A nice long soaking

rhettyeakley · #1 02-27-2011, 10:20 PM

Frank, reread my first paragraph--I didn't disagree with you in regards to t206 cards--you can soak those till you are blue in the face and you will probably be fine, I just wanted to point out that other sets are VERY different and soaking those can get problematic if using that same method--there is no one way to soak everything, practice and experience is required to find the best ways to soak cards (or if soaking is even an option).
-Rhett

FrankWakefield · #2 02-27-2011, 10:54 PM

First Rhett, I understood your post. I agree with it. Some cards should never go into water. Some can withstand a dousing for a few minutes. T206s can easily go overnight, a day, or two.

Secondly, I was reacting, perhaps a bit hastily, to the subsequent post, that was a massive quote and struck me as if it was to suggest that I was wrong about soaking a T206. My post wasn't in response to yours, Rhett. I don't seek out Rob's posts just to disagree with them or play a passive aggressive game. And I sometimes get weary of him doing that to me. Some folks doing that have run a few fellows away from the board, we'd all be better off if that knowledge pool had remained here.

I used distilled water a few times, but I think it's a waste. I used it on some cards when I was unsure that they would soak.

As for warm water, it's just a bit faster... but carries with it the risk of possibly having foreign ink bleed. Philatelists try to avoid warm water, they know what they're doing. Sometimes the red cancellations run a bit, but not as much in cold water. (There's a reason that colored clothes wash in cold water.)

caramelcard · #3 02-27-2011, 11:19 PM

Nice post Rhett.

I've soaked thousands of cards and learned many lessons. I don't soak randomly to improve cards, but mostly to remove from albums that I have found over the years. Different issues need to approached in different ways, but T206 (and T206 era non-sports) hold up better to a longer soak.

M116 is a tricky issue to soak and the colors wash out very easy which is why you see so many faded colors with these. Same with E98 and E94.

I use hot water and try not to leave the cards unattended for a long period of time. I also think distilled water is unnecessary unless you live in Phoenix or Vegas or somewhere with really bad tap water. To reiterate what Rhett mentioned, many 19th century cards can not be soaked for long at all before they separate and should be watched.

If you have an album with cards that are back to back, that will be your biggest challenge. Have Q Tips handy and don't hurry any paper off of cards unless you have to sacrifice one card to save another which can happen with back to back glue.

As previous posts mention, change the water during soaks and inspect and rinse the cards before pressing as they usually have bits of paper or glue remnants from the water that stick to them. Pat them dry before pressing.

Take your time with how long you let them dry between books.

Happy soaking!

Rob

teetwoohsix · #4 02-28-2011, 12:24 PM

Thanks Robert A., you answered my question before I could ask

The tap water here is horrible.........I don't think I'd use this tap water to soak a card.

This is a great thread with a lot of good information. I don't plan on soaking any cards, but always like to learn. Thanks .

Sincerely, Clayton

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