Morsoth Posted May 4, 2018 Posted May 4, 2018 Hi guys! This week I worked on a reproduction of a 1910 Rider-Waite, with a special twist. >:D I saw many "aged" RWS deck on the web, but most of the time, the cards are aged by computer and the stains are the same dirty pattern copy-pasted to the 78 cards, and it looks fake. So, the deal was to make my own. It's a new series that I'm calling the "Vintage & Dirty Tavern Edition"! Next will be a Tarot de Marseille. I plan to use it in party or family celebrations, so I won't be afraid to damage any deck that I want to keep clean! I took pictures of the making of, so that might gives you some ideas to do your own. Step 1: Printing! The reason I'm printing my own deck instead of using a U.S. Games version is because of the coating. The coating on the manufactured tarot cards prevent them to get stained too much, and that's exactly what I don't want for this project. So first, I scanned my U.S. Games Smith-Waite Centennial Edition -- Yes, it's copyrighted, but the deck is not for sale, and it's for my own use. Then, for the back, I recreated the 1910 backing of the RWS using a hi-res scan of the card and Photoshop. I printed the cards (both sides) on a 300 gsm (110 lb) cardstock, the same as U.S. Games. Step 2: The cutting! I made a template to cut the card at the same dimension. Now, before cutting the cards, make sure your backs are covering all the front cards. I added some fun and decentered the cards, based on the "1909 Prototype" and the "1910 Pamela-A" decks. That's 78 cards, and I think it took me 2 hours. That's not a project that you can do quickly! Step 3: Rounding the Edges! I used a "Sunstar Kadomaru Pro" Corner Cutter (S4765036) for the edges, using the "small" corner. For one of them, I got distracted and used the "Medium" size, but hey, it adds to the charm, and a seriously cannot spot it quickly! The U.S. Games Centennial Edition cards vs my homemade card: Step 4: Staining! Now the fun begin!! This steps is even longer than the cutting/rounding, and it probably took me a good 3 hours! Good tip: Shuffle your new deck before staining them. The reason is that during the aging/staining process, your technique will evolve or (at the end) will become impatiently quick!! So, that will prevent to see the evolution of the process in a chronological order if you ever decide to put them in order! I decided to use a container of water stained with tea and the distress ink from Jim Holtz. Now, if you choose to use Jim Holtz's Distress Ink, remember that it's a water based ink. You need to add water on it (before of after) to "activate" the ink, and make sure it will stays on the card. I discarded the coffee grains but that could have been used too. I works well for aging the pages of a book, but it can be time consuming. Anyway, here is the result: I decided to sand some of the cards that have a very deep black. Now, the final touch will be to pile the cards together and to stain the sides using a sponge. That looks old and dirty!! In a later step, I plan to add some red wine stain, notably on the Three of Cups! I'll do it this weekend! If you decide to do your own, please post pictures here, I'd like to see your versions!!! :)
AJ-ish/Sharyn Posted May 4, 2018 Posted May 4, 2018 w.e.l.l. done! :) they even smell moldy from here!
Morsoth Posted May 4, 2018 Author Posted May 4, 2018 Thanks! In the pictures, they smells old and bad, but in real, they smells tea!!! lol
Celice Posted May 4, 2018 Posted May 4, 2018 Wow what an awesome project thanks for sharing and adding all the pictures and steps, love it!
52ravens Posted May 5, 2018 Posted May 5, 2018 Wow, really great job on the ageing effect, they look like a movie prop! ;D
Morsoth Posted May 6, 2018 Author Posted May 6, 2018 Thanks! I wanted that "movie prop" effect, and I'm going to use this deck a lot and not being afraid to stain it. This deck will travel with me everywhere!
Rose Lalonde Posted May 6, 2018 Posted May 6, 2018 They look great!! Thanks for all the pics and info. :)
Guest KnightsQuest Posted May 20, 2018 Posted May 20, 2018 I really like the old vintage RW decks but can be expensive, you've done a great job the pebble stone backs are really cool. ;)
aleatoryEpiphany Posted May 20, 2018 Posted May 20, 2018 Wow what a neat process! That was really fantastic and what a great idea to stain your deck to make it look more antiquated.
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