Christina Posted January 17 Posted January 17 I took some time off of my decks and they've been packed away until recently. Now that I have them out, I've been going through them, just counting and basically checking that all is well. I noticed a few of my decks have "hardened" into a brick and kinda feels tacky when trying to separate them. Is this normal? Only a few, most are great, even duplicates of the hardened ones are great. Weird.
DanielJUK Posted January 18 Posted January 18 It could be if they are very plasticated, they start to stick together. Some people buy that magician's powder for card shuffling, "fanning powder". It makes it easier. You can usually find it at magic shop type places. However it could also be deck warping, especially in humid places and / or if you store the cards upright. Old discussion on this -
Christina Posted January 18 Author Posted January 18 1 hour ago, DanielJUK said: It could be if they are very plasticated, they start to stick together. Some people buy that magician's powder for card shuffling, "fanning powder". It makes it easier. You can usually find it at magic shop type places. However it could also be deck warping, especially in humid places and / or if you store the cards upright. Old discussion on this - Thank you @DanielJUK....my issue is with the plastic coating, so I'll try that powder, thank you 🙂
gregory Posted January 18 Posted January 18 Fanning powder does exactly that - I've had that problem and it worked a treat. Talc and cornstarch DO NOT.
katrinka Posted January 19 Posted January 19 18 hours ago, gregory said: Fanning powder does exactly that - I've had that problem and it worked a treat. Talc and cornstarch DO NOT. Precisely. I've even seen flour recommended. As anyone who's ever done any baking knows: no. Just no. Humidity is A Thing and wet flour is sticky. You want real zinc stearate fanning powder. I purchased a 2 oz. bottle in 2019 and I still have most of it even though I've used it many times. It only takes a tiny pinch to unstick a deck. A bottle of that stuff could conceivably last a lifetime.
Christina Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 On 1/18/2025 at 4:34 AM, gregory said: Fanning powder does exactly that - I've had that problem and it worked a treat. Talc and cornstarch DO NOT. Thank you @gregory I'll leave the corn starch in the kitchen 😛
Christina Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 11 hours ago, katrinka said: Precisely. I've even seen flour recommended. As anyone who's ever done any baking knows: no. Just no. Humidity is A Thing and wet flour is sticky. You want real zinc stearate fanning powder. I purchased a 2 oz. bottle in 2019 and I still have most of it even though I've used it many times. It only takes a tiny pinch to unstick a deck. A bottle of that stuff could conceivably last a lifetime. thank you @katrinkaI'll have to get some as soon as I can 🙂
Mystic_Owl Posted January 20 Posted January 20 Just a suggestion, save those little moisture abosrbant packs that come with shoes and purses; put them in with your tarot decks where you store them to prevent mold and moisture damage.
doubletaurus Posted January 21 Posted January 21 What a great suggestion to use the absorbent packs--I never would have thought of that! Thanks 😊
Christina Posted January 21 Author Posted January 21 1 hour ago, Mystic_Owl said: Just a suggestion, save those little moisture abosrbant packs that come with shoes and purses; put them in with your tarot decks where you store them to prevent mold and moisture damage. good idea! Thank you @Mystic_Owland welcome to the forum 🙂
Christina Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 I bought the fanning powder, but I'm not sure how to put it on my cards....should I paint it on with a brush? or?
gregory Posted January 27 Posted January 27 I put a small amount - as katrinka says, a pinch, in a big baggie, put in the cards - the whole deck if you have a decent sized baggie - and shake around - hard - till the cards have all been exposed. If you put in too much it won't help, believe it or not - you really only need a TINY bit.
katrinka Posted January 27 Posted January 27 7 hours ago, gregory said: I put a small amount - as katrinka says, a pinch, in a big baggie, put in the cards - the whole deck if you have a decent sized baggie - and shake around - hard - till the cards have all been exposed. If you put in too much it won't help, believe it or not - you really only need a TINY bit. Yes. This is the way. It's like the old Brylcreem ads: a little dab'll do ya.
gregory Posted January 27 Posted January 27 GOD I'd forgotten about Brylcreem. Is it still around ? VILE stuff. When I was "of an age" we'd share info about the boys who used it and decline dates with them, as it was hell on clothes....
katrinka Posted January 27 Posted January 27 (edited) 1 hour ago, gregory said: GOD I'd forgotten about Brylcreem. Is it still around ? VILE stuff. When I was "of an age" we'd share info about the boys who used it and decline dates with them, as it was hell on clothes.... I managed to miss dating in the Brylcreem era. I do remember the product, though. I imagine it must have been a lot like Jheri Curl - there's a scene in Coming To America where the people leave big grease spots on the couch. You can't let your head touch anything when your hair is greased. I don't know why they didn't use Dippity Do instead. It's basically hair gel, and I'm pretty sure it was around then. Gel gives the same effect as Brylcreem or pomade, but it's not greasy. You'd have to be George Raft to pull that oily look off. Most people are not George Raft. It looks like Brylcreem is still around, but they use less. https://www.brylcreemusa.com/ OK, back on topic... Edited January 27 by katrinka
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