Can't Blacken cards with a lighter

May 6, 2012
75
0
I can't blacken cards without burning them partially or creating bubbles of air inside them. I really need to make some gaffs but until now I haven't got it after ~6 tries. I know it's a silly question but I would really appreciate any help.
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,879
2,945
Maybe place the card in a vice to only allow the edge to be exposed. But it's probably the distance like he said.
 
May 6, 2012
75
0
I got the same result after trying to move the lighter further away. The card starts to bend and bubbles of air appear inside the card before it blackens.
 

formula

Elite Member
Jan 8, 2010
968
5
Try different lighters. It's harder to do with Zippo's because they have a bigger flame than cheaper lighters so experiment.
 
Feb 4, 2008
959
3
Tape your mold in place. Take your time. Do it gradually. Burn a little bit, let the card cool down, burn a little more, and so on until you get the desired look. I use a zippo all the time to burn cards so if you are careful it shouldn't make a difference. Also....a card will always warp a little after burning it. There is no avoiding that but you should be able to do it without the card bubbling.
 
Aug 22, 2012
9
0
I had this problem when trying to burn cards using a bic style lighter, try using a zippo style lighter, and use the very tip of the flame to burn the card.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
May 6, 2012
75
0
I had this problem when trying to burn cards using a bic style lighter, try using a zippo style lighter, and use the very tip of the flame to burn the card.

That's right! I've been using a bic lighter and it sucks for the job. I just used a candle and worked perfectly.
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
3,637
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Louisville, OH
Blackening cards is a little difficult. You can't hold the flame very close at all and some warping may occur. You will then have to pull the flame off and put the cards back in the deck, put them in the box and then put heavy books on top of it. In the morning they will be flat again. If you allow the bubbling to occur you've already heated it too much.

I make these types of cards with a hole through the middle with singed marks for a cowboy shoot a card effect in my kids b-day shows.
 

Justin.Morris

Elite Member
Aug 31, 2007
2,793
888
Canada
www.morrismagic.ca
Blackening cards is a little difficult. You can't hold the flame very close at all and some warping may occur. You will then have to pull the flame off and put the cards back in the deck, put them in the box and then put heavy books on top of it. In the morning they will be flat again. If you allow the bubbling to occur you've already heated it too much.

I make these types of cards with a hold through the middle with singed marks for a cowboy shoot a card effect in my kids b-day shows.

Heh stole my advice. I use a candle (more soot is my guess) and then I put the card under some heavy books right away.
 
An alternative method would to design the smoked card on some photo editing software and print it directly on to the back of a playing card using an ink jet printer. You'll have to experiment with specific positioning (a la Danny Garcia's Fraud preparation), but the end result would be much more dependable than actually burning a card. You could facilitate the printing process by first splitting the playing card before you load the layer you want modified into the printer.

Also-- if you're set on actually burning the card with a lighter, the bubbles shouldn't be a factor. If you get the coloring you want but the card is warped, you can re-set the card by flattening it under a couple heavy phone books. That's always done the trick for me.

RS.
 
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