talkmagic.co.uk

first post, so small intro: 24, always liked magic but only within the last six months or so started putting in the groundwork to learning it; specifically cards. while i enjoy all types of magic the branch im only really interested in learning is card magic, not least because i cant afford to keep up with the latest trend in street magic props. so anyway, a stack of bikes and an assortment deck later im particurlary fond of the ambitous card, still practising my sleights and flourishes, and testing other tricks to add to the repertoire.

so back on topic: for cards that have some subtle warpings/bends but aren't quite ready for the sticky-deck-drawer, whats a good technique for flattening them? im guessing technique may vary here from different types of cards.

Get a card clip. The Porper clip is highly spoken of, but is expensive. The Ellusionist clip is less expensive but looks cool (then again, it is not as good a clip as the Porper clip, but, hey - it looks cool).

Or, press them in a book at the end of the day.

Mike.

A press. You can buy one ment just for cards, buy a regular press, or make a make-shift one.

flower press from toy shop.

I was actually quite surprise to see how well a card clip worked.

I got a regular one and it really does help keep the cards in good nick.

I think card clips are excellent. I have cheap steel one which I use to keep my practice pack flat. It also keeps the box from falling to bits.

I too was worried about warped cards in presentation until I assigned one deck for practice and one for presentation which meant my presentation deck stayed naturally flat due to less usage.

the Porper clip is far superior to the remainder of cheapies from the likes of 'E' and IMO it's money well spent.

Buy a cheap chopping board from somewhere like Asda or Walmart if in the States. You can pick them up for around £3.00. Put the cards underneath (not in the box), add a big weight and they will soon flatten out nicely.

cheers for the replies guys. from the recommendations here and other reviews the porper clip sounds like a decent purchase. plus it looks pretty sexy.

can anybody tell me whats the max recommended number of cards to have in the card box when using the clip? 52/54/56? room for a couple of Dbackers would be nice after ditching the advertising cards.


nice chryles, i google imaged 'flower press' - looks like a good idea. two planes of wood and some wing nuts, pretty simple too. will keep an eye out for one.

You just don't want it getting stuck. After cards get really old and puffy (you know what I mean, right?) I can barely fit a 52 card deck into it. On the other hand, a slick, thin, new deck of Tallys slide into the clip without receiving very much pressure.

If you want to put many extras in, make a bigger box.

Back when I was a card-a-holic, I was wearing out one or maybe two decks a day, just practicing.

I found that it was MUCH easier to just resign them to the great Card Graveyard in the wardrobe, and start with a fresh deck.

When performing for real, I would recommend a fresh deck absolutely—unless it's a special deck, in which case I would always recommend getting a couple (i.e. the ID or Svengali).

Card clips are fine, so are presses, but it's so hard to get the non-oiled, clean-edged and crisp as a fresh Iceberg Lettuce feel back to a deck. A new deck is the way to go, ideally.

But for preservation, a card clip is definately a great investment... not only does it keep your deck safe from dents, dings and wear in transit, but it does indeed help keep them flat.

However—serious bends or 'damp' and 'oily' warping can never be cured out of a card.

And also bear in mind that doing lots of flexing, i.e springing, riffling etc. will weaken the fibres in the card anyway, in which case they lose their 'memory' for being flat.

So true!

I hot shot cut a card from a brand new opened pack of Tallys into a jug of water (a cracking shot) about a month ago and after many attempts to flatten it decided to use it as a crimped card instead.

Hm. I have access to a carpenter's vise. Reading this thread has given me some ideas for my old cards...I wonder how much pressure they can take? Really, this vise is serious - i've crushed metal, golf balls, you name it.

orubap wrote:can anybody tell me whats the max recommended number of cards to have in the card box when using the clip? 52/54/56? room for a couple of Dbackers would be nice after ditching the advertising cards.

What I like to do is insert a couple of cards (3-4) between the cellophane wrapper and the box. I just rip of the top part of the wrapper then leave the bottom for storing DB'ed and any other gaffed cards I need.

As for the card clip you can only get about 2 extra (maybe 4 with a new deck) extra cards into the clip.

But like Seige said about warped cards- I just open a new pack. We get posts often about bent / damaged cards and how to repair them. Nothing will ever get them back to their original glory. For the sake of £1.50 and a lot less hassle I just open a new pack.

I think a practice deck and a fresh deck for performance is the way to go.

I keep my practice deck in a card clip I got from NUMS and a porper clip for my performance deck. Im considering in the future sometime getting a porper clip for my practice deck too, might preserve them