of my decks or trimmed them as yet. I bought an extra Voyager for just that purpose but I just can't bring myself to do it. But then, I'm the kind of person that saves the box everything comes in, too, even things that are not tarot decks!

 

[nisaba]

I actually think that Wheel card is, probably without exception, one of the worst I've ever seen in any tarot deck.

You obviously haven't seen scans of the Siamese Fighting Fish in the Power Animals deck.

I like you, so I'm not posting links.

 

[Aerin]

I met a tarot reader in a pub yesterday (NOT the start to a joke , they had a Tarot Reader night and she was it ) and asked her what deck she used. (Just curious.) She showed me her Mythic which she's had since she started and she wrote on every card with what it means to her etc. She said it's the only deck she ever did that with as it was her first deck, and she keeps going back to it no matter how many new ones she gets.

Aerin

 

[gregory]

You obviously haven't seen scans of the Siamese Fighting Fish in the Power Animals deck.

I like you, so I'm not posting links.

You don't have to - it is among the cards shown here. I know this; I did them and was KIND enough to include it !!! It is TRULY vile and if ever a deck deserved to be defaced that one wins hands down. And I do MEAN defaced. In fact - I would say the photos used to create it were defaced in the deck's making.....

Arrggh and that. Why O why oh why.....

 

[Lokismile]

I know someone who has decorated various decks with stickers and the like. As part of a group of decks I bought was a used Universal Rider Waite on which someone had written keywords and notes on most of the cards.

One deck in my collection that darn near demands some altering is the Luciferian Tarot. I don't know if it's intentional or just poor proofing, but there are duplicate numbered Majors and oddly numbered Majors and Minors.

I'd be interested in hearing exactly which cards you changed in the Witchy.

I'd also love to remove the keywords from the Navigators Tarot of the Mystic SEA. While I understand and agree with most of them, some of them make no sense to me. Giving the deck a borderectomy would make it way too small for my tastes. So I just gotta find some kinda way to cover the black text keywords with white (the color of the border) that doesn't add appreciable thickness to the cards....

BTW, you can only "deface" the deck if it's not yours. If you've paid for it, you can do what you like to it. So those would be enhancements....

Rodney

I use the Luciferian as well. I've grown accustomed to the errors, intentional or otherwise. Did you simply mark over them, paint over them, etc? Do you find the alterations distracting (i.e., do you regret doing it)?