UnitedCardists.com - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, Custom Decks and All Things Playing Cards.

Nice to meet you, I have posted several times on New & Custom Decks. I'd like to introduce myself now.
I have always enjoyed long distance cycling as a hobby, but after the covid-19 disaster 3 years ago and a broken bone just then, I got into the hobby of magic and card collecting.

I open every deck I purchase, weigh and record the weight and thickness.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

※My English is not clear in many parts, sorry.

Perhaps the most valuable? thing is checking if the back design is ONE WAY or not. I rate them 1 if they are very subtle, such as some of the lines are different lengths, and 5 if they are one way no matter how you look at it.
There are many subtle one-ways in jocu... Is it an error in rasterizing the vector data, or is it a deliberate?

The weight of the deck is greatly affected by humidity. I try to measure the same temperature and humidity as much as possible, but it is difficult to measure under the same conditions because the weight changes even if the humidity is the same, depending on which side of the approach the deck was taken.

However, the weight/thickness ratio is reasonably stable (yes, I am ignoring the area. Slightly larger OATH products and smaller gilding products are subject to error),
For uspcc products, if it's around 5.6, you know it's regular stock, if it's over 5.8, you know it's crushed stock.

Welcome to UC.

Cards can be just looked at as art, but since they are in the form of playing cards, I prefer them to be smooth and easy to handle.

The gilding process of a while ago (e.g. EPCC) was not smooth on the edges and often resulted in multiple cards getting caught. I have shaved and smoothed these gilding edges.

The first one I did was ROYAL MISCHIEF, shaved with the back of an X-Acto knife. The fanning powder helped and made it smooth and fannable, but the edges have lost a lot of color due to over shaving.

DOMINION BLACK GILDED also lost much of its edge color.
When the tool for shaving the edges was changed from an X-Acto knife to a metal ruler, the color change was lessened.(GALAXIA SUPERBA)

However, the mirror-like edge became dull and shiny like crumpled aluminum foil. Still, for me, better handling is preferable, so I think I will do this process for the not-so-good gilding cards.
Cascading after riffle shuffling can also be done smoothly on both sides of the reverse side

It's an affordable deck, so I prefer to handle it better even if the gilding looks worse. Too much shaving... it's a shame for an expensive deck (but I can fan it smooth) It's no longer mirror-like, but considering it's this kind of processing, it's not bad? Flatten the burr surface. Half processed. In this direction, the color fading is noticeable. From right beside, there doesn't seem to be that much difference. Probably no one wants, but it is information for those who want to handle gilding edge cards smoothly.

Hi: I'm about to send my new deck to the printer and wanted some gilding on a small quantity. That's why your post got my attention. My understanding is that the gilt edges are mirror-like in the beginning, the material deteriorates over time and interferes with the handling of the cards. Right?

Gilding varies. Some like the Butterfly silver are perfect in handling and extend deck life.

Like GandalfPC, I have no complaints about the handling of the Butterfly deck.
I also feel that the gilding at USPCC by PlayingCardDecks.com and via Gambler's Warehouse on kickstarter is not too far behind the normal(non-gilding) ones.

Even with the gilding cards, I can still do spread and faro shuffle, but I prefer the ungilded decks for cascade, etc. because gilding cards are a bit stickier.
The gilding makes it a little stiffer and the snap feels different when you bend it. (I feel that the return is a little worse).

Artiphany wrote: ↑Sun Aug 20, 2023 6:15 am My understanding is that the gilt edges are mirror-like in the beginning, the material deteriorates over time and interferes with the handling of the cards. Right?

Some, such as TWI midas, have a dull shine from the start. The more mirror-like they are, the more easily they show scratches from bumping the edge of the card itself, and they seem to dull and fade with use.
But I have never felt that the handling gets worse with use.

GandalfPC wrote: ↑Sun Aug 20, 2023 9:24 am Gilding varies. Some like the Butterfly silver are perfect in handling and extend deck life.

I find that it reduces sweat soaking from the edges of the cards and reduces stains, mildew, and edge dirt, making them last longer. It also seems to lengthen the time it takes for the cards to get creased when I use a lot of card bending techniques such as springs.

I extracted only the gilding quality from the possession deck list above.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

The gilding quality score is not based on visual quality, but on the size of the burr on the edges. 5 is smooth on both sides and can be handled almost like a normal card, 4 is a little snaggy but can be fanned evenly with a little use, and 3 or lower is a burr that affects the handling of the card.(I use a ruler to flatten anything less than 3)

I prefer the handling without gilding, but due to the appearance and durability, I would choose the cards with gilding if there is a slight price difference.

I look forward to the new Artiphany decks.