HI all

Would appreciate any suggestions on keeping "gaffed cards" from getting grubby.

For example the gaffed card in NFW due to the Elmsley Counts involved, tends to get dirty on the edges. I've tried to clean these with a soft eraser, but it just takes the coating off the card.

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you.

Gerry

Wash your hands before you do magic. I have special decks and gaffed cards that I've used for 10+ years.

Robert

Ive used an eraser bag used in pencil drawing and drafting for light cleanup.

When adhesive on gaffed cards comes in contact with the inside of a wallet, it can pick up some black residue from the leather.

Any suggestions on how to clean this off would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Gerry

I generally keep my gaffs with decks (I'm not a performer, so it works for me) this way they're not odvious within the deck it's self (I.E. cleaner looking from the side, straight when the rest of the deck is bowed slightly).

Isopropyl Alcohol would probably clean it, but be very careful not to touch the ink of the card at all. Maybe regular alcohol. I would use a dupe card in the same wallet to see if it accumulates the same residue, then test it out.

Thank you Demonbrn. I'll try that.

Best

Gerry

If your gaff is looks dirty..try rubbing cigarette ash on the rest of the deck, so all the cards look the same

I've used an eraser before to get card edges clean and had no problems at all. I used one of those soft gum erasers, not the pink kind. Also keeping your close up pad or working surface (sometimes I use a large rolled up mouse pad) spotless goes a long way. I've noticed that playing the three shell game on anything foreign like cardboard or newspapers makes a big mess and trashes the pea. I've gone through a couple of Ultimate Three-card Monte sets for that very reason, the good thing is with a packet trick they all look the same so you can keep using them until it starts to drive you nuts, which for me isn't long.

Phil

If you know the deck treatment Steven Youell uses that might be of some help.

Hi Gerry. Im not sure if this will be of use to you and it probably depends on the type of adhesive being used. Anyway I use a gaff with double stick tape and I keep the packet (5 cards) in a leather himber wallet. On the inside of the wallet I have stuck a piece of the wax backing from the tape. This stops the 'special' card from sticking to the wallet and also keeps the adhesive part clean, this may work for other types aswell. On your other question I find a very slightly moist corner of a soft cloth, lightly wiped over the dirty area, and immedietly wiped again with a dry part of the cloth usually does the trick. Care must be taken not to over do it though. An eraser is ok for the actual edge of the card but any inked part will (as you noted) rub off. Some gimmicked cards are actually made using this 'property', which as far as I'm aware is unique to Bicycle cards.

Thank you all. Much appreciated.

Good ideas Jim.

Best

Gerry

Robert's advice above is solid, wash your hands before performing. And use a light touch as you should be anyway with cards.

However, build up of muck is almost inevitable over time. Cardshark website can provide replacement gaffs at a decent price. I need to get another NFW gaff as I was rather heavy handed when I started out.

Keep the DS tape backing & re-apply when the gaff's not in use.