theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Is storing bicycle cards in fridge a good Idea? Also how to last cards longer

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chiragqatar

Sep 23, 2015
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I have purchased 4 standard decks (bicycle) and I want them to last as long as possible as I cant afford to buy decks every week also I live in Asia where delivery is really high. So whats better to use 1 deck for practicing and use it untill it geta destroyed or use alternative everyday. Eg. Use deck A on 1st day deck B on 2nd day and deck A on 3rd day again and soo on...
I`m a beginner and only perform for my family and friends so what should I plan out?????
Also do are the expensive decks like Mystery box are labelled high because of custom design and there is not much because quality difference???
 
I think it's definitely better to use one deck for practicing until it gets completely worn out - If you alternate between all decks, the oil from you hands will yellow the sides of all of them, so you won't be able to perform with a clean and smooth deck. There are also plenty of videos on youtube about how to keep your cards lasting longer.
 
Sleightdifference said:
I think it's definitely better to use one deck for practicing until it gets completely worn out - If you alternate between all decks, the oil from you hands will yellow the sides of all of them, so you won't be able to perform with a clean and smooth deck. There are also plenty of videos on youtube about how to keep your cards lasting longer.
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I saw a video which says its better to use alternative decks so one deck gets time to dry and retain its shape. Anyway thanks..
 
chiragqatar said:
I have purchased 4 standard decks (bicycle) and I want them to last as long as possible as I cant afford to buy decks every week also I live in Asia where delivery is really high. So whats better to use 1 deck for practicing and use it untill it geta destroyed or use alternative everyday. Eg. Use deck A on 1st day deck B on 2nd day and deck A on 3rd day again and soo on...
I`m a beginner and only perform for my family and friends so what should I plan out?????
Also do are the expensive decks like Mystery box are labelled high because of custom design and there is not much because quality difference???
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Some decks like mystery box are more expensive because some of the money goes to charity. Quality on all the decks are high.
 
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There are quality differences between luxury cards and ordinary decks, such as thickness of card stock and finish.

It is more practical to practice cardistry with a cheaper deck. No need to using alternatively.

I have several decks and I use all of them, I do not mind they are getting dirty and weary. I clean them with talcum powder and keep in a dry place.
 
Levent Suberk said:
There are quality differences between luxury cards and ordinary decks, such as thickness of card stock and finish.

It is more practical to practice cardistry with a cheaper deck. No need to using alternatively.

I have several decks and I use all of them, I do not mind they are getting dirty and weary. I clean them with talcum powder and keep in a dry place.
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How do I clean them and does Talcum Powder work same as fanning powder.
 
chiragqatar said:
How do I clean them and does Talcum Powder work same as fanning powder.
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Fanning powder (zinc stearate) is different from talcum powder. I smear fine talcum powder on cards with a piece of woolen fabric, then wipe to clean excess powder with a clean woolen fabric.

I remember that there is a thread in forums about cleaning cards but I could not find it.
 
I don't put decks in the refridgerator. I don't use powder to clean decks. I don't alternate decks that I'm using. The best advice is to wash and dry your hands before using a deck. The reduces the dirt from your hands getting on the cards.
Other than that, decks are disposable. The main factor in how long they last is how much you use them. Most of the use for decks is in practice. I use new decks for performances and older decks for practice. As the old decks get unusable, I start practicing with a performance deck and open a new deck for performing.
 
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RealityOne said:
I don't put decks in the refridgerator. I don't use powder to clean decks. I don't alternate decks that I'm using. The best advice is to wash and dry your hands before using a deck. The reduces the dirt from your hands getting on the cards.
Other than that, decks are disposable. The main factor in how long they last is how much you use them. Most of the use for decks is in practice. I use new decks for performances and older decks for practice. As the old decks get unusable, I start practicing with a performance deck and open a new deck for performing.
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So u use one deck for practice without switching untill its completely worn out???
 
RealityOne said:
I don't put decks in the refridgerator. I don't use powder to clean decks. I don't alternate decks that I'm using. The best advice is to wash and dry your hands before using a deck. The reduces the dirt from your hands getting on the cards.
Other than that, decks are disposable. The main factor in how long they last is how much you use them. Most of the use for decks is in practice. I use new decks for performances and older decks for practice. As the old decks get unusable, I start practicing with a performance deck and open a new deck for performing.
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Truth spoken. You don't need to get crazy buying special powders or refrigerating paper. Heck, the thing that will kill a deck faster than just about anything else is humidity, and you encourage humidity by forcing the decks through sudden temperature changes. Not worth any perceived benefits.

Find good, cheap, every day cards. For me and most magicians out there Bicycle decks are the best for this. They are super cheap and they are available all over. Use that deck (washing your hands is great advice for keeping your decks in good condition for longer). If it starts to feel too soft or if the cards start to stick, open a new deck. Simple! Don't throw away the old deck, let it sit in a cool dry place for a while. If it was getting sticky due to humidity, giving it time to dry out from your hand's moisture will bring it back to a usable condition. If nothing else, you will have spare cards to use. Save your nice cards for when you want to make an impression.

If you carry cards in your pocket, invest in a good card clip. It keeps the cards from getting warped and bent when in your pocket. It will extend the life of your tuck case and the cards.

// L
 
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chiragqatar said:
So u use one deck for practice without switching untill its completely worn out???
Click to expand...

Typically, I have a deck of red Bicycles and blue Bicycles that I use for practice and a red deck and blue deck I use for performance. When the performance decks get worn, they become practice decks. When the practice decks get worn, they become fodder for cutting, tearing, splitting, burning and practicing the Mercury Card Fold.

Lyle Borders said:
If you carry cards in your pocket, invest in a good card clip. It keeps the cards from getting warped and bent when in your pocket. It will extend the life of your tuck case and the cards.
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A Porper clip will keep your cards nice and flat. Shuffle the cards face up into face down (actually, not like Triumph) and put them into the clip. If you are storing decks, shuffle them the same way and leave them in the box.
 
mclintock said:
May I ask the reasoning behind this.
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The shuffle face up then face down?

If you're doing riffle shuffle after shuffle, eventually the deck will bow/smile. Like it's mocking you.

It's just good habit to turn the deck over after you complete a riffle. Personally, I'll shuffle up to 3 times one way, then turn the deck over and riffle shuffle that many times.

All about equilibrium.
 
I can't say that a refrigerator would help much. it may make it worse. It's -20 C/-4 F here and I had some cards out in my van. When I brought them in, they warped because of the temperature change. A refridgerator also may cause condensation and excess moisture on the cards (possibly) which won't help them.
 
mclintock said:
May I ask the reasoning behind this.
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This avoids the "click bend" in the cards. After the shuffle, you have half the cards face up and half the cards face down.

If the deck has a slight warp to it and you don't do this, the deck looks like this: ))))))))))))))) and the Porper Clip will reduce that a bit. If you shuffle it face up into face down, it looks more like this: ()()(()))()()()() and the deck will actuall be thicker. As a result, the Porper Clip will put more pressure on the cards. In the same way, storing a deck that wway will keep it from getting a bend in it.

Justin.Morris said:
It's -20 C/-4 F here and I had some cards out in my sleigh....
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Santa, is that you?

Justin.Morris said:
When I brought them in, they warped because of the temperature change. A refridgerator also may cause condensation and excess moisture on the cards (possibly) which won't help them.
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The temperature change would cause condensation (like a glass of ice water on a summer day). Also, the refridgerating or freezing of a deck will change the humidity. As the cards adjust to the higher humitity outside of the refridgerator, they will warp because the humidity of the edges of the cards is higher than the humidity of the middle of the cards.
 
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