Cards that CAN and CANNOT be soaked?!

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

Both 1914 and 1915 CJs soak - no problems

Will soaking a 1914 help w/the caramel stains? I've always been nervous since they are so thin, fragile, and sometimes brittle.

[Beatles Guy]

I just soaked a '34 Goudey. Came out nicely.

[joeadcock]

I soaked an Old Judge and came out without problem, but only one

[eliminator]

Do m101-2 sporting news supplements soak to remove cardboard backing?

[autograf]

Add

N28 A&G
N284 Buchner Gold Coin

To the mix........

[matthew]

successfully soaked several Zeenuts to remove paper on back

[hshrimps]

I soaked two T3 before

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

Will soaking a 1914 help w/the caramel stains? I've always been nervous since they are so thin, fragile, and sometimes brittle.

No it doesn't help. Ive noticed that they can be lightened by additional means involving cotton balls and q-tips but it also removes ink and lightens the card. The biggest danger when soaking the 1914s is creasing the wet card in transport, have yours ducks in a row and don't freak out when its a 4-figure HOFer that's in Ex condition but glued to a scrapbook...he'll look sweet when its done.

[smtjoy]

Exhibits soak fine but be careful with the Red, Yellow and Pink tints as they can bleed off and/or onto other areas of the card.

E93's soak ok but I did have a slight bleed on a red area on one card (check his belt and glove).

[chaddurbin]

Originally Posted by smtjoy

Exhibits soak fine but be careful with the Red, Yellow and Pink tints as they can bleed off and/or onto other areas of the card.

E93's soak ok but I did have a slight bleed on a red area on one card (check his belt and glove).

thanks for the info scott. now i know why i sometimes see e93s with those pink hues. will just assume they've been soaked going forward

[Theo_450]

Originally Posted by smtjoy

Exhibits soak fine but be careful with the Red, Yellow and Pink tints as they can bleed off and/or onto other areas of the card.

E93's soak ok but I did have a slight bleed on a red area on one card (check his belt and glove).

Do you think this card would have graded lower before a soak? What do you think it would have graded?

[smtjoy]

Originally Posted by Theo_450

Do you think this card would have graded lower before a soak? What do you think it would have graded?

The card had something stuck on the back so the soaking worked great as it came off with no residue left, I think they had just used a flour and water based paste. The down side was the bleed on the front, the front was better prior to the soak.

[tbob]

I would NEVER soak an E94 and probably not an E98.
I have had E94s sent to me through the years in rigid holders that literally exploded when I tried to remove them from the holders. Not just from one seller either. They have a tendency to have large color "flecks" come off the cards. I don't know why but that is one of the reason every E94 and E98 I own is in a slab.

[T205 GB]

Koester bread cards soak well

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

Will soaking a 1914 help w/the caramel stains? I've always been nervous since they are so thin, fragile, and sometimes brittle.

Here a f/u - its a 1915, but caramel stains come out equally from both years. The stains that did lighten up significantly I believe were dirt or something else, not caramel stains. The biggest concern is creasing the card when handling it wet but there are ways to safe guard that as well.

[h2oya311]

Okay, am I the only long-time collector who hasn't yet soaked a card??

I have a really beat up 1973 Venezuelan Sticker album (missing cover, back, and it looks like a mouse had a field day on the edges), but the stickers look pretty nice.

Would this be soakable?



Obviously, I'm building on the thread about the Caramelo Deportivo album....

[gavvy]

Had no problem soaking a Schutter-Johnson. I was worried about the red being vulnerable so only soaked until I could gently rub album glue off.

[rhettyeakley]

Derek, soaking 101 is finding the most beat up common from the album of cards and trying a soak on it prior to doing anything with the cards of significant value. Doing a test soak should help you decide if it is possible to soak your Jim Rice out of there without destroying the value of the overall piece.

[h2oya311]

Thanks Rhett - that was going to be the plan but I've never soaked before. I hope it works!

I'll give it a try in a few weeks.

[Vintagecatcher]

One issue you never want to soak is the Fatima T222. I have seen examples which have been soaked, and because they are really photographs the "photograph gloss" is dissolved by the soaking in water.


Patrick

[ElCabron]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

I have a really beat up 1973 Venezuelan Sticker album (missing cover, back, and it looks like a mouse had a field day on the edges), but the stickers look pretty nice.

Would this be soakable?

Derek,

Unfortunately, the Venezuelan albums from the 70s are some of the most unsoakable that exist. Almost always have the worst glue possible that NEVER comes off. You might as well just tear them out of the album if you want them out. I'm not saying it's impossible or can't happen, I've just never had success. And I've tried. Over and over. Might be worth trying a sample page just to see. Maybe you'll get lucky. Don't even think about doing the page with Rice until you've had success with other pages, though. The good news is they're often only glued on the very top edge.

-Ryan

[h2oya311]

Ryan - thanks for the note.

yes, the glue is only on the top upper edge. I could almost tear one of the stickers off, but they are so fragile I was worried I might tear through the sticker. I thought maybe a soak would do the trick, although I've never tried it. I'll give it a try on one of the other sheets. Trust me, I'll be practicing a lot (if there looks to be even a remote chance of success) before attempting to free Mr. Rice from his sheet.

To address other concerns on here, I used to be of the same mind regarding soaking, especially when used to enhance the appearance of a card (dirt removal)...in this case, I'm trying to remove a card from an album. I think they are two different animals. That said, where do you draw the line?

I was surprised to see so many members and long-time collectors using the "soak" method. But I still think it is far different from altering a card (like trimming or coloring the chipped paint on a t205).

[tuckr1]

Would soaking this card get rid of the splotches?? Not sure what it is, ink? dirt??

Thanks

[ullmandds]

maybe tuckr1...scan is kinda small...hard to see whats going ton there?

[mullinsm]

I'd like to add that T227's may be included on the list of cards that can be soaked.

I was the only bidder on this McDermott in a recent auction, and I bought it specifically to try as my first soak. The card looked terrible, so I figured I didn't have much to lose. The back was completely covered by thick, yellowed, heavy lined paper, and the text underneath was completely unreadable:



As per your suggestions, I used warm, soft tap water, a bowl, a pair of tweezers, and a q-tip. I gently slipped the card into the water and watched it sink.

After only a few minutes, the edges of the glued on paper began to curl up. After 15 minutes of soaking, I was able to easily lift most of the paper off the card. It would have all come up in one piece, if not for the white spot on the right center of the card. It was another kind of glue, or gum, or who knows what, but I had to pull with gentle-but-firm steady pressure for it to slowly let go.



After removing the paper, I replaced the dirty water and let the card soak for another 30 min. I wanted to ensure that any glue residue remaining would be gone before I placed the card on paper towels to dry.

I dried the card overnight using paper towels and a stack of books. I changed out the towels a few times before retiring, then checked on my progress today:



I'm thrilled with how it turned out. It's still a card in poor condition, but now at least it's one I can read and enjoy. For the $10 bid, it was well worth it.

Thanks so much to everyone for their suggestions!