Card soaking - the results!

[NiceDocter]

You are now officially graduated as a Card Doctor LOL

[jjbond]

Have you thought about just getting the glue area wet? (i.e. I don't see why the whole card - especially put face down - needs to be soaked)

[bobbyw8469]

I think this is awesome. That being said, I am totally terrified of submerging a card under water. Totally.

[boneheadandrube]

Nice work!

"That card has been bleeched, pressed, recolored and microtrimmed."
-BODA experts

[53toppscollector]

Nice job, came out great imo.

I completed my first soak of T205s a few weeks ago. Was very nervous, but it was super easy, and the result was great. Slow and steady and there is really nothing to fear.

[BeanTown]

I’ve noticed that TPGs don’t put as much emphasis on the surface of the card, but it’s mainly about the corners and sides.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by boneheadandrube

Nice work!

"That card has been bleeched, pressed, recolored and microtrimmed."
-BODA experts

You just won my heart.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I think this is awesome. That being said, I am totally terrified of submerging a card under water. Totally.

I was nervous too, but I knew that I only paid $2 for the card. Also, the thicker card stock of the A&G cards made me confident that the card's integrity would hold up, compared to maybe some thinner issues.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I think this is awesome. That being said, I am totally terrified of submerging a card under water. Totally.

If that's a fear you want to conquer, these cheap non-sport cards would help you overcome it! You wouldn't have to "graduate" to expensive material if you didn't want to, and it might just turn your fear into a fun project.

[FrankWakefield]

Well done, Jim. And thank you for the "Results".

Thoughts to consider:
Soaking that card, the entire card, would be safe because the card isn't going to instantly disolve, the card is porous, and the glue isn't just on the surface of the back, a bit is likely to have soaked in... so soaking the entire card lets that 'inside' glue migrate out while immersed in water.

Q-Tips... Q-Tips are fine, but if a longer soaking (10 minutes is very short soak) allows the glue to release, then let soaking do more of the work and you can minimize the Q-Tip scrubbing.

[steve B]

We had a very acidic scrapbook that was almost entirely trade cards. It was bad enough that the pages cracked when turning them making damage to the cards likely.

That was fun soaking, probably close to 100 cards, some closer to T3 size and thin.

Just letting the water do its thing made it easy.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Well done, Jim. And thank you for the "Results".

Thoughts to consider:
Soaking that card, the entire card, would be safe because the card isn't going to instantly disolve, the card is porous, and the glue isn't just on the surface of the back, a bit is likely to have soaked in... so soaking the entire card lets that 'inside' glue migrate out while immersed in water.

Q-Tips... Q-Tips are fine, but if a longer soaking (10 minutes is very short soak) allows the glue to release, then let soaking do more of the work and you can minimize the Q-Tip scrubbing.

In hindsight, the Q-tip scrubbing was probably unnecessary. I just wanted to ensure that no goop remained. The water did remarkably well.

[Texxxx]

I have soaked several scrap books loose. It is amazing how resilient the cards are. I have soaked some as long as 24 hours to get them to loosen with no harm. I use Q-tips and cotton balls to clean extra glue off. Just dry them between 2 sheets of white paper inside a book with weight on them so they don't get waves in them.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

In hindsight, the Q-tip scrubbing was probably unnecessary. I just wanted to ensure that no goop remained. The water did remarkably well.

In the rare case where a Q-tip is necessary, you definitely don't want to scrub with it. Just gently roll it across the surface first, underwater.

Also, if you're going to be soaking more cards in the future, you should get yourself a roll of the Viva Signature Cloth paper towels. They're the best option for the drying phase, IMO.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Well done, Jim. And thank you for the "Results".

Thoughts to consider:
Soaking that card, the entire card, would be safe because the card isn't going to instantly disolve, the card is porous, and the glue isn't just on the surface of the back, a bit is likely to have soaked in... so soaking the entire card lets that 'inside' glue migrate out while immersed in water.

Q-Tips... Q-Tips are fine, but if a longer soaking (10 minutes is very short soak) allows the glue to release, then let soaking do more of the work and you can minimize the Q-Tip scrubbing.

^^^This! 100%

Don't be afraid to let the card soak much longer. You don't want to have to scrub the surface at all if you don't have to. You will almost certainly cause damage even if you think you're being extremely gentle. If the glue is water solube, then let the water do its job. You usually don't need to assist it. I've soaked cards for an entire week before. You're not going to damage it by soaking it for a few hours, or even overnight.

However, some cards will get damaged if you soak them for multiple days. Just depends on the card stock. I wouldn't soak a 52 or 53 Topps for days, but you could soak a 54 Topps for a month.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Snowman

^^^This! 100%

Don't be afraid to let the card soak much longer. You don't want to have to scrub the surface at all if you don't have to. You will almost certainly cause damage even if you think you're being extremely gentle. If the glue is water solube, then let the water do its job. You usually don't need to assist it. I've soaked cards for an entire week before. You're not going to damage it by soaking it for a few hours, or even overnight.

However, some cards will get damaged if you soak them for multiple days. Just depends on the card stock. I wouldn't soak a 52 or 53 Topps for days, but you could soak a 54 Topps for a month.

Always test a cheap common before a HOFer if you have never tried soaking that year of card before. How long you can soak a card varies greatly by year/brand.

To the OP, very nice result. The card looks amazing.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by jjbond

Have you thought about just getting the glue area wet? (i.e. I don't see why the whole card - especially put face down - needs to be soaked)

Everything I've read from different sources say to soak the entire card. I think it would be incredibly difficult to apply warm water to only the glue area and keep the rest of the card dry.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

Everything I've read from different sources say to soak the entire card. I think it would be incredibly difficult to apply warm water to only the glue area and keep the rest of the card dry.

Yes, you have to soak the entire card. Otherwise you'll end up with tide lines. And you don't want tide lines.