Soaking - What exactly can be removed?

[kilo]

If I cant completely immerse a card, I would leave it be for fear of leaving a clean spot, lol. I have never soaked for reasons of dirt, only to remove scrapbook remnants, and even then have only ever done one sport card; a C56, improved it from an AUTH to a BVG-1 though. Have done lots of non-sports cards, and never really had any issues with them, (I do have some J-cards i plan on submitting as a result of how nice they came out!).

--kilo.

[EvilKing00]

so just to be clear here...Soaking a card = fully putting it in water???

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

so just to be clear here...Soaking a card = fully putting it in water???

Haha. Yes. It does sound horrible until you've gotten away with it.

[rainier2004]

CJ are completely soakable, both 1914s and 1915s. At thh National I soaked about 6k worth of 1914s for an associate to remove the scrap paper they were attatched to and I have soaked a few of my 1915s for the same reason. They do well in boiling water, but I only let them soak for 5-10 minutes opposed to the 1956 topps I soaked for hours. The biggest risk with a CJ is creasing the card post-soak but there are ways around that as well.

[Bocabirdman]

A couple months ago, I successfully soaked a huge piece of scrapbook off of the back of a C-46 Imperial Billy Nattress. When the cardboard broke loose, there was still a bit of residue remaining. I broke out a Q-Tip and spurred on by the early positive results, I got a tad over-zealous and created a rare "missing three letters" variation. It only took one mis-directed swipe.....Oops!!

[Texxxx]

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

A couple months ago, I successfully soaked a hude piece of scrapbook off of the back of a C-46 Imperial Billy Nattress. When the cardboard broke loose, there was still a bit of residue remaining. I broke out a Q-Tip and spurred on by the early positive results, I got a tad over-zealous and created a rare "missing three letters" variation. It only took one mis-directed swipe.....Oops!!

I soaked off a bunch of T206 out of a scrap book last year. I started with the beaters first and did the same thing with a couple of them. I changed to a cotton ball instead of a Q-Tip and had a lot better results. The cotton ball was more forgiving than the Q-Tip. I'm not a surgeon though. I'm more of hammer and chisel person.

[lharri3600]

Results to follow

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by Texxxx

I soaked off a bunch of T206 out of a scrap book last year. I started with the beaters first and did the same thing with a couple of them. I changed to a cotton ball instead of a Q-Tip and had a lot better results. The cotton ball was more forgiving than the Q-Tip. I'm not a surgeon though. I'm more of hammer and chisel person.

Another nice suggestion Bruce...

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

They do well in boiling water, but I only let them soak for 5-10 minutes

Thats how long it takes for pasta to COOK -

[T206DK]

sometimes I use different sized artist brushes to gently remove debris from t206's while they are soaking.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

so just to be clear here...Soaking a card = fully putting it in water???

Just so you are clear, modern day cardboard is not soakable. It reacts how you are thinking cardboard would react to getting wet. Someone better informed than I will need to tell you which sets are OK to soak other than the T206 and the C46. I am not sure if it is a certain year when the industry changed across the board. Also. older glues seem to come off easier and more completely.

[EvilKing00]

so T206 can be soaked, what about the t205?

[lharri3600]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

so T206 can be soaked, what about the t205?

yep

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by lharri3600

yep

Larry,,,What do you think that was on your two soaked cards...tobacco most likely? How long did you soak them to get those results?...I have only soaked to remove paper , not stains.....

[lharri3600]

Mike,
I soaked them in water over night. I think both cards for the most part were dirty with tobacco stains.

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

Larry,,,What do you think that was on your two soaked cards...tobacco most likely? How long did you soak them to get those results?...I have only soaked to remove paper , not stains.....