Deck "Curve"

WingspreadPhoenix said:

gregory, those might be the packets. They always say "DO NOT EAT" and feel like they have small beads inside. I might have some, I'll look and see.

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That's the ones

And REALLY, don't eat them ! And don't use airtight boxes either ! But Griz is right - I never thought about the shuffling doing it, but it makes a lot of sense; I rarely shuffle the same way two days in a row so....

canid, that seems unsafe *-* I guess I'm just not ready to have my decks undergo serious shuffling D:

gregory, so I should just store them with my decks? And I should also shuffle differently from day to day?

Some of my decks curl and others don't - and I treat all my decks exactly hte same, so it's nothing I'm doing.

Someone said a few months ago (I can't remember who) that when the cardboard goes into teh printing process, it's on huge rollers, and stays on them for quite a while. Anyone who's ever folded a piece of paper knows that paper has memory - once folded, even if you fold it the opposite way, it retains a fold-mark forever. This person suggested that decks that curl inwards were that-way-positioned on the roller before they were printed and cut, and decks that curl outwards were the-other-way positioned on the roller.

This makes sense, especially once I ran the idea past a scientific community who Know About Things Like This. So now I feel much better about my curled decks. They will only ever curl as much as they were curled on the roller anyway - they won't end up in tight spirals like quick-cooked squid. When I use a curled deck, I bend it gently against the curl as a whole deck, then cut it and replace so that the insides are now the outsides, and bend it against the curl again.

As a result of that, not one of my decks is in a bad way.

I really dislike this curve business too.

I dont think it's caused just by moisture or shuffling technique, as new decks of mine straight out of shrinkwrap have also had a very slight curve to them (almost imperceptible). I know after a lot of use this slight curve will develop into a full-blown crescent. So here is what I've started doing with new decks -

I take each card and hold it so my thumb is on the back, and my index finger is on the front (right hand), both sort of stretched out along the width of the card. I hold the bottom edge of the card with my left hand to steady it. Then I run my thumb and index finger lengthwise along the card several times - applying slightly more pressure in the opposite direction of the existing curve. Not enough to bend the card, mind you, just enough to work out the curve.

Doing it like this really works, although it takes ages to get through a whole deck. But it makes cards easier to shuffle as a bonus too. I've done this on an older deck which had a pronounced curve, and it required more pressure but it also worked. Ive never had a deck re-curve itself after this treatment either, though testing is ongoing.

My favorite deck has this problem too! Which is werid since I've had my LS Universal for much longer than my Universal Fantasy. But it drives me bonkers, not to mention the build up of dead skin cells and gook from shuffling hand over hand gets. *shudders* And the sort of scuffed edges...*whimpers* It's hardly a year old!

I wish I had money for a back up copy, I really don't want to risk it going out of print and not having an extra when my reading copy dies. *sigh* But it was published in 2008, so I may have time yet!

I bridge all my decks! Maybe I'm just not noticing the curling? I like worn in decks anyway.

Many of my decks have the curve. I don't mind if it's the same end to end and side to side, but when it gets a diagonal warp like my damn Secret Forest it bothers me.

I think it's got something to do with heat. If I leave my Thoth in the car and it gets warm, it bends while it's sitting there; shuffling it is then easier but that's coz of the surface being less sticky or something, but the bend is a bit more pronounced.

It goes back to "normal" (it's a worn deck, what can I say?" when the temperature regulates.

\m/ Kat

Sinduction said:

I bridge all my decks! Maybe I'm just not noticing the curling? I like worn in decks anyway.

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Me too . . . perfectly straight, flat decks make me feel like I should be sitting up straight with my legs together, my ankles tucked demurely beneath me and my skirt pulled down over my knees

\m/ Kat

Well, I like mine flat and I certainly don't sit like that!

I riffle. If I couldn't riffle, it would just take away a whole lot of the fun out of decks for me. I don't bridge, though. My daughter does.

Ugh! I love riffling and bridging my decks. That's a big part of the enjoyment for me. I don't mind if a deck is a bit worn looking. I just don't like it when they get weak in the middle and seem to bend too much when you try to shuffle them. My Fantastic Menagerie came to me this way in a trade, so it's no fun to shuffle.