Stained Deck
Hey everyone!
Yesterday, while watching a 2-hour movie, I was practicing false shuffles in hand. By the end of the movie, I noticed my deck (my first Tally-Ho) looked like this:
Could it be sweat? I can't think of anything else, and my hands don't usually sweat that much (though two hours of going at it non-stop is a long time). And from what I know, Tally-Hos are good quality decks, like Bicycles.
Has this happened to anyone else? Any recommendations to prevent this with other decks? (If it's because I'm holding them for so long in this heat, I guess the logical recommendation would be to let them rest every 20 minutes or so, haha.)
Thanks!
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Well, I'm no expert, but one day I had those types of cards in my backpack, and it just happened to rain that day.
That's when I found them looking like that. So I think it must be because of some liquid and also that they didn't have any 'breathing room,' if you know what I mean. 😂
Well, it happened to me once, but that was because my hands got stained with the marker I used to mark a card, and I didn't even realize it (it ended up being a total disaster).
But it's likely that if it was hot and your hands were sweating, after two hours of working the cards hard, the ink could start to loosen...
I have some Bicycle decks that, if I use them for too long, get really sticky, and if you try to do a spread or a fan, they clump up. So I let them rest for a few days, and they go back to sliding smoothly.
Do a little experiment: Take one of the cards and expose it to hand sweat, water, etc. (on the back design, rubbing with your finger) to see if the ink starts to bleed.
It's moisture in the card's opaque core layer – the one in the middle that prevents them from being seen through when held up to the light.
It could be sweat, or with the current heat, if you're having a drink (and I'm not just talking about beer), moisture can transfer from your hand to the card, causing those marks. I've had that happen myself, especially since I enjoy doing magic while having a beer.
Once they dry, you'll still be able to use them, but the stain won't come out. Keep practicing with them as long as they don't swell up too much.
Chin up and keep practicing!