Posted By:
AnonymousUse this information at your own risk.
First, NEVER soak a card in tap water. Tap water contains various chemicals that could leave residue. The prefered method is to soak the card(s) in luke warm deionized water. This could get costly however, as I have found that deionized water is only available via medical supply companies (around $25 per gallon). The next best thing is to use distilled water - available cheap at your local grocery. Wear protective gloves while manipulating cards during the entire process. Soak until glue begins to disolve and the scrapbook paper begins to separate. Gently peel the scrapbook paper away, a small amount at a time, stopping when/if the glue hasn't dissolved fully. After successfully removing the scrap book paper the card(s) will still have glue residue. Place the separated cards immediately into a separate clean water solution. Allow to soak again (5-10 minutes). Gently rub the glue residue off the card while still submerged. When you are reasonably certain that the glue is all gone, place the card(s) between 2 sheets of WHITE linen paper. This paper is available at your local OfficeMax etc, and is reasonably inexpensive. The linen paper is better suited to draw moisture away from your card(s). Place the sandwiched card(s) in the center of a large hard backed book. Then place weight (10-15 lbs) on top of the book. Allow the card(s) to dry approximately 1 hour, then replace the damp paper with new dry paper. Repeat as needed a couple of times then let the card(s) dry in the book overnight.
This process also works for scotch tape as well.
Some inks may be water soluble and damage may occur to the card while soaking. Most cards, however, will not be harmed during this process. If I were you, I'd experiment on the severely damaged card as a safety precaution.
Hope this helps.
Dennis
ALWAYS looking for t205 Minor Leaguers