Need Some Expert Advice - Results of Soaking

[Buythatcard]

At this point, I am going with the assumption that they are all authentic except for the photos on the last 2 rows.

I think that the best course of action would be to cut out some of the commons that are pasted around the perimeter of the sheet. Try soaking them to see what we are up against. If successful, then move on to the others. One by one.

Now, the $64,000 question is, what is the best soaking method. Please advise only if you have tried it and was successful.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

At this point, I am going with the assumption that they are all authentic except for the photos on the last 2 rows.

I think that the best course of action would be to cut out some of the commons that are pasted around the perimeter of the sheet. Try soaking them to see what we are up against. If successful, then move on to the others. One by one.

Now, the $64,000 question is, what is the best soaking method. Please advise only if you have tried it and was successful.

I'm no soaker but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

Something about distilled water, resting your chin on your hands for a very long time, alternating with watching the grass grow and watching water boil, tweezers at the ready.

All kidding aside, nice find and a fun project, please keep us posted on the results. Good luck!

[mullinsm]

I think you're on the right track. You have a big project in front of you, but if you start with a common or two from the edges you'll soon see what you're in for - what kind of glue you're facing, how much they used, how tough the backing paper is, etc. It might be very easy! It also might not...

If it were me, my first objective would be to cut the sheet down to individual cards. The bad news is the cards are glued closely together, so a lot of patience and a steady hand would be needed. The good news is that you only have cards on one side of the sheet, which will make breaking it down much simpler. I took apart a sheet that had cards glued to both sides - much more difficult.

I personally would not try to soak the whole sheet at once - too many cards. Working in blocks of four or so wouldn't be impossible but I'd rather focus on one card at a time.

I have had really good luck by being patient and persistent. I dream about projects like this and wish you luck with yours. Assemble your tools, find a big workspace, and please let us know how it goes.

Mike

[JollyElm]

Forgive me if this has already been covered, but I doubt there's a wholesale way to eliminate the entire back from all of the cards all at once without a host of problems, so the first step for me would be to methodically use a pair of sharp scissors and an X-Acto knife to slowly cut away each card (with cardboard backing still attached) from the whole. It looks like the edges of the cards that overlap could be lifted slightly to allow a slicing underneath. Once all of the cards become individuals pieces, you will find the next step of soaking and whatnot much more easy to accomplish.

[jamest206]

https://www.facebook.com/Gonewiththestain1

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by jamest206

https://www.facebook.com/Gonewiththestain1

^^THIS^^

If like me you are not a facebook person here is a link to a website for us non hip people.

https://www.gonewiththestain.com/home.html

They will by far be able to do the best job of removing and cleaning them up to a much better quality.

[FrankWakefield]

Get an Exacto knife and cut the cardboard that is attached to that T205 Frank Corridon card. Rinse that card / corrugated cardboard bad boy off under a tap, GENTLY, then place it in a water glass. Add water, 2/3rds of the way full. Set it in a safe place, and then check on it in an hour or two.

My thinking is that the card will be loose from the corrugated cardboard, and the water will have a tinge to it because that corrugated cardboard is nasty stuff. So rinse the card, remove that corrugated cardboard, change to clean water, and soak again.

Then... if that works, which I think it will, then [new collectors quit reading now] run some water in a clean bathtub, 2" to 3" or so, then put the whole thing in the tub, and soak as above.

If there are reprints on there the new cards may not be attached with flour paste; but the old cards may well be. Corrugated cardboard is about 150 years old... it ante-dates the cards.

[Pat R]

It's an odd assortment, of the 86 genuine T206's only 2 are 150/350 subjects the rest are 350 and 350/460 subjects.

The bottom 2 rows look like sections that came out of a book or magazine but it's hard to tell from your pictures.