Soaking (water only) - 1915 Cracker Jack?

[Fred]

Scratch that advice from the previous post - there are no CHEAP CJs on fleabay

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

I once tried to remove ink from a CJ. Didn't go well.

Went from a PSA 4mk to a PSA 1mk. Doh!

[FrankWakefield]

Peter, being the precise and exacting person that you are, you didn't answer my question. Perchance it was because you have never soaked a Cracker Jack, you have no experience in soaking any card, and you deem soaking a card in only water to be altering a card and deceitful.

The collector who started this thread, Jeff G, was talking about water only versus dirt on a Cracker Jack card, a card that easily soaks. You're just again taking exception to something I've posted, ignoring the fact that you have no experience in the matter and your response conveys your bias instead of what you know. Jeff, you should be good to soak that card in water. Keep in mind that soaking isn't scrubbing.

Ink on a Cracker Jack, which wasn't on the card that CJ posted, AJ, is a totally different matter. Most ink in use around the WW I era were fountain, and they'd be using a permanent ink that won't soak, or a water-soluble ink that would bleed all over the card during a soak. Ball point pens usually have ink that is oily, you'd need a nonpolar solvent to tackle that, and you'd be likely to make a mess of the card. I don't think ball point pens would have been used very often for card signing in 1914/15. Ball point pens became readily available just after WW II. AJ, that looks like someone soaked the card in water then rubbed on the ink, creating a smudge. Nonpolar solvents, Bestine (rubber cement solvent), heptane, hexane, isopropyl or ethyl alcohol that is 90% or more the alcohol... they would work. But that looks like it was signed in the 50s or 60s, with a ballpoint pen, so that oily ink smudge was a likely outcome. I think I would have left that alone, but anyone could say that after seeing the results. NB, using that list of chemical warfare weapons a few sentences back, those bad boys will diminish the bright red fronts, the ink of the letters, and the image. Even if you slowly and carefully dabbed your solvent of choice with a Q-Tip, it would instantly permeate the paper and affect whatever is on the other side. I think it's a horizontal pose, so you could tell that there is a faded line from the top of his head down to his bellybutton. But again... the original poster was talking about using water only.

Jeff G, I've soaked about 30 Cracker Jacks. Zero problems doing that. It's worth mentioning for whoever reads this tomorrow or years from now, be careful with the 1915 cards, and VERY careful with the 1914 Cracker Jacks. The 1915 cards are fragile, and the 1914s are thinner, more like paper instead of cardboard. Be gentle with those.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Talk about reading into a post, you are way off base Frank. I have no objection at all to soaking in water, my only concern was that someone completely inexperienced might not want to start with a CJ Hall of Fame card. I pesonally have not soaked a CJ, I've done some nonsports with mixed results. My post was solely motivated by concern that the OP with no experience not make his card worse, not any so-called bias. But as long as you are dispensing good advice, perhaps you can advise Jeff of good practice so the card dries properly and doesn't warp? I've seen CJ's soaked by others that ended up looking like the waves at Waikiki.

[Kidnapped18]

Jeff
Soak away!!
I've never had a reason to soak my CJs as I like them the way they are...but the card is yours and you seem like you are leaning that way.

When you do soak your card please post the results!

[FrankWakefield]

OP Jeff...

If you've never soaked a card, try it with a T206 that has no ink pen or rubber stamp marks on it. Soak that. Then go through the drying process. That could get you familiar with the process. Then try your nice 1915 CJ Johnson. I'm not worried about you messing that card up. But others are, and I concede that it's possible to cause harm.

Distilled water is not necessary, use your tap water unless it has iron, rust color, or obvious particulates.

If that paper scrap loosens, once you're done soaking, run tap water on the card at a gentle temperature, neither cold nor hot, and gently rub a finger where the paper was, if you feel the flour paste still there, the flow of the water should soon wash that away.

Try to use a clear glass for soaking. If you see dirt or dust settled in the glass, or if the water no longer looks clean (because the water has acquired a coffee ting to it) then lift out the card, rinse the glass, then add water and card. (It just occurred to me that with water in glass with card in water, sometimes with a wet finger I'll move my finger across the front and back of the card, usually when it seems that there are a few air bubbles clinging to the card with surface tension. By touching those bubbles away I then have water adjacent to the entire card surface.)

Drying. 1- Nothing is exactly like anything else. 2- Analogies are useful to understand an item or process, if it has similarities with what the original something is. So, think of a bale of straw or hay. If you soaked a bale in water (ignoring that it would be much heavier than before) you could squash that bale much flatter than it was when dry. The paper of that 1915 Johnson Cracker Jack isn't solid, and it has a measurable thickness. If you soak it in a glass of water, then squash it in a vise to flatten it, then you've weakened the paper fibers and many collectors (and most graders), could notice, just by feel, that this card has been flattened. The point is to not try to mash the water out of that card. Put the glass you used on a smooth dishcloth or a couple of paper towels, then lean the rinsed card against the glass. A fair amount of water will gravitate down to the paper towels. Then lay the card down flat on a paper towel, and add paper towel over it, then blot on that with your hand.

Now you have some choices. Some paper towels have flat surfaces, some have a texture with swirls or some decorative pattern. You don't want to have your card conform itself to that pattern, so get something smooth. Printer paper will warp and unevenly absorb water, leading to wrinkles. you could change printer or copier paper often, but I find that it takes lots of paper changing. I usually use cardstock. You can get that on Amazon, at Walmart or Target, other places. Quarter that with scissors, maybe use double layers. I stack up several hardbound books; one on the bottom, then my blotting cardstock with the card sandwiched in between, then the rest of the books. I find the stack of books help me not forget about drying that card. I can change the blotting paper after a few hours, and again a few hours later. Too much weight pressing down on the card will unduly flatten it out and potentially transfer some card ink onto the blotting paper (this occurs very seldom, but if you use the weight of a safe, bookshelf, or couch that could happen).

Be patient, small steps are better than trying to rush the process. Private Message me here and I'll answer questions as you encounter them.

[Belfast1933]

No need to keep y’all in suspense… splish, splash, Eddie’s taking a bath. His backside deserves a little less dirt.

So far, so good… lots of dirt removed, as we had hoped. Scuffed areas remain, of course. But looking good after first try. As many experienced here have suggested, taking it slow and gentle.

Will post updated photos when done.

Thx all - several many detailed and experienced replies, and a few well intended words of caution. It’s all helpful, so thx again.

Photo update about this time tomorrow night

(Bonus - get to hold a raw CJ for the first time)