hi guys, I was thinking of ways to actually season my deck so that i can use them quickly and to prolong their life, so i just wanted to know if there's any "secret" in doing that? :huh:

what about your own way to do it? :P

thanks a lot,
Ian

Prolong life? I can't do that. Since practicing stuff wears them out, I doubt that you can prolong life of cards unless you don't use them.

As for breaking in and seasoning decks, le Paul Spreads and pressure fans on the backs and faces of the cards will break them in rather quickly.
As for how many spreads and fans you do, it depends on how "soft" or "hard" you want it to be.

Cheers,
Kenneth

Do springs and riffle shuffle. It should soften the cards. And then get a good card guard to press the cards together and keep them straight and flat. If they become to moist, spread them on a table in a aircon room. Otherwise you can put the deck in the box and keep them in the fridge overnight. I have never tried putting them in the fridge but apparently it works.

ZiAn

Although I don't go to the extreme of burying it under the floor or inside the freezer, what I found to be helpful is to take 2 decks, break both of them in, and just alternatively switching them for use each week.

The deck which I'm not using will be in a card guard. Very helpful, and 'life prolonging'.

oh, le paul spreads and pressure fans sadly to say i'm not too good at that :P

but card springs and riffle shuffles i still can handle so i guess i'll do just that ^_^

card guards seem to be very important cause i saw many card magicians bringing it around, guess its time to get one myself.

does putting it in the fridge really works? i thought if i take it out after one night the water will condense and moist the cards? wouldn't it be worse? just thinking :lol:

thanks guys for your stuff, will use them B)

-Ian

well a normal card guard with fancy designs is about 30+ bucks. Joe porper is 55bucks. So i feel that i would rather spend that extra 20odd bucks to get a really good card guard that will really work.

ZiAn

yea heard about the joe porper card guard. but isn't the quality the same? i thought the material is the same its just about the branding? ^_^

if there really is a quality difference then i guess i'll need to go for the 55 bucks one. :mellow:

-Ian

I don't have the Porper guard because I don't see the need to. I'm using the $15-a-piece card guard.

Just add a couple of cards into the deck before putting it in the guard, this gives a tighter grip to the deck.

I think Porper is just overhype, you don't need a deck of Jerry's to do magic. If you can't afford them, just think of alternatives.

Magic is an expensive sport.


Just my $0.02

Porper is worth the investment. Because a 15 dollar clip will warp if you accidentally step on it. Porpers don't.

I carry a clip if I am putting a deck in my pocket.

Again I said, wearing out cards is normal if you practice often, which is good.

Sadly, I do not think so.

Fridge? Erm, I used to do that. But the moment you take the deck out. water condenses on your cards thereby ruining them even more.

Practice. It is worth learning.

the story of the porper card guard is that it is made from a mould so it does not bend out of shape. Other cheaper card guards are made from a flat sheet of metal bent into a "U' shape to form the card guard.

The fridge part has not been tested by me but is something i heard of other. the condensation makes sense so i doubt you should try it.

Le paul spread is good to break the cards in but it also screws up the orientation of the card. If you do not put it in the card guard, it will permanently have a concave bend to it. I usually like my cards nice n flat so i try not to do the le paul spread.

Lastly, i think it is good to have many decks of bicycles in stock at home. Save the hassle of having to buy a few decks every time you run out. I bought of bulk of 24 decks last christmas when i was in the states and now i am still left with about 8 decks. You can try asking Ning if she has any discount to offer if you buy bicycles from her in bulk.

ZiAn

Leave the deck under a pile of heavy books.

Inexpensive yet effective.

Just get a porper, it works wonders.

Youll see the difference when you try it out, it aint something to debate abt, PORPER WORKS.

I prefer the wooden card box holder to the card guard though.
It helps to keep the box in shape as well...

Although it's bulky, but it's great for storing 2 packs of cards.