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Posted By: warshawlaw

The keys are using distilled water and not forcing things. Tap water contains chemical and mineral impurities that will stain the card. Any force you exert has the potential to damage the surface. An added "benefit" of soaking is that hairline creases may relax out of the card. After completion, gently press the card into typing paper. Have several sheets ready, folded in half. Use the first few as blotters, quickly removing them. When the card is not leaching water but is still wet, place it in another sheet of typing paper and wedge it inside a book. I stack about ten coffee table books on top of it. I change the paper every ten minutes or so for the first hour, then I leave the card pressed overnight. I then change the paper every day until the card is totally dried out (In LA this takes only a few days in the summer, but it could take a lot longer somewhere it actually rains).

I have had several cards done this way graded by SGC; all passed with ex or better grades.