Craig Matsuoka - The Gaff Factory

Th e

Gaff Factory

By Craig M ats u ok a

Th e GaffFactory Copyrigh t© 2007, Craig M atsu ok a - Fou rth Edition -

TABLE O F CO NTENTS Introdu ction .............................................................3 Ge tting Starte d .........................................................5 Inside th e Factory....................................................6 Pl aying Card Anatom y.............................................7 W ate r is al lW e t.........................................................8 D ry Spl itting.............................................................9 Ge tting itToge th e r...................................................13 D M T to th e Re scu e !.................................................14 M ate rial s and Eq u ipm e nt.......................................15 M ak ing D ou b l e Face rs .............................................23 D M T Pre paration .....................................................23 Finish ing Tou ch e s - Corne r Rou nding...................28 Sh im m e d Cards ........................................................31 Spl itFace s and Back s ...............................................35 Invisib l e Se am s - Th e FirstSe cre t...........................36 W ork ing w ith Raz or Bl ade s .....................................37 Invisib l e Se am s - Th e Se cond Se cre t......................39 Invisib l e Se am s - Th e Th ird Se cre t.........................45 Long Cards ................................................................47 Acrob atic Cards ........................................................49 H ofz inse r's Transpare ntCards ...............................55 Erasing M e th ods ......................................................57 Re storing th e Finish .................................................58 Tone r Transfe r Se cre ts .............................................59 Tone r Transfe r: O ve rvie w ........................................60 Tone r Transfe r: Th e Proce du re ...............................62 Tone r Transfe r: Note s and Tips ...............................66 H ofz inse r Transpare ntCards: Tone r Transfe r M e th od .....................................................................67 Sh im m e d Cards: Tone r M ask ..................................71 Cre ating Graph ics ....................................................73 Appe ndix - Sou rce s & M frs ......................................77

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Introduction Card m agic is re pl e te w ith possib il itie s tow ard pre se ntation and m e th od, b u t it's h ard to spe nd m u ch tim e on th e cre ative side of th ings w ith ou t ru nning into w al l s. Spe cifical l y, w h e re do you ob tain cards h aving th e b ack s and face s you ne e d, w h e n you ne e d th e m ? If im m e diacy is param ou nt, m any tim e s, th e onl y sol u tion is to m ak e th e m you rse l f. So, natu ral l y, inte re st in h om e m ade card gaffs h as al w ays b e e n strong. Th is is ne ith e r th e firstnor l astb ook to de alw ith th e artand craftof card gaffing. Inde e d, se ve ral good b ook s and vide os al re ady pe ppe r th e m ark e t. W h y ye t anoth e r?A trite answ e r w ou l d be , “Th e re ’s m ore th an one w ay to sk in a cat”, b u t th at m e ntalim age ry is distu rb ing. “Th e re ’s m ore th an one w ay to pe e la b l ack tige r”, now th e re ’s an idiom I can l ive w ith . Any w ay you care to l ook atit, th e re 's a nich e to fil l . Th is k now l e dge gap is al lth e m ore appare ntby th e ince ssantstre am of gaffing q u e stions on Inte rne t m agic foru m s de spite al lth e inform ation pu b l ish e d h e re tofore . H e nce , th is b ook . Ye t, re du ndancy can b e annoying. So to save space , w e w on't dw e l lon appl ications (i.e . trick s). Th e y l ie ou tside th e scope and pu rpose of th is b ook , w h ich is w ritte n w ith th e assu m ption th at th e re ade r is fu l l y aw are of th e possib il itie s. Fu rth e rm ore , aside from incide ntalu sage , ru b b e r ce m e nting and ink je t printing w il lnot b e discu sse d, as th e y h ave al re ady b e e n cove re d in gre at de tail e l se w h e re . Inste ad, w e w il l focu s on th e l e sse r- k now n "dry m ou nting" te ch niq u e . Aw are ne ss is grow ing, b u tm ostne ve r b oth e r to try itb e cau se th e y th ink it's e ith e r too e xpe nsive or th e y don'tk now w h e re to b e gin.Th is b ook is m e antto re m e dy th atsitu ation. Ittak e s you ste pby- ste p and sh ow s h ow profe ssional - q u al ity gaffs can b e m ade u sing e asil y ob tainab l e m ate rial s and e q u ipm e nt.W ith practice , itoffe rs an al te rnative to ru b b e r ce m e ntth atyie l ds re su l ts anyone w il lb e prou d of. Th is w ork pre se nts som e u nu su alconstru ction m e th ods th at are not de scrib e d anyw h e re e l se , distil l ing ye ars of painfu le xpe rie nce into a form b e ginne rs can e asil y dige st. As w e l l , gre at care w as tak e n to avoid gu e ssw ork and spe cu l ation. Eve ryth ing you se e h e re w as actu al l y trie d and te ste d. In m ost case s, cl arifying ph otograph s and il l u strations are incl u de d to com pl e m e nt th e te xt. If cre ativity is th e fu e lof innovation, th e n h om e gaffm ak ing is th e e ngine th at drive s m agic forw ard. It is m y since re h ope th at you w il lfind th is inform ation to b e e m ine ntl y practical , e q u ipping you w ith an e arne d sk il lth at re pays itse l f m any tim e s ove r. If noth ing e l se , it sh ou l d give you a gre ate r appre ciation for al lth e l ab or th at goe s into constru cting th e gaffs you can b u y in m agic sh ops. Craig M atsu ok a 2007 3

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Ge tting Starte d Ste p one : Th e righ tattitu de I appl au d you r se nse of adve ntu re in w anting to l e arn th e m ate rialin th is b ook , b u t you sh ou l d k now w h atyou 're ge tting into. Card gaffing is te diou s w ork . Frank l y, it’s a ch ore . H ow e ve r, w h e n you find you rse l f q u e stioning th e costof th e l ab or, conside r th is: Th e e ffortyou pu tinto l e arning th is craftgive s you th e pow e r to fl e sh ou t you r ide as. Final l y, you can stop w ish ing and start h aving! Th ose w e ird gaffs you’ve b e e n fantasiz ing ab ou t in you r note b ook s w il lcom e to l ife th rou gh th e indu stry of you r h ands. H ow m u ch is th atab il ity w orth to you ?O nl y you can de te rm ine th at. D iscou rage d ye t?No?Th e n do th is: Re ad th rou gh e ach proce du re se ve raltim e s first and try to visu al iz e you rse l f doing it al l . Th at w ay, you w on’t ge t snagge d on th e h orns of nasty su rprise s. Be gin at th e first page and re ad al lth e w ay th rou gh to th e l ast. Th e e xpl anations are progre ssive , and re l y on k now l e dge gaine d from pre viou s se ctions. So ifyou sk ip arou nd, you’l lge tl ost. Th e b e st advice I can offe r is to h ang in th e re and w ork in a room w h e re no one can h e ar you scre am . Th e re 's no royalroad h e re . W ork ing w ith dry m ou nting tissu e invol ve s a gre at de alof patie nce and atte ntion to de tail . You 'l lm ak e m istak e s apl e nty and ru in cou ntl e ss gaffs on you r jou rne y to pe rfe ction. D on'tru sh .Tak ing sh ortcu ts w il lofte n l e ad to fru stration and gaffcrapitu de .

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Inside th e Factory A good pl ace to b e gin ou r discu ssion is at th e U nite d State s Pl aying Card Com pany. By u nde rstanding h ow cards are m ade , you 'l lh ave a b e tte r ide a ofw h atittak e s to prope rl y gaffth e m . Bicycl e s b e gin th e ir l ive s as h u ge rol l s of l ine n/w ood pu l p pape r m e asu ring ab ou t fou r fe e t diam e te r. Th e y are fe d into a pasting m ach ine w h e re tw o l aye rs of th e pape r are fu se d toge th e r w ith b l ack paste . U SPCC says it’s th e se cre t sau ce th at l e nds du rab il ity, pl ayab il ity, and “sh u ffl e ab il ity”. Ne xt, th e drie d/cu re d pape r is give n a pl astic l am inate d coating and se nt to a m ach ine cal l e d a “cru sh e r” th at e nsu re s u niform pape r th ick ne ss b e fore it’s h ande d ove r to th e printing de partm e nt. A dim pl e d patte rn e m b osse d into th e su rface cre ate s a te xtu re cal l e d an “aircu sh ion” finish th ate l im inate s sh ine w h il e im proving sl ip and du rab il ity. Th e finish e d rol l s of l am inate d pape r are infe d to a fou r- col or h igh - spe e d w e b offse t pre ss th at, l ik e al lsu ch pre sse s, prints on continu ou s rol l s at a diz z ying rate . Th e fre sh l y printe d pape r th e n z oom s straigh tth rou gh a drying ove n w h e re th e ink rapidl y cu re s. At th e ou tpu t, th ings start to l ook m ore fam il iar. Sh e e ts of fifty- fou r cards are cu t from th e rol l , e ach arrange d in a grid of e igh tcards w ide by se ve n cards h igh . M ostof u s h ave se e n th e m offe re d to col l e ctors as “u ncu t sh e e ts”. Th e se sh e e ts are inspe cte d and fe d th rou gh a m ach ine th at cu ts th e m into h oriz ontalstrips of e igh tcards e ach .You w ou l d th ink a k nife gu il l otine is u se d, since it can cu t th rou gh a th ick stack al lat once , b u t th at’s not w h at h appe ns. Th e m ach ine cu ts sh e e ts one ata tim e , possib l y for th e sak e ofconsiste ncy. Final l y, th e strips are stack e d and l oade d into a die - cu tting m ach ine w h e re individu alcards are pu nch e d ou t. From th e re , it's on to inspe ction and pack aging. As you can se e , m u ch h appe ns b e fore you can pl ay Victor Frank e nste in.

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Playing Card Anatom y Pl aying cards h ave th re e l aye rs. In figu re 1, you can se e th attw o ou te r l aye rs sandw ich a dark gray ce nte r l aye r. Figu re 1 O u te r l aye r (b ack ) Ce nte r Laye r O u te r l aye r (face )

Th e se l aye rs can b e se parate d w ith a w ate rl e ss te ch niq u e cal l e d “dry spl itting” or “dry pe e l ing”. It's a fu ndam e ntalsk il lth at you 'l lne e d to h ave b e fore atte m pting anyth ing e l se in th is b ook . To ne w com e rs, th is m igh tsou nd dau nting. H ow e ve r, if you fol l ow th e instru ctions in th e ne xtse ction and de vote an e ntire practice de ck of Bicycl e s to de stru ction, you 'l lb e pe e l ing l ik e a pro soon e nou gh .Be fore w e b e gin, w e sh ou l d discu ss w h y...

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W ate r is allW e t Th e ce nte r l aye r is actu al l y bl ack w ate r- sol ubl e gl u e , so w h y notsoak th e cards in w ate r or ste am th e m and b e done w ith it?Easy, righ t? W rong. Th e re is noth ing q u ick and e asy ab ou tw e tspl itting. Ith e l ps to u nde rstand w h ath appe ns w h e n you soak a Bicycl e pl aying card. Itw e ak e ns th e inte rface b e tw e e n th e pape r and th e pl astic coating, m ak ing th e su rface prone to b u b b l ing. In th is fragil e state , it doe sn't tak e m u ch e ffort to accide ntal l y te ar th e w e tsu rface of th e pape r and crack th e ink . A ru b b e r b raye r can h e l p sq u e e z e aw ay th e w ate r, b u t dam age is stil lh ard to avoid, particu l arl y to th e dim pl e s of th e air- cu sh ion finish . Th e re afte r, m u ch tim e is w aste d in care fu l l y drying th e card. Eve n afte r it drie s ou t, th e finish ne ve r l ook s or fe e l s as good as itdid b e fore th e soak . Save you rse l f th e aggravation and stick w ith dry spl itting.

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D ry Splitting Forge t w ate r. D ry spl itting is th e w ay to go. It's q u ick and al l ow s you to h andl e th e pie ce s w ith l ittl e risk . Th e re are diffe re nt dry spl itting te ch niq u e s and afte r a w h il e , you 'l lse ttl e on one th at w ork s b e st for you . Som e e xpe rt pe e l e rs scrape cards across a tab l e e dge in one q u ick u ninte rru pte d m otion, b u tth e l e arning cu rve of th atapproach is ste e p. Th e re 's an e asie r m e th od w h e re you pe e lth e card a l ittl e ata tim e diagonal l y from corne r to corne r. Expe rtCard Te ch niq u e te ach e s it, b u t it’s so fu ndam e ntalth at w e 'l le xpl ain it h e re and add a fe w h e l pfu ltips to m ak e th ings e ve n e asie r for you .

W e 'l lpe e la face for th is tu torial . Start w ith a fre sh ne w card and tap one noninde x corne r against a h ard su rface u ntilit de nts sl igh tl y (ph oto 1). Fray th e corne r ju st e nou gh so you can se parate th e ou te r face l aye r and b e gin pe e l ing. Be ar in m ind th at you 're fraying th e corne r into tw o parts: a th in l aye r and a th ick l aye r. In ou r e xam pl e h e re , th e th in l aye r is th e face , w h il e th e th ick l aye r actu al l y consists of tw o l aye rs: th e ce nte r and th e b ack . If you 're confu se d, re fe r to page 7 again.

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Tap corne r againsta h ard su rface

If you h ave sh ort finge rnail s, you 'l lfind it h e l pfu lto u se a raz or b l ade or a h ob by k nife to pry th e corne r l aye rs apart by ab ou t a m il l im e te r. Th e n, grab th e th ick l aye r w ith e ye b row pl u ck ing tw e e z e rs and pu l lit b ack w ard on itse l f to incre ase th e se paration by anoth e r m il l im e te r or tw o. Ge tting th e corne r starte d is trick y and m igh t b e com e th e part of th e job you’l lh ate th e m ost.W h il e you 're l e arning th is, th e corne r m igh te nd u p l ook ing l ik e you r rab b ith ad b e e n ch e w ing on it, b u t k e e p practicing. You 'l lge t b e tte r. Avoiding nailde nts and w rink l e m ark s isn'te asy, b u tyou h ave one th ing w ork ing in you r favor: Th e m ark s are l e ss notice ab l e afte r you gl u e th e gafftoge th e r, so th e corne r ne e dn’tb e fl aw l e ss.

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O nce you fray e nou gh of th e l aye rs to ge t a pu rch ase on th e m w ith you r finge rs, l ay th e card (th ick side u pw ard) on a h ard fl at su rface . H ol d th e th in corne r dow n w ith you r m iddl e finge r and grab th e u ppe r th ick corne r w ith you r oth e r h and. Ke e p you r k nu ck l e s firm l y pre sse d against th e card.

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3 Now pu l lb ack and u pw ard on th e th ick corne r by rol l ing th at h and b ack w ard on its k nu ck l e s w h il e you r oth e r h and re m ains stationary. Th is pe e l ing action sh ou l d b e fairl y rapid, ye t sm ooth and control l e d. As you do th is, th e se paration point advance s by approxim ate l y 1 cm .

4 Ne xt, m ove you r l e ft se cond and th ird finge rs forw ard al lth e w ay u p to th e ne w se paration point. H ol d th e th in corne r dow n firm l y.

5 Grab cl ose to th e se paration pointw ith you r righ t finge rs and re pe at th e pre viou s pe e l ing action to advance th e se paration pointagain.

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Al l fou r l e ft finge rs m ove u p to th e ne w se paration pointand cl am p dow n (ph oto 6).You r righ t finge rs grab th e corne r ne ar th e se paration point and pe e l s a b it m ore . Re m e m b e r to rol l b ack on you r k nu ck l e s.

6 Continu e th is gradu alpu l l ing proce du re al l th e w ay across th e card to th e diagonal l y opposite corne r. W ith practice , you can de cre ase th e nu m b e r of pu l l s it tak e s to ge t to th e oth e r e nd. Th e fe w e r pu l l s you do, th e l e ss rippl ing and distortion th e re w il lb e on th e pe e l e d face . Pu l l ing b ack at a sh arp angl e as sh ow n in ph oto 7 m ak e s th is e asie r. H ow e ve r, it can b e w aste fu lsince it dam age s th e finish of th e th ick pie ce . If you 're pl anning to pe e l b oth side s of th e card, you sh ou l d pu l latan angl e th at's cl ose r to pe rpe ndicu l ar.

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Su cce ss = Practice + Practice + Practice Congratu l ations. You dry spl it you r first card, b u t don’t stop now . It’s te m pting to ye l l“w oo h oo” and triu m ph antl y w ave th e fre sh l y su nde re d pie ce s in th e air, b u t re sist th e u rge . You r fam il y w on’t b e im pre sse d. Pat you rse l f on th e b ack and cal ml y pe e lyou rse l f a w h ol e de ck of face s for practice . O nce you ge t th e h ang of it, you’ve passe d th e first m ajor h u rdl e in card gaffing. M ost pe opl e give u p afte r tw o h u ndre d b otch e d atte m pts. Not you . You’re a de te rm ine d and patie nt m asoch ist. In oth e r w ords, you’re w e l lon you r w ay to b e com ing a card gaffe r. H ooray! W h e n you’re done ce l e b rating, discard th e th ick b ack pie ce s and k e e p th e th in face s.W e w il lsoon pu tth atb ig pil e offace s to good u se .

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Th e pie ce s are n’t q u ite re ady to u se ye t. Th e y’re cu rl e d and h ave rou gh b ack side s.

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To re m ove th e cu rl , ge ntl y scrape th e m ove r th e e dge of a tab l e (ph oto 8). Th e y ne e d not b e pe rfe ctl y fl at, ju st fl at e nou gh to b e e asil y h andl e d. Bu t th e fl atte r th e y are , th e b e tte r. Try not to ge t any cre ase s in th e m as you scrape . You can avoid th at by scraping across a m ore rou nde d tab l e e dge th an th e one pictu re d h e re . Sand th e rou gh b ack side s sm ooth w ith a l ittl e re ctangl e of 220- grit sandpape r and th e n fol l ow th atw ith 400- grit. To avoid accide ntalw rink l e s, you r sanding strok e sh ou l d onl y m ove aw ay from th e finge rs th ath ol d dow n th e pape r, ne ve r tow ard (ph otos 9 & 10).

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Corre ct

Incorre ct

Ge titas pe rfe ctl y sm ooth as you can. Itgre atl y im prove s adh e sion w h e n it's tim e to gl u e th e gaff toge th e r. It's al so im portant th at you w ipe th e sande d side w ith a cl e an cl oth or tissu e to re m ove any l oose fib e rs, du st, or pow de ry re sidu e s afte rw ard. Th e pie ce s are now re ady for gl u ing. If you w on’t u se th e m righ t aw ay, stack th e m u p and store th e m in a card pre ss or b e tw e e n a ru b b e r- b ande d pair ofb oxe d de ck s.

“H ard” and “e asy” side s Be fore w e m ove on, I’l ladd th atyou’l le ncou nte r som e th ing odd as you gain e xpe rie nce pe e l ing h u ndre ds of cards. For re asons not fu l l y u nde rstood, one side is al w ays h arde r to pe e lth an th e oth e r. Inde e d, you w il lsoon discove r th at th e “h ard” side is q u ite u ncoope rative and yie l ds th inne r l aye rs th an th e “e asy” side . Th e w e irde st th ing is th at th e “h ard” side isn’t al w ays th e sam e across diffe re nt b atch e s of de ck s. Som e tim e s it’s th e face , som e tim e s it’s th e b ack .You can ne ve r te l lw h ich side it’s going to b e u ntilyou try to fray th e corne r. Ke e p th is in m ind as you progre ss th rou gh th e b ook , b e cau se it affe cts th e w ay you constru ctgaffs w ith se am s l ate r on. 12

Ge tting itToge th e r So you h ave al lth e se pe e l e d face s. O bviou sl y, th e y h ave to b e gl u e d toge th e r som e h ow , b u t th e sl e w of adh e sive ch oice s can l e ave you ove rw h e l m e d. W h ich one sh ou l d you u se ?Ide al l y, th e adh e sive you se l e ct sh ou l d b e cl e an, e asy to u se , and produ ce a gaff th at snaps crispl yl ik e a re al card w ith ou tfe e l ing stiff. Ru b b e r ce m e nt w ork s w e l l , b u t it te nds to m ak e th e re su l ting gaffs fe e lsofte r th an norm alcards. Th e diffe re nce is su b tl e , b u t q u ite notice ab l e . If you r au die nce ne ve r h andl e s th e m , it’s not a b ig de al . H ow e ve r, w h e n you ne e d gaffs th at can w ith stand h ands- on scru tiny, a stiffe r adh e sive is in orde r. Gl u e stick s are e ith e r too stiff or too softand can b e m e ssy to w ork w ith .W ate r- b ase d gl u e s are th e w orst option of al lb e cau se in addition to b e ing m e ssy, th e y can al so w rink l e th e pape r and soak th rou gh . W h at ab ou t spray adh e sive s?Forge t it. Th e y introdu ce too m any annoying prob l e m s. You h ave onl y one ch ance to ge t th e al ignm e nt e xactl y righ t. Th e adh e sive ne ve r h arde ns and stays tack y fore ve r, so th e e dge s of th e gaff fe e lgu m m y. Exce ss can’t b e ru b b e d aw ay l ik e drie d ru b b e r ce m e nt. Inste ad, itre m ains on th e card and transfe rs re sidu e to you r finge rs, oth e r cards, and th e inside su rface s of you r pack e t trick w al l e ts. O n top of e ve ryth ing e l se , spraye d gaffs fe e l"de ad" and l ack th e l ive l ine ss ofre alcards.

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D M T to th e Re scue ! Th e sol u tion to th e afore m e ntione d sh ortcom ings is a produ ct u se d in th e pictu re - fram ing indu stry cal l e d dry m ou nting tissu e (D M T). It’s a spe cialtissu e pape r coate d on b oth side s w ith a th in, dry l aye r of h e at- activate d adh e sive . W h e n D M T is sandw ich e d b e tw e e n tw o su rface s and h e ate d, th e adh e sive m e l ts and b onds th e m toge th e r. Th e re is no stick y re sidu e and no l iq u ids to fu ss w ith , so drying tim e is ne ve r an issu e . Pl aying card l aye rs can b e fu se d toge th e r in a m atte r of se conds w ith D M T. Appl y h e at& pre ssu re , and voil a! A pe rfe ct gaff th at fe e l s and snaps l ik e a re alcard! If you w ant to do th is th e w ay profe ssionalgaffe rs do it, you can b u y an indu strialdry m ou nting pre ss, b u t th e price tags of th ose m ach ine s w il lgive you stick e r sh ock .Th e re m u stb e anoth e r w ay, righ t? D oing iton th e ch e ap H ou se h ol d cl oth e s irons are ok ay, b u t th e y're not e asy for b e ginne rs to u se . It re q u ire s com pl e te fam il iarity w ith th e idiosyncrasie s of you r particu l ar iron. For e xam pl e , ste am h ol e s in th e b ottom pl ate can l e ak w ate r vapor e ve n afte r th e re se rvoir is e m ptie d. Th at's a se riou s prob l e m , b e cau se w h e n m oistu re ge ts into D M T, th e re su l ts are u npre dictab l e . Th ose h ol e s al so pre ve nt h e at and pre ssu re from b e ing appl ie d u niform l y across th e card.Th is l e ads to dim pl e s, b u b b l e s, pu ck e ring, and w e ak spots in th e b ond. U nstab l e te m pe ratu re s al so pre se nt a ch al l e nge , as no tw o irons are e xactl y al ik e and se l dom h ave re l iab l e th e rm ostats. Th e se and oth e r factors m ak e th e task a h it- and- m iss affair. Ach ie ving any l e ve lof consiste ncy w ith a cl oth e s iron is an e xe rcise in fu til ity. To addre ss th is, Todd Lasse n inve nte d an al u m inu m pre ss cal l e d a “Card Gaffing Ge nii”. It’s a bl ock of al u m inu m w ith a se ction m il l e d ou t to k e e p th e D M T and card l aye rs in pe rfe ct al ignm e nt. A pl ate fits into th e re ce ss and e ve nl y distrib u te s th e h e at and pre ssu re of th e iron. Todd's m ach ine sh op cre ation is nifty, b u t a com pl e te l y "off th e sh e l f" sol u tion u sing ch e ap, re adil y avail ab l e e q u ipm e ntw ou l d b e nice . W h atfol l ow s is th e syste m th atI cu rre ntl y u se to dry m ou ntcards. It's de signe d to b e sim pl e and re l iab l e , so e ve n ab sol u te b e ginne rs can produ ce h igh q u al ity gaffs. Th e cards com e ou t b e au tifu l l y and h ave th atsatisfying factory snap w e al ll ove .

14

M ate rialsand Eq uipm e nt Good ne w s: You don’t h ave to spe nd a fortu ne to ge t starte d. In fact, you can asse m b l e th e b e ginnings of you r ow n pe rsonalgaff factory for arou nd fifty b u ck s. Se riou sl y. Pe rh aps a l otl e ss if you sh op in th e righ tpl ace s. H e re 's w h atyou 'l lne e d:

Th e first ite m to pu t on you r sh opping l ist is cal l e d a “tack ing iron”. Th e y provide accu rate and rock stab l e te m pe ratu re control , m ak ing th e m m u ch e asie r to u se th an a cl oth e s iron. Th e one s sol d in art store s are price y, b u t you can go to a h ob by store inste ad and pick u p a "se al ing iron". Th e y’re e sse ntial l y th e sam e th ing and are u se d to appl y de corative fil m s onto re m ote control l ed m ode lairpl ane s. Th e se can b e h ad for a song on e Bay - te n b u ck s on ave rage .

11

If you don’t m ind spe nding a l ittl e m ore , Cove rite m ak e s an e xce l l e nt one cal l e d "Th e 21st Ce ntu ry Se al ing Iron" (ph oto 11). It's e l e ctronical l y re gu l ate d and can h ol d te m pe ratu re s accu rate to w ith in fou r de gre e s.You 'l lse e m e u sing one in th e tu torial s.

Th e ne xt ite m is a non- stick "gl u e gu n pad" (ph oto 12). It's a sh e e t of soft h e at- re sistant sil icone ru b b e r ab ou t 1/16" th ick and can b e pu rch ase d in craftstore s. Th e one pictu re d h e re is m ade by "Su re b onde r", b u tyou can u se any oth e r b rand th at's avail ab l e . Th e se th ings attract du st and l oose pape r fib e rs l ik e craz y, so al w ays cl e an itw ith w ate r b e fore u sing it. You m igh t al so w ant to e conom iz e by trim m ing it in h al f to a sm al l e r siz e l ik e 3- 7/8" x 6". Th at w ay, you 'l lh ave tw o pads for th e price ofone . W e 'l lre fe r to th is ite m h e re afte r as a "fu sing pad". 15

12

D ry m ou nting tissu e can b e pu rch ase d in ph otograph ic su ppl y sh ops and graph ic arts store s. If you can't ge t it l ocal l y, you can al w ays find it onl ine (se e appe ndix). Se ve ral sou rce s l istitatab ou te l e ve n dol l ars for a pack of25 sh e e ts. Th e re are se ve raldiffe re nt form u l ations and th ick ne sse s, ranging from tissu e - th in to pape r- h e avy. A b it of trialis ne e de d to find one you l ik e , b u t th e b rand I re com m e nd is Bie nfang/Se al ’s Col orm ou nt8” x 10” (ph oto 13).Th e re su l ts from th atprodu ctare su pe rb. O n th e oth e r h and, if you pre fe r stiffe r gaffs, try th e ir 13 Ragm ou nt D M T. It's sl igh tl y th ick e r and m ore opaq u e . Kodak Type II w ork s, b u t it's not as good. It h as a b u m py tooth e d su rface th at m ak e s it h arde r to trim , and th e adh e sive te nds to sq u e e z e ou t th e e dge s of th e gaff. Th e re 's al so a su b tl e tint to it th at im parts a ye l l ow ish tinge you m igh t not b e h appy w ith . You can al so m ix tw o diffe re nt D M T produ cts to ach ie ve a de sire d th ick ne ss and stiffne ss. For e xam pl e , try com b ining Col orm ou nt w ith Ragm ou nt. In any case , w h e n you 've fou nd a produ ct you l ik e , b u y a b oatl oad of it. You ne ve r k now w h e n th e m anu factu re r w il l su dde nl y de cide to e ith e r ch ange th e form u l a or discontinu e ital toge th e r.

You al so ne e d to pick u p a spe cialsil icone coate d non- stick pape r to pre ve nt m e l te d dry m ou ntadh e sive and ink from m e ssing u p th e se al ing iron.You can find ch e ap rol l s of itin th e q u il ting or notions se ction ofany w e l l - stock e d fab ric and craftstore . A good one is Th e rm - O - W e b “Pre ssing Pape r”. At th re e b u ck s pe r rol l , it's l e ss costl y th an th e “sil icone re l e ase pape r” spe cifical l y m ade for D M T. Anoth e r ch e ap al te rnative is non- stick parch m e ntpape r. Cook s u se it for b ak ing and you can find itin m any k itch e n su ppl y sh ops. Be su re th e one you ge tis sm ooth and w ax- fre e . R e ynol ds m ak e s one th at w ork s gre at (U PC: 0- 109 0001331- 4), and it l asts l onge r th an Th e rm - O - W e b pre ssing pape r.

16

Th e se al ing iron ope rate s at 250 °F du ring th e dry m ou nting proce du re , so you 'l lne e d to w ork on a h e at re sistant su rface . 3/4" th ick m e l am ine particl e b oard is pe rfe ct for th is b e cau se it's h ard, fl at, and h ol ds u p to h e ating q u ite w e l l . Be stof al l , it's ch e ap and e asy to find at m ost h ardw are store s and h om e im prove m e nt ce nte rs. Th e y'l lprob ab l y e ve n cu t it to siz e atno ch arge . Th e ir saw w il ll ik e l yl e ave ch ippe d e dge s on one side of th e b oard, b u t don'tl e tth atb oth e r you . Ju stu se th e good side and you 'l lb e fine . If you 're e xtra ch e ap and w il l ing to tu rn on th e ch arm , try h itting u p a l ocalcab ine tm ak e r for som e scrap. In e ith e r case , you 'l lw ant a re ctangu l ar pie ce m e asu ring rou gh l y 8" x 10". W h e n th e tim e com e s to dry m ou nt, pl ace iton an ironing b oard and you 're good to go. Me l am ine sh e l ving b oard is anoth e r good ch oice . Ru b b e rm aid m ak e s one th at's rou gh l y 8" w ide x 3 fe e tl ong. It's a b itth inne r at5/8" th ick , b u tw ork s e q u al l y w el land costs ab ou tfive b u ck s.Th at's a pre tty sw e e tde al , conside ring th atyou can cu titinto th re e 10" pie ce s. I've al so h ad su cce ss w ith l am inate d pane lcu t to 6" x 8". Th is m ate rialconsists of 1/4" th ick M D F b oard w ith w h ite m e l am ine on one side and costs arou nd e igh tb u ck s pe r 4' x 8' sh e e t. Lu m b e ryard scrap b ins are fu l lofth is stu ff, so itpays to scrou nge a l ittl e. H e re afte r, I'l lre fe r to th e se ite m s as "fu sing b oards".

14 5/8"th ick Sh e l ving b oard (cu tto 8" x 10")

1/4"th ick MDF l am inate d pane lb oard (cu tto 6" x 8")

17

Eve ry gaffe r’s tool b ox sh ou l d contain: • • • •

H ob by k nife (w ith #11 b l ade ) Sh arp pair ofscissors 6" ste e lru l e r (any foam or cork b ack ing sh ou l d b e re m ove d) Se l f- h e al ing cu tting m at

Th e se ite m s are avail ab l e at art su ppl y store s and h ob by sh ops. If you pl an to m ak e “spl it face ” gaffs, you w il lal so ne e d a pack of raz or b l ade s and ru b b e r ce m e nt(El m e r’s, Ross, Be stTe st, or Stark e y b rand).

15

Tw o pie ce s of 1/8" th ick acryl ic sh e e t (Pl e xigl as, Pe rspe x, e tc.) w il lb e ne e de d to pre ss th e gaff fl at w h il e it cool s. I pre fe r cu tting th e m to 3- 3/4" x 5", b u t you can u se w h ate ve r dim e nsions are conve nie nt. Th e m ost e conom icalsou rce is you r l ocalpl astics su ppl ie r or fab ricator. M ost pl ace s w il l cu t pie ce s from stock w h il e you w ait. Th e y m igh t al so se l lscrap pie ce s dirt ch e ap and cu t th e m for a sm al lfe e . If you e nd u p ru m m aging th rou gh th e ir scrap b ins, l ook for a narrow pie ce e ith e r fou r or five inch e s w ide and ask th e m to cu titto 3- 3/4" x 5".

18

Rou nding ou t you r l ittl e scave nge r h u nt is Scotch ® b rand re m ovab l e tape (ph oto 16). You w il lne e d b oth type s: singl e and dou b l e - side d. Th is w onde rfu lprodu ct is a gaffe r’s dre am b e cau se ith as a l ow tack adh e sive th atm ak e s ite asie r to re m ove th an standard tape . If you can'tfind th e se l ocal l y, try orde ring th e m onl ine . Al te rnative l y, you can u se any oth e r b rand ofre m ovab l e or te m porary adh e sive tape , as l ong as it's ve ry l ow tack .

16

Singl e side d (3M Catal og #811)

D ou b l e side d (3M Catal og #667)

Th at’s e nou gh sh opping for now . Th is l ist cove rs e ve ryth ing you’l lne e d to constru ct m any popu l ar gaffs su ch as dou b l e - face rs, dou b l e - b ack e rs, and spl it face s. W h e n you ge t into fancie r th ings l ik e acrob atic cards, transpare nt cards, sh ort cards, and strippe rs, you w il lspe nd m ore m one y. For som e gaffs, you w il lal so ne e d acce ss to a l ase r/ink je t printe r. As you b e com e m ore advance d, you r ne e ds w il lgrow , and so w il lyou r tool b ox.

19

Ce ci n'e stpas u ne page

20

Basic Gaffing Te ch niq ue

21

22

M ak ing D ouble Face rs Got al lyou r stu ff toge th e r?Gre at! It’s tim e to m ak e you r first gaff. W e 'l lstart w ith som e th ing sim pl e: A dou b l e - face r. Figu re 2 sh ow s an e xpl ode d vie w of a typicaldou b l eface r. Notice th at tw o th in face l aye rs sandw ich tw o l aye rs of D M T. Th is particu l ar com b ination is vital to ach ie ving th e prope r th ick ne ss. A com m on b e ginne r's m istak e is to u se onl y one l aye r of D M T, re su l ting in a gaff th at fe e l s too th in. Anoth e r m istak e is to l e ave th e gray l aye r on one of th e pie ce s. Th at l e ads to th e opposite prob l e m - a gaff th at's too th ick . U nl e ss you spe cifical l y w ant to m ak e th ick k e ycards, al w ays l e ave th e gray l aye r ou t.

Figu re 2

Face l aye r (face u p)

DMT (tw o l aye rs)

Face l aye r (face dow n)

D M T Pre paration An 8” x 10” sh e e tof D M T h as e nou gh room on itto m ak e th re e gaffs and can b e e ith e r cu tor torn into th re e e q u alpie ce s (figu re 4).Al w ays u se cau tion and w e ar e ye prote ction w h e n cu tting! Fol d th e pie ce s in h al f(figu re s 5 & 6).W e onl y ne e d one ofth e m for th e tu torial .

Figu re 4

Figu re 5

Cu tor te ar al ong re d l ine s

Fol d on dash e d l ine

23

Figu re 6

Pl u g in th e se al ing iron and se t it to 250 °F (for Col orM ou nt).Give ita fe w m inu te s to h e atu p.

17

Pu tth e fu sing pad onto th e fu sing b oard. Pl ace th e fol de d D M T on th e pad and pu t a pe e l e d face pie ce on top of th e D M T (ph oto 17). Th e fu sing b oard is om itte d in th e se ph otos for cl arity.

Fu sing Pad

Cove r th e righ te dge of th e card w ith sil icone pape r (ph oto 18). Th e sh iny non- stick side sh ou l d face dow n. Th e n, cove r th e l e ft tw o- th irds of th e card w ith a fl at rigid pie ce of pl astic, l e aving th e righ t th ird u ncove re d. H e re , I'm u sing a 4" sq u are of cl e ar acryl ic, b u t you can u se anyth ing as l ong as it's h ard e nou gh to k e e p th e card pre sse d nice and fl at.A CD case w ork s w e l ltoo.

DMT

18 Cl e ar acryl ic sh e e t

19

W h e n th e iron is h ot e nou gh , ru n it firm l y al ong th e e xpose d e dge of th e face pie ce (ph oto 19 ). Th is tack s itto th e D M T and form s a stiffe ne d e dge th at w il lb e ne e de d du ring th e trim m ing proce du re to fol l ow .Re pe atth is on th e oth e r th re e e dge s.

You 'l lnow trim aw ay th e e xce ss D M T. Re m ove th e tack e d D M T from th e fu sing pad and l ay it on a cu tting m at. Pre ss th e e dge of a m e talru l e r against th e l e ft l ong e dge of th e face pie ce (ph oto 20). Be su re th e tw o e dge s are b u tting toge th e r pe rfe ctl y.

24

Sil icone pape r

20

Trim al ong th e ru l e r w ith an X- Acto k nife . It's b e st to u se a fre sh b l ade for cl e an, accu rate cu ts. Ke e p th e side of th e b l ade pre sse d se cu re l y against th e ru l e r to k e e p th e cu tfrom straying offcou rse .

21

Th is l e ave s a pe rfe ctl y trim m e d e dge (ph oto 22). Re pe atth is on th e oth e r th re e e dge s.

22

Ph oto 23 sh ow s w h at th ings l ook l ik e at th is point. Al le xce ss D M T h as b e e n trim m e d aw ay, e xce ptfor th e corne rs. D on't w orry ab ou t th e corne rs righ t now .Th e y'l lb e trim m e d aw ay l ate r.

23

Fl ip th e pie ce face - dow n and b u tt th e l e ft l ong e dge against th e ru l e r. D o th is on th e fu sing pad b e cau se ith as a h igh friction su rface th atpre ve nts sl ippage .Th e pad is om itte d in ph oto 24 for cl arity.

25

24

Lay th e oth e r face pie ce pe rfe ctl y sq u are d on top. U se th e ru l e r to al ign th e l e ft l ong e dge first, and th e n nu dge th e sh orte dge s into al ignm e nt.

25

H ol d e ve ryth ing toge th e r in th is al igne d state w ith you r l e ft finge rs and th e n pu t a pie ce of sil icone pape r ove r th e righ tl ong e dge .

Ligh tl y tack th e righ tl ong e dge w ith th e se al ing iron to l ock th e pie ce s toge th e r.

26

Afte r tack ing, orie nt th e fu sing b oard and pad diagonal l y in frontof you (fu sing b oard om itte d in ph oto).

27

Lay a pie ce of sil icone pape r on top. O ptional l y, you can al so pu t a se cond pie ce of sil icone pape r u nde rne ath th e card to prote ctb oth su rface s.

28

26

H ol d dow n th e l e ft e dge of th e sil icone pape r and sl ow l y ru n th e se al ing iron ove r th e card from l e ft to righ t. Pre ssu re is vitalto b onding, so pre ss firm l y and b e care fu lnotto b u rn you rse l f.

29

D o tw o passe s, w ith e ach pass tak ing ab ou t five se conds to com pl e te . Th e n, fl ip th e card ove r and iron th e oth e r side th e sam e w ay.

30

Afte r fu sing th e card toge th e r, im m e diate l y pre ss th e h ot card b e tw e e n tw o fl at pie ce s of 1/8" or 1/4" th ick acryl ic. It's ve ry h ot, so tak e care not to b u rn you r finge rs. U se strong spring cl am ps to k e e p th e m pre sse d tigh tl y w h il e th e card cool s.

31

Afte r th e gaff h as com pl e te l y cool e d, te st it for prope r snap. Th e n, b e nd it to ch e ck for su rface pu ck e ring. If you se e any, care fu l l y iron ove r th e affe cte d are as again u ntilth e pu ck e ring goe s aw ay. You 'l ll ik e l y ne e d to cl am p dire ctl y on th e affe cte d are as to e nsu re good adh e sion.

32

If th atdoe sn'th e l p, try incre asing th e te m pe ratu re of th e iron. Inade q u ate sanding of th e b ack side s cou l d al so b e to b l am e . 27

Finish ing Touch e s Afte r fu sing th e card, trim aw ay any pape r fib e rs th at m igh t b e protru ding from th e e dge s. W ith Kodak b rand D M T, th e e dge s m igh tfe e lrou gh from e xce ss adh e sive h aving sq u e e z e d ou t. In th at case , trim aw ay a sl ive r of th e e dge s w ith a ste e lru l e r and a fre sh b l ade . D on’t trim too m u ch , or th e gaffw il lb e notice ab l y sm al l e r th an a norm alcard. A sh arp, h igh - q u al ity pape r cu tte r doe s a pre tty good job too, b u t th e b e st toolof al lis a profe ssionalcard trim m e r. Th at is, if you can afford one . Th e y're rare and e xpe nsive , b u t e asil y capab l e of sh aving m e re th ou sandth s of an inch . D iscu ssing th e gadge t any fu rth e r w ou l d be cou nte r to th e spiritofth is b ook l e tand an offe nse to you r fru galse nsib il itie s, so l e t's m ove on to... Corne r rou nding Th e l ast th ing to do is rou nd th e corne rs. U nfortu nate l y, m ost pe opl e can't afford to b u y th e e xpe nsive rou nding tool s m ade for crook e d gam b l ing. H ow e ve r, you can ob tain e xce l l e nt profe ssionalre su l ts w ith rou nde rs m ade for th e b inding, ph oto, and I.D . b adge indu strie s. Som e are sm al lpl ie rs- grippe d u nits and oth e rs are l arge l e ve r- ope rate d m ach ine s costing ove r a h u ndre d dol l ars th atcan h andl e th ick stack s.W h ich type sh ou l d you b u y? Itde pe nds on h ow m any cards you e xpe ctto crank ou tin one se ssion. If you are n'tpl anning to do m ore th an one or tw o de ck s at a tim e , th e sm al lpl ie rs grip toolis good e nou gh . In any case , th e prope r cu tting radiu s to u se w ith th e se tool s is 1/8”. Th at’s th e originalfactory rou ndne ss spe cification for Bicycl e s. As of th is w riting, th e re are l ots of ch e ap craftstore corne r rou nde rs on th e m ark e t, b u tnone h ave th e corre ct 1/8" radiu s. Th at m ak e s th e m u se l e ss for w h at w e w ant to do. It w ou l d b e nice if th e y e xiste d th ou gh .

28

Th e toolI pre fe r for individu alw ork is a sm al l h andh e l d u nit norm al l y u se d to rou nd th e corne rs of pl astic ID cards (ph oto 33). It’s m ade in Ch ina and costs ab ou t $40 from a com pany th at su ppl ie s ID m ak ing e q u ipm e nton e Bay (se e appe ndix).

33

Sl ip th e corne r into th e jaw and m ak e su re th e angl e d side rail s contact th e e dge s of th e card (ph oto 34). Th e corne r and th e cu tting die are visib l e th rou gh a l ittl e w indow . Sq u e e z e th e h andl e and pre sto! A pe rfe ct corne r! If it l ook s a b it off, som e tim e s it h e l ps to fl ip th e card ove r and try it again from th e oth e r side .

34

M .C. M ie th m ak e s a sim il ar produ ct in th e ir m ode l 45- CR . Itcosts arou nd e igh ty dol l ars. For th ick stack s, you can u se l e ve r- ope rate d m ode l s by Lassco and Ak il e s. Th e ir q u al ity varie s from u nit to u nit, so you m igh t ne e d to try se ve ralb e fore you find one you 're h appy w ith .

W h il e w e 're on th e su b je ct of corne r rou nde rs, it's w orth m e ntioning th at th e y're pe rfe ct for m ak ing sh ort/narrow cards. Too m any fol k s sim pl y trim th e e dge s w ith ou t b oth e ring to re - rou nd th e corne rs (ph oto 35).

Be fore

35

Cl e arl y, th is isn't good e nou gh w h e n you w ant profe ssionall ook ing gaffs.

36 W ith a corne r rou nding tool , you can re store corne rs to factory spe cs. Som e tool s e ve n pe rm it m inor adju stm e nt for situ ations w h e re th e angl e de viate s from 9 0°, m ak ing it possib l e to re - rou nd strippe rs as w e l l .

29

Afte r

37

H e re 's w h at th e corne r l ook s l ik e afte r re - rou nding it. Now , w ou l dn'tyou rath e r h ave spe ctators h andl e one of th e se inste ad of th e h ack job pictu re d in th e "b e fore " sh ot?

W h e n done prope rl y, th e w ork is indistingu ish ab l e from factory corne rs. Th is is q u ite im pre ssive conside ring th at you cou l d spe nd h u ndre ds if not th ou sands of dol l ars on gam b l e r's spe cial ty e q u ipm e nt ju st to ach ie ve sim il ar re su l ts. Tak e a l ook at ph oto 38. O ne of th e cards w as sh orte ne d w ith an X- Acto k nife and a $40 corne r rou nde r. Can you te l lw h ich one itis?

O n th e oth e r h and, if you h ave patie nce , a good e ye , and a ste ady h and, you can ge t th e job done w ith ou ta corne r- rou nde r.

38 39

In a pinch , 400 grit sandpape r and e m e ry b oards w il ldo. If you 've gota sh arp se tof scissors, anoth e r option is to pu t dou b l e - stick tape ne ar th e corne r of a norm alpl aying card, affix itto th e gaff so itl ie s sq u are d, and th e n care fu l l y trim arou nd th e u ppe r card (ph oto 39 ). It's sl ow - going and e rror- prone , b u t w ork s w e l le nou gh to ge t by u ntilyou can ge t you r h ands on a corne r rou nding tool .

A FinalNote : Caring for you r gaffs D M T gaffs w il lw arp if im prope rl y care d for. Al w ays store th e m fl at - pre fe rab l y in th e m iddl e of a case d de ck . Th is pre ve nts th e m from w arping ove r tim e , e spe cial l y w h il e th e y're sitting inside a h ot au tom ob il e . Be care fu lw ith sol ve nts, e spe cial l y ru b b e r ce m e ntth inne r (h e ptane ).H e ptane dissol ve s D M T adh e sive .

30

Sh im m e d Cards Th e re 's no ne e d to go into m u ch de tailh e re . By now , itsh ou l d b e obviou s h ow e asy it is to m ak e sh im m e d cards by tack ing a th in fe rrom agne tic sh im b e tw e e n th e tw o l aye rs ofD M T.H ow e ve r, th e re are se ve ralth ings to k e e p in m ind: Al w ays cl e an th e sh im s w ith dish w ash ing de te rge nt and ru b b ing al coh ol to re m ove any oiland grim e . You m igh tne e d to do se ve ralpasse s, as sh im s ab sorb l ots ofh e at. Sh im s form su b tl e bul ge s on th e su rface , b u tcou rtcards h ide th e m rath e r w el l . In a l ate r ch apte r, you w il ll e arn h ow to sh im spot cards w ith an advance d m ask ing te ch niq u e . Col d rol l e d ste e l sh im stock can b e orde re d from M cM aste r- Carr (w w w .m cm aste r.com ). Ge ne ral l y, you 'l lfind .001" and .002" th ick ne sse s to b e th e m ost u se fu l . Cu t th e m w ith tin snips and w e tsand w ith 400- grit b e fore u se . Good sh im s can al so b e ob taine d by cu tting ope n anti- sh opl ifting tags on CD 's and D VD 's. Th e y contain th in fe rrom agne tic strips th at w ork b e au tifu l l y. Th e re ason th e y w ork so w e l lis th at th e y're m ade of a spe cial m ate rialcal l e d "am orph ou s al l oy". Th e m anu factu re rs of th is w onde rm e talpe rform som e k ind of m e tal l u rgicalh ocu s- pocu s on cob al t- b ase d al l oy to m ak e it m ore strongl y attracte d to m agne ts th an ste e l . Th e re 's anoth e r strongl y m agne tic m ate rialcal l e d "M u - m e tal " (nick e l - iron) th at's w orth ch e ck ing ou t too. Attraction- w ise , it sits som e w h e re b e tw e e n ste e l and am orph ou s al l oy. Itch ing to try som e ?W e l l , th e y're a b it h ard to find, u nfortu nate l y. Pok e arou nd th e inte rne t and you sh ou l d b e ab l e to tu rn u p som e sou rce s th at'l l se l l sh e e ts and rib b ons in sm al l q u antitie s. Ch e ck pl ace s spe cial iz ing in m agne tic sh ie l ding su ppl ie s (se e appe ndix) and se arch w ith th e k e yw ords "M e tgl as 2714A" and "M u - m e tal ".

31

32

Advance d Te ch niq ue s

33

34

SplitFace s and Back s H ofz inse r cal l e d th e se gaffs “divide d cards" b e cau se th e ir face s are divide d into tw o diffe re nt val u e s. Back s can al so b e divide d, and it’s com m on to se e pairings w h e re one h al f is a face and th e oth e r is a b ack . Th e com b inations are l im itl e ss and go by a l e gion of nam e s: “spl itface s”, “dou b l e inde xe s”, "dou b l e e nde rs", “m ispippe d”, “m isinde xe d”, “ove rl ap”, e tc. Cal lth e m anyth ing you w ant, b u t one fact re m ains consiste nt. O f al lth e gaffs you cou l d m ak e , spl it face s prob ab l y rank h igh e ston th e difficu l ty scal e . Th e re 's m ore to itth an sim pl y pasting card parts onto th e face s of oth e r cards.Inde e d, w e can do far b e tte r. It's possib l e to form pe rfe ct se am s th at can't b e fe l t and are virtu al l y invisib l e . You do th is by cu tting th e pie ce s in a spe cialw ay to cre ate b u tt joints. Som e cal lth is “inl aying”, b u t th at te rm isn't al w ays accu rate , and m ore prope rl y appl ie s w h e n se am s don't e xte nd to th e e dge s of th e card. Inste ad of ge tting ou rse l ve s cau gh t u p in se m antics, l e t's discu ss th re e b ig se cre ts to su pe rsm ooth se am s.

An Exam pl e

40 Can you se e th e se am ?

Ph oto 40 sh ow s an u nre tou ch e d im age of a ve rtical l y divide d gaff th atI m ade . W h e re do you th ink th e se am e nds? Am az ingl y, it e xte nds al lth e w ay to th e top e dge of th e card, ye t it’s ne arl y invisib l e u nde r norm all igh t! Look s pre tty good doe sn’tit?

35

D ou b l e - cu tse am s Th e first se cre t is b orrow e d from an ol d w al l pape r instal l ation trick cal l e d “dou b l e - cu tting”. Instal l e rs m ak e u nde te ctab l e se am s in w al l pape r by ove rl apping th e pie ce s and cu tting th rou gh b oth l aye rs at once . Afte r re m oving th e scrap, a pe rfe ct se am is l e ft b e h ind th at b l e nds invisib l y into any te xtu re s and b u sy patte rns in th e pape r. Th e sam e ide a can b e appl ie d to spl itface gaffs, and w e 'l lde m onstrate ith e re by m ak ing a ve rtical l y divide d face . First, tak e tw o face pie ce s and b ru sh a coat of ru b b e r ce m e nt al ong th e ve rticalce nte rl ine of one face (ye l l ow are a in ph oto 41). Be st- Te st "O ne Coat" tack y ru b b e r ce m e nt is gre at for th is. Afte r it drie s, stick th e oth e r face pe rfe ctl y sq u are d on top (ph oto 42). Th is k e e ps th e pie ce s l ock e d toge th e r, pre ve nting th e m from m oving ou tofal ignm e ntdu ring th e cu tting ste p to fol l ow .

41

42

Cam ouflage Eve ry Bicycl e card h as a dim pl ed air- cu sh ion finish . Vie w e d u nde r a m agnifying gl ass, th e y appe ar as a grid- l ik e patte rn of de pre ssions (ph oto 43). To b e st cam ou fl age se am s, you’l l w ant to cu t al ong th e “grain” of th e se dim pl e s. If you cu t diagonal l y across th e m , th e se am is m ore visib l e.

43

Se am s m ade al ong grain are l e astvisib l e

36

W ork ing w ith Razor Blade s Singl e - e dge raz or b l ade s are ok ay for cu tting se am s, b u t th e fine ne ss of th e cu t is critical , so I pre fe r dou b l e - e dge raz ors. Th e y're th inne r and l e ave cl e ane r e dge s th an X- Acto b l ade s. H ol ding nak e d b l ade s can b e dange rou s, so I u se a sim pl e h ol de r to facil itate th e ir h andl ing. I'm not su gge sting th atyou do itth is w ay. I'm onl y de scrib ing h ow I pe rsonal l yl ik e to m ak e m y cu ts. Th e h ol de r is a sm al l1.5” x 1.5” pie ce cu t from a pl aying card (fig. 10). It's fol de d in h al f h oriz ontal l y (figs. 11 & 12). Th e n it's u nfol de d (fig. 13) and a 1.5” strip of dou b l e - stick tape is appl ie d to th e l ow e r h al f (fig. 14). A raz or b l ade can th e n b e stu ck to th e tape so th e sh ort e nds e xte nd past th e e dge s of th e card (figs. 15 & 16). To finish , th e card is cau tiou sl y fol de d sh u t (fig. 17). For safe ty, I onl y grip th e b l ade by th e fl at side s, and pre ssu re is ne ve r appl ie d against th e fol de d e dge of th e card. Th e b l ade m ay b e re m ove d by gripping one sh ort e nd and care fu l l y pe e l ing it off th e tape . W ith any sh arp instru m e nt, e xtre m e cau tion is ne ce ssary to avoid inju rie s. Eye prote ction m u stb e w orn atal ltim e s.

10 11

1.5"

12

13

16

17

1.5"

dou b l e stick tape

15

14 37

CAU TIO N! For safe ty sak e , ALW AYS STO P AND TH INK BEFO R E YO U CU T! Be fu l l y aw are ofth e path you r b l ade w il ltak e and k e e p you r finge rs w e l lcl e ar ofth atpath

W ith th at in m ind, cu t al ong th e ce nte rl ine w ith a fre sh raz or b l ade and ste e l ru l er (ph oto 44). For th e b e st se am s, al w ays u se a fre sh b l ade and h ol d it as cl ose to pe rpe ndicu l ar as you can w h il e you cu t th rou gh th e l aye rs in a singl e cl e an strok e . If you ru n ove r th e cu t again, th e se am w on't l ook as nice .

44

Al so re m e m b e r to k e e p th e cu t paral l e lw ith th e "grain" ofth e finish .

Afte r th e cu t, you 're l e ftw ith tw o h al ve s. Actu al l y, th e re are fou r pie ce s h e re , b u tth e y're stil lstu ck toge th e r w ith ru b b e r ce m e nt.W h e n se parate d, w e can re fe r to e ach pie ce by l e tte r (figu re 18):

B

Figu re 18

D A

A B C D

= = = =

C

top pie ce ofl e fth al f b ottom pie ce ofl e fth al f top pie ce ofrigh th al f b ottom pie ce ofrigh th al f

Th e re are e nou gh pie ce s to m ak e tw o gaffs, b u t you m u st pair th e m u p corre ctl y. To m ak e one gaff, u se pie ce “A” w ith pie ce “D ”. Th e re m aining pie ce s can b e save d to m ak e a se cond gaff if you w ant. O nce you’ve paire d off th e pie ce s and ru b b e d aw ay al lth e ce m e nt, you can continu e w ith th e se cond b ig se cre tto sm ooth se am s.

38

Scotch Re m ovable Tape Th is is th e se cond b ig se cre t. Scotch m ak e s a re m ovab l e tape th at l e ts you m ak e tigh t se am s th at stay pu t l ong e nou gh to dry m ou nt th e m . First, find a sm ooth h ard su rface l ik e a sh e e t of Pl e xigl as, a pl astic cl ipb oard, or th e cl e ar l id of a CD case , and appl y a fou r- inch l e ngth of Scotch b rand #667 re m ovab l e dou b l e - stick tape ve rtical l y on it. Re gu l ar dou b l e - stick tape is ok ay, b u t you m u stgre atl y w e ak e n th e tack ine ss of th e e xpose d tape su rface by tou ch ing itre pe ate dl y w ith you r finge rs or pal m. Stick pie ce A to th e tape as sh ow n in ph oto 45. Th e n b ring th e cu te dge of pie ce D u p againstth e cu te dge ofpie ce A (ph oto 46). Ifyou com e in atangl e , you 'l lfe e lth e e dge s b u ttagainste ach oth e r.

45

46

Care fu l l y ru n you r l e ft finge rs al ong th e se am to pre ss th e pie ce into pl ace . Be cau se of th e l ow tack ine ss, you can tigh te n th e se am by pu sh ing th e pie ce s against e ach oth e r. If th e e dge s are pe rfe ctl y fl u sh and tigh t, you w on't fe e la se am . You can stil lse e it, b u t you sh ou l dn’t b e ab l e to fe e lit. Ifyou do, itcou l d b e one ofth re e prob l e m s: Th e pie ce s are notb u tting tigh tl y e nou gh Th e pie ce s are m isal igne d or ove rl apping. Th e pie ce s are notth e sam e th ick ne ss. Th e l ow tack tape m ak e s th e first tw o prob l e m s e asy to de alw ith , b u t th e th ird re q u ire s e xtra w ork . Th e th ird prob l e m h as to do w ith th e “h ard” and “e asy” pe e l ing issu e w e discu sse d at th e e nd of th e dry spl itting tu torial . If th e pie ce s are diffe re nt th ick ne sse s, one pie ce m igh t b e from a “h ard” side and th e oth e r from an “e asy” side . In th atcase , sand th e b ack side of th e th ick e r pie ce so it e xactl y m atch e s th e th inne r pie ce . It’s b e st to avoid h aving to do th is in th e first pl ace by m ak ing su re you r pie ce s are th e sam e th ick ne ss to startoffw ith .Th atsave s a l otoftoil .

39

W ith th e pie ce s prope rl y se am e d, you can tape th e tw o h al ve s toge th e r and re m ove th e m from th e dou b l e stick tape as if th e y w e re a w h ol e face pie ce . To do th is, pu t a strip of Scotch #811 singl eside d re m ovab l e * tape al ong th e se am (ph oto 47). Pre ss itdow n firm l y and sm ooth itou t.

47

* Th e se am w on'ttu rn ou tas good w ith re gu l ar tape .

Sl ide th e e dge of a card u nde r th e u ppe r righ t corne r of th e righ tpie ce (ph oto 48). Inse rtitatan angl e and care fu l l y sl ip it in so th e top e dge of th e righ t pie ce b e gins to se parate from th e dou b l e stick tape u nde rne ath . H ow e ve r, don'tpu sh al lth e w ay u p to th e se am .Stop ju stsh ortofit.

48

Tak e th e card ou tand re pe atth is on th e l e ftside .

49

Th e n, com e in from th e top and sl ow l y sl ide th e card dow n th e l e ngth of th e se am u ntilth e pie ce s are com pl e te l y fre e ofth e dou b l e stick tape .

50

40

Trim aw ay th e e xce ss tape from e ach e nd w ith scissors (ph oto 51). Be su re th e e dge s are nice and fl u sh . W ith th e h al f pie ce s tape d toge th e r l ik e th is, you can h andl e itju stl ik e an u ncu tw h ol e pie ce .

51

W e 'l lcal lth is th e "se am e d pie ce ".

Pe e la b ack pie ce , tack it to th e D M T as de scrib e d on page 24, and trim itto siz e . Ph oto 52 sh ow s th e b ack al ltack e d u p, trim m e d, and re ady to go.

52

Fl ip it ove r so th e D M T side is facing u p. Bu tt th e l ong e dge against a m e talru l e r. Again, do th is on th e fu sing pad to k e e p th ings from sl iding. I've om itte d th e pad in th e se ph otos for cl arity sak e .

53

Pl ace th e se am e d pie ce pe rfe ctl y sq u are d on top as tau gh ton page 26.

54

41

55

Tack th e se am e d pie ce to th e D M T pe r th e instru ctions on page 26. Avoid ironing ove r th e tape b e cau se itl e ave s a nasty re sidu e ifh e ate d.

Lift th e righ t corne r of th e se am tape w ith th e point of an X- Acto b l ade (ph oto 56). Care fu l l y w ork you r w ay u p to th e se am .

56

57

D o th e sam e to th e l e ftside .

Ge ntl y pe e lth e tape b ack w ard on itse l f to e xpose ab ou t 1/2" of th e se am . H ol d th e tape b ack w ith you r inde x finge r.

42

58

Pu tsil icone pape r ove r th e e xpose d se ction.

Care fu l l y tack th e e xpose d portion of th e se am . U se th e b e ve l e d tip of th e iron to confine th e h e atto th e se am are a. D on'tpre ss too h ard or th e se am w il ll oose n u p. Ru b ju st l igh tl y e nou gh to k e e p itfrom popping ope n.

Pe e lth e tape anoth e r h al f inch to e xpose m ore of th e se am and tack itdow n.

Continu e th is pe e l ing and tack ing proce du re al l th e w ay dow n th e fu l ll e ngth ofth e se am . Afte r th e se am is fu l l y tack e d, fu se th e gaff as you l e arne d on page 27, rou nd th e corne rs, and...

You 're D one ! 43

59

60

61

62

Tack ing Tips Th e w h ol e ide a is to k e e p th e se am nice and tigh tdu ring th e ope ration. In orde r to do th at, se ve ralim portantth ings m u stb e ob se rve d: Le t th e se al ing iron re ach a fu l lope rating te m pe ratu re of 250 °F b e fore atte m pting to u se it. Cove rite 21st Ce ntu ry irons h ave a conve nie nt indicator l igh t th at b l ink s w h e n th e te m pe ratu re re ach e s th e dial e d se tting. O th e r b rands don't h ave th is fe atu re , so give th e m ab ou tth re e m inu te s to b e on th e safe side . Expe rim e nta l ittl e. D on't pre ss h ard w h e n you 're tack ing th e se am , or you 'l lform de nts on th e card th atcan b e tou gh to re m ove . Ke e p th e tip of th e iron m oving and try notto e xpose m ore se am u ntil th e se ction you 're w ork ing on h as cool e d a b it.W h e n you do m ove on to a ne w se ction, avoid b ack track ing. Th is pre ve nts th e se am from ope ning u p and form ing gaps. If you accide ntal l y iron ove r th e tape , any re sidu e l e ft b e h ind can b e re m ove d w ith a cotton sw ab sl igh tl y m oiste ne d w ith Be stine sol ve nt, U n- D u , or ru b b e r ce m e nt th inne r (n- h e ptane ). Al lit tak e s is a ge ntl e, q u ick sw ipe .D on'tru b ink e d are as too h ard or th e y'l lb e dam age d.

At A tth is is point poin t, th e se s e am am can't can 'tb e fe l t. H ow ow e ve r, r, it itcan can st s til il lb e se s e e n. n. Th e ne Th n e xt xtse s e ct ction ion e xpl xpl ain s h ow ains ow to m ak ak e it itdo do a disappe d is appe aring arin g act act. You Y ou w on't on 'tb e l ie ve you ie you r e ye ye s! s!

44

Th e Th ird Se cre t If you w ant to dram atical l y de cre ase se am visib il ity, h e re 's th e th ird se cre t. Are you re ady for th is?

63

U se a w h ite crayon to fil lin th e se am . Th at's righ t, a crayon. Al lyou h ave to do is ru b it across th e se am to fil l th e voids.Se e ph oto 63. Afte rw ards, b u ff th e se am w ith a pie ce of facialtissu e and you w il l b e am az e d at h ow difficu l titis to de te ct.

Ph oto 64 sh ow s anoth e r ve rtical l y se am e d gaffm ade u sing th is proce du re .

64

Th e se am is h e re

Th is concl u de s th e spl it gaff e xpl anation. You l e arne d h ow to m ak e ve rticalse am s, b u tth is proce du re can b e e asil y adju ste d to accom m odate any se am angl e you w ant. 45

AdditionalNote s Visib il ity Issu e s H one stl y, th e se am s are not al w ays invisib l e . Th e ir visib il ity de pe nds q u ite a b it u pon l igh ting conditions and vie w ing angl e . Fortu nate l y, it's notal w ays ne ce ssary to ach ie ve a h igh l e ve lof pe rfe ction b e cau se , in m ost rou tine s, th e re 's ne ve r a re ason for th e se am are a to b e e xpose d to scru tiny. In th ose circu m stance s, it w ou l d be a w aste oftim e to m ak e invisib l e se am s ifth e y can b e e ffe ctive l y h idde n by oth e r cards. H ow e ve r, th e se te ch niq u e s are u se fu lw h e n a rou tine cal l s for h iding inde xe s w ith you r finge rs or th u m b. Invisib l e se am s can al so b e of u se in rou tine s w h e re m isprinte d cards are ope nl y displ aye d to th e au die nce as gags or im possib l e ob je cts. Inl aying W ith e xpe rie nce , you w il lre al iz e th at it's possib l e to inl ay m iddl e se ctions of a face or b ack de sign w ith th is m e th od. Tak e advantage of any dark l ine s in th e de sign. Th e l e ast visib l e l ocation for se am s is al ong th e e dge s of a patte rn, e spe cial l y w h e re sh arpl y contrasting l igh t and dark e dge s m e e t. For e xam pl e , al ong th e e dge s of a b ack patte rn or th e pips. Cou rt cards offe r m any m ore opportu nitie s for h iding se am s du e to th e ir b u sy de signs.

46

65

Long Cards Th e se gaffs l ook and fe e ll ik e ordinary cards, e xce pt th e y're sl igh tl yl onge r by arou nd 1/32". Th is m ak e s th e m ve ry e asy to cu tto w h e n adde d to a norm alde ck . H ow are th e y m ade ? U ntila fe w ye ars ago, you cou l d b u y u ncu tsh e e ts of pl aying cards from U SPCC via m ailorde r and th e n cu t th e m u p to any sh ape and siz e you w ante d. U nfortu nate l y, th e y re ce ntl y discontinu e d th is se rvice and u ncu t sh e e ts are no l onge r offe re d for sal e . U ntilth at situ ation ch ange s, l ong cards w il lh ave to b e h and crafte d u sing th e invisib l e se am ing te ch niq u e tau gh t in th e pre viou s se ction. By now , you sh ou l d b e fam il iar w ith th e w ork , so w e 'l lju st ou tl ine th e ge ne ralide a and w h e re to l ocate th e se am s. Th re e pe e l e d pie ce s are re q u ire d: A b ack (figu re 19 ) A face (figu re 20) Anoth e r face w ith l ots ofw h ite space across th e w idth , l ik e a tw o or a fou r (figu re 21) Th e proce du re is sortof l ik e sk in graftsu rge ry. You tak e som e w h ite space from th e donor are a in figu re 21 and graftitto th e e nds of th e m ain se ctions in figu re s 19 and 20. In th e figu re s b e l ow , th e se am s are indicate d by re d l ine s. Be gin by appl ying ru b b e r ce m e nt to th e ye l l ow are a in figu re 21. Stick th e e nds of th e oth e r tw o pie ce s onto th e ce m e nte d are a and dou b l e - cu tal ong th e re d l ine s. Se parate th e pie ce s, ru b off th e ce m e nt, tape th e m u p and tack as u su al(b e su re to position th e se am s at opposite e nds of th e gaff). You 'l lal so ne e d to iron ove r th e tape d are as, so re m ove any re sidu e afte rw ard w ith sol ve nt. Fu se th e card and trim itto th e de sire d l e ngth . Final l y, fil lth e se am s w ith a w h ite crayon. Figu re 19

Figu re 20

M ain se ctions

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Figu re 21

In th e ne xt se ctions, w e 'l ldiscu ss h ow to m ak e som e inte re sting gaffs th at are ofte n sol d in m agic sh ops. You w il lne e d additionale q u ipm e nt b e side th e one s you 've b e e n u sing so far. H ow e ve r, none are h ard to find, and are prob ab l y al re ady in you r h om e .

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Acrobatic Cards Som e th ing fu n h appe ns w h e n you pu t th is ne at l ittl e gaff face dow n on a tab l e top. Afte r you l e t go, it l e aps u p grace fu l l y into th e air, doe s a som e rsau l t, and l ands face u p al lby itse l f. It pe rform s th is ae rialstu nt w ith e ase , th ank s to a ru b b e r h inge d fl ap as sh ow n in ph oto 66. Th e e xpl ode d vie w in figu re 22 sh ow s h ow th e gaff is constru cte d from tw o cards. Th e top card is cu tin h al f and gl u e d to th e h inge . Th e n one of th e h al ve s is gl u e d dow n to th e oth e r card, l e aving th e oth e r h al ffre e to actas a fl ap. Traditional l y, th e h inge s h ave b e e n m ade w ith a produ ct cal l e d “de ntaldam ”. D e ntaldam is a pape r- th in sh e e t of l ate x ru b b e r th at de ntists u se to isol ate te e th w h il e w ork ing on th e m . You can ge t som e by ask ing you r de ntist or contacting you r favorite m agic de al e r. If you sh op arou nd on e b ay, you can find som e pre tty good de al s. I once pu rch ase d a b ox of gre e n 5” x 5” dam s for e igh t b u ck s postpaid. Eigh t b u ck s! Not a b ad b u y, and th e cou nt on th e b ox l ab e lw as strange l y appropriate .Fifty- tw o pie ce s.

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Figu re 22

Fl ap

Ru b b e r h inge W h ol e

D am s are avail ab l e in se ve ralgau ge s and col ors. M e diu m card gau ge is ju st ab ou t righ t for acrob atic cards and provide s a good b al ance of pow e r and th inne ss. It doe sn't m atte r w h at col or you ch oose , since th e dam is ne ve r se e n in pe rform ance . Som e are fl avore d and h ave a su b tl e m int fragrance th at dim inish e s w ith u se . If th at b oth e rs you , ask you r su ppl ie r for u nfl avore d one s. O nce you ge tyou r h ands on som e , itm igh tinte re styou to k now th atl ate x is a pe rish ab l e produ ct. O ve r tim e , de ntaldam can de grade so b adl y as to b e com e u se l e ss. You can sl ow dow n th is de cay by storing th e m in a re frige rator.Ke ptth is w ay, th e y can l astfor ye ars. If you can't ge t de ntaldam , th e ne xt b e st th ing is a l ate x e xam ination gl ove . Th e y don't fl ip as q u ick l y as gaffs m ade w ith dam , b u tth e y w ork ok ay. Al lyou h ave to do is cu tou tth e pal m are a of al arge gl ove w ith a raz or b l ade and u se th atm ate rialto m ak e you r h inge .

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Bu il ding th e acrob atic gaff First, find a good w ork ing su rface l ik e a pl astic cl ipb oard. It sh ou l d b e sm ooth , h ard, and fl at. Ne xt, tak e a cou rt card and give th e b ack side a l igh t sanding. Th is gre atl y im prove s adh e sion. Th e n cu t th e card l e ngth w ise dow n th e ce nte r w ith a raz or b l ade and a ste e lru l e r. A pape r cu tte r is ok ay, b u tyou m igh tru n into a m inor prob l e m w e 'l ldiscu ss a l ittl e l ate r in th is tu torial . Th e cu t h al ve s m u stnow b e ru b b e r ce m e nte d to th e dam .Th e fol l ow ing ste ps e xpl ain h ow .

W ash th e dam w ith w ate r and dish w ash ing de te rge nt b e fore u sing it. Afte r it's dry, pu t som e re gu l ar Scotch tape al ong th e top e dge of th e dam and stick it dow n to you r w ork su rface . Appl y a strip of tape al ong th e l ow e r e dge , b u t don't stick it dow n. Stre tch th at e nd tow ard you rse l fab ou t1/2" to 3/4".

Stick th at e nd dow n and you 'l l h ave a ve rtical l y stre tch e d dam . It tak e s som e trial and e rror to de te rm ine th e prope r am ou nt of stre tch . As you 're e xpe rim e nting, it's a good ide a to m ark off th e distance s w ith dry e rase m ark e r so you 'l lb e ab l e to du pl icate any good re su l ts you ge t.

67

68

69 Bru sh a l aye r of ru b b e r ce m e nt ove r th e dam . W ork q u ick l y b e cau se it doe sn't tak e l ong to start drying. D on't w orry ab ou t th e pu ck e ring (ph oto 69 ). It's onl y te m porary. If you l e t it sit for ab ou t te n m inu te s, th e dam sl ow l y re tu rns to a sm ooth condition as th e ce m e ntdrie s.

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70 Coat th e b ack side of th e card h al ve s w ith ru b b e r ce m e nt. Afte r th e ce m e nt is com pl e te l y dry and th e dam is sm ooth again, affix one h al fpie ce to th e dam .

71 Bring th e cu t e dge of th e oth e r h al f against th e first pie ce and care fu l l y pre ss it onto th e dam . To avoid form ing b u b b l e s, it h e l ps to com e in at an angl e and pre ss th e forw ard e dge dow n first. Th e n w ork you r w ay to th e b ack e dge w h e re you r th u m b s are .

72 Pre ss th e pie ce s firm l y into th e dam to e nsu re prope r adh e sion.

73 Re m ove th e tape and tu rn th e dam ove r. As indicate d in ph oto 73, sl ice onl y th rou gh th e dam l aye r al ong th e re d l ine w ith a raz or bl ade . Be su re to u se a fre sh b l ade and don't cu ttoo de e pl y or you 'l ldam age th e card.

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74 Pe e law ay th e ou te r part of th e dam and discard it.

75 You 're l e ftw ith a h inge d card.

76 Te st th e h inge by fol ding th e card b ack on itse l f. It sh ou l d spring b ack w ith som e force w h e n re l e ase d.

U se a strip of tape to m ask th e l e ft h al f of anoth e r card and b ru sh ru b b e r ce m e nt on th e righ t h al f (ye l l ow are a in ph oto 77). Re m ove th e tape w h il e th e ce m e nt is stil lw e t and th e n se tth e card aside to dry. It's b e st for th e ce m e nte d are a to b e sl igh tl y l e ss th an h al f th e w idth of th e card so th e re w on'tb e any e xce ss gl u e going pastth e h inge . 52

77

78 Appl y ru b b e r ce m e nt to th e b ack side of one of th e h inge d h al ve s (ph oto 78). If th e y are n't e xactl y th e sam e w idth , b e su re to ce m e nt th e w ide r of th e tw o. Th e narrow e r h al f w il l b e com e th e fl ap. Avoid ce m e nting too cl ose to th e fol ding point of th e h inge . Stay ab ou t 1/32" aw ay from it.

Cem entth is h alf

79 Bring th e ce m e nte d are as toge th e r pe rfe ctl y sq u are d and pre ss firm l y. Ru b aw ay any e xce ss ce m e nt and pu t th e re su l ting gaff u nde rne ath a CD case and w e igh t it dow n w ith a h e avy b ook .Ke e p itpre sse d ove rnigh t.

80 Th e finish e d gaff l ook s l ik e th is w h e n it's cl ose d.Note th e se am dow n th e m iddl e.

Te stth e fl ap. If you h e ar a cl ick ing noise w h e n you ope n it u p, th e dam is e ith e r too tigh t, or th e se am w asn't cu t pe rfe ctl y straigh t. You can try to fix itby b e nding th e gaff b ack w ard a l ittl e and ru nning a finge rnailor sandpape r dow n th e se am to e ve n it ou t. If th at doe sn't w ork , you 'l lne e d to m ak e a ne w gaff.

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81

82 If th e gaff ope ns u p noise l e ssl y, th e ne xt th ing to do is se e if th e h inge is strong e nou gh to fl ip it ove r. Be nd th e fl ap b ack al lth e w ay and tu rn th e card face dow n.

Pu t th e gaff onto th e tab l e and h ol d dow n th e fl appe d e dge w ith you r inde x finge r. W h e n you re l e ase you r finge r, th e card fl ap sh ou l d spring sh u t and fl ip th e card face u p. If not, it m e ans th e dam w asn't stre tch e d tigh t e nou gh and you 'l lne e d to re m ak e th e gaff.

83

H ol d th is e dge dow n and l e tgo

Note s At th e ou tse t, it w as m e ntione d th at pape r cu tte rs cou l d give you prob l e m s. Th is is tru e w h e n th e cu tte r is a ch e ap m ode lw ith b l ade s th at are stam pe d rath e r th an forge d or grou nd. Th ose b l ade s are u su al l y sl igh tl y w arpe d and produ ce w avy cu ts th atare too su b tl e to se e w ith you r nak e d e ye . Th e se im pe rfe ctions, in tu rn, cau se th e h inge to e m it cl ick ing noise s as you ope n th e fl ap. If you w antto avoid th is h e adach e , al w ays u se e ith e r a h igh - q u al ity cu tte r or a pre cise m e talstraigh te dge . Anoth e r possib l e cau se ofth e cl ick ing cou l d b e an ove rstre tch e d dam . You can do a l ot m ore w ith ru b b e r dam , b u t w e don't h ave th e space to discu ss al lth e diffe re ntgaffs th atu se a ru b b e r h inge . Bu tre stassu re d th at m ost, if not al lof th e m , can b e m ade in a sim il ar m anne r by stre tch ing and ce m e nting th e pie ce s as you l e arne d in th is ch apte r.

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H ofzinse r's Transpare ntCards H ol d th is gaff in front of a strong l igh t, and th e au die nce cl e arl y se e s b l ack pips th rou gh its b ack l ik e an x- ray (ph oto 84). Sh u tth e l igh toff and tu rn th e card arou nd to re ve alit h as ch ange d to a re d su ite d card. A sw itch l e ss transform ation!Bu th ow ?

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H istory Th is cl e ve r gaff ow e s its e xiste nce to a nove l ty pl aying card th at b e cam e popu l ar in Eu rope du ring J.N. H ofz inse r's tim e . Cal l e d "transpare nt cards", one cou l d sh ine a l igh t th rou gh th e m to re ve alh idde n pictu re s printe d w ith in th e transl u ce nt l aye rs. Appare ntl y, H ofz inse r re al iz e d th at th e principl e w ou l d b e a good m e th od and cre ate d a trick b ase d on it. Lik e you , h e ne e de d a gaff th atdidn'te xistin m agic sh ops, so h e spl it cards ope n, painte d diffe re ntval u e s on th e ir inside s, and gl u e d th e m sh u t. H is au die nce w ou l d ne ve r su spe ct th at th e cards, w h ich l ook e d so ordinary, h id a diab ol ical se cre t th at al l ow e d h im to e ffortl e ssl y ch ange th e ir val u e s (se e th e b ook "H ofz inse r’s Card Conju ring"). In m ode rn tim e s, h is gaff h as b e e n im prove d som e w h atby e xpl oiting oth e r opticalprincipl e s. For e xam pl e , re d ob je cts appe ar w h ite w h e n vie w e d th rou gh a re d fil te r. In a sim il ar w ay, th e re d b ack of a pl aying card can b e u se d as an opticalfil te r. As l igh t sh ine s th rou gh th e card, th e re d b ack patte rn optical l y fil te rs ou t and cam ou fl age s any re d pips on th e face su ch th at onl y th e inte rnal bl ack pips are visib l e . If th ose b l ack pips occu py th e sam e positions as th e re d pips, th e cam ou fl age is e ve n m ore e ffe ctive . TypicalUsage Rou tine s for th is gaff u su al l y invol ve sw itch ing a norm alb l ack pippe d card for a m atch ing transpare nt card via a dou b l e l ift, top ch ange , m iracl e ch ange , or any oth e r su itab l e m e th od. For e xam pl e , su ppose th e gaff h as a 7D face and a 6C inte rior. It's face dow n on top of th e de ck and a norm al6C is im m e diate l y u nde rne ath .You dou b l e l iftto displ ay th e norm alsix of cl u b s and tu rn it face dow n. Th e top card (gaff) is de al t off and th e au die nce assu m e s it h as a 6C face w h e n in tru th , it h as a 7D face w ith a 6C inte rior. Th e gaff is th e n pl ace d in front of a strong l igh t w ith its b ack facing th e au die nce so th e y can se e th e 6C sil h ou e tte .W h e n th e card is tu rne d arou nd, th e y discove r th e val u e h as ch ange d to 7D .

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Construction Note s Th e e xpl ode d vie w in figu re 23 te l l s you e ve ryth ing you ne e d to k now . It's ju st l ik e m ak ing dou b l e face rs, e xce pt th e D M T l aye rs are se parate d by a b l ack pip l aye r. Start by sanding th e b l ack pip l aye r as th in as possib l e w ith 220 grit and finish off w ith 400 grit. Rou gh e n th e face of th at pie ce w ith a q u ick sw ipe of ru b b ing al coh olto e nsu re good adh e sion.

Figu re 23 Back l aye r (no gray l aye r)

DMT Bl ack pip l aye r (sande d e xtra th in, no gray l aye r)

Th e n, fu se th e re d pip and b l ack pip l aye rs toge th e r. Ne xt, tack th e b ack l aye r to th e u ppe r D M T and trim it to siz e . Final l y, fu se th e b ack l aye r to th e b l ack pip l aye r.

DMT Re d pip l aye r (no gray l aye r)

Th e gaff is q u ite th ick . If you w ant it onl y one card th ick , stu dy th e tone r transfe r se ction (page 59 ) and th e n se e page 67. D e al ing w ith a discre pancy Al th ou gh th e b l ack inde x is on th e w rong corne r w h e n vie w e d th rou gh th e b ack , it doe sn't se e m to re giste r w ith m ost pe opl e . O ne re ason is th at ou r b rains pre fe r to ide ntify cards by th e ir pips rath e r th an th e ir inde xe s. You can e xpl oit th is te nde ncy by u sing b l ack pippe d val u e s th at th e au die nce w il linstantl y re cogniz e w ith ou t h aving to re ad th e ir inde xe s (sixe s are ide al ). Th at softe ns th e discre pancy and m ak e s it l e ss l ik e l y th e ir atte ntion w il lb e draw n tow ard th e inde xe s. If th is discre pancy stil lb oth e rs you , it's e asil y corre cte d by l ase r printing a m irrore d im age of th e b l ack card onto a sh e e tof th in pape r and u sing th atfor th e inte rnall aye r. For e xam pl e , 10" sq u are s of w h ite origam i pape r trim m e d to 8.5" w idth . I've al so trie d taping tissu e pape r or e ve n th e b ack l aye r itse l f to l ase r pape r and ru nning th e m th rou gh th e printe r, b u t it's ve ry "iffy" and te nds to w rink l e . In e ith e r case , a l igh tgray b ack grou nd m igh tne e d to b e adde d to th e pips you 're printing to m itigate b l e e dth rou gh . Se l e cting cards to u se Bl ack /re d pairings of 6/7, 6/8, and 7/8 tak e th e b e stadvantage of tw o l arge circu l ar re gions in b icycl e b ack s th at provide e xce l l e nt re d fil te ring for th e ce nte r pips. O th e r are as of th e card offe r l e ss h iding pow e r.

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Erasing M e th ods Erasing pips and inde xe s Th is sh ou l d b e a te ch niq u e of l ast re sort, b e cau se e rasing isn’t ne arl y as e asy as you m igh t im agine . No m atte r h ow care fu lyou are , th e e ffe cts are obviou s. Th e w orn finish and faint trace s of ink re m aining on th e card u su al l y give it aw ay. For th is re ason, spl itting and inl aying are pre fe rre d ove r e rasing w h e n you ne e d l arge are as b l ank e d ou t. H ow e ve r, for sm al lare as, e rasing can b e a de ce ntal te rnative . For e xam pl e , th e inde x of th e card in ph oto 65 w as e rase d b e fore th e b ack w as inl aid. And th e ne xt se ction, "Tone r Transfe r Se cre ts" w il ltak e advantage of th e e rasing te ch niq u e s de scrib e d h e re . If you w ant to e xpe rim e nt, h e re ’s a w ay to do it w ith ou t cau sing too m u ch dam age to th e finish . Ke e p in m ind th atth e re su l ts w on'tb e as good as you h ope .

Th e e l e ctric e rase r in ph oto 85 q u ick l y re m ove s u nw ante d inde xe s and pips. It’s m ade by Koh - INoor / Rapidograph , b u t oth e r m anu factu re rs produ ce sim il ar u nits. Th e one you b u y sh ou l d h ave a h igh - torq u e spinning h e ad. Th is one spins w h e ne ve r you pre ss a b ig re d b u tton. A varie ty of e rase r re fil l s are avail ab l e for th is m ode l , b u t of al l th e com positions, th e b e st re su l ts com e from u sing “softw h ite vinyl ”. Th is u nitand oth e rs l ik e itcan b e ch e apl y acq u ire d th rou gh e Bay for l e ss th an te n dol l ars.

A h am m e r grip provide s th e gre ate stl e ve lof control (ph oto 86). In th is position, th e re d b u tton can b e e asil y pre sse d w h il e m aintaining a firm grip on th e de vice . Stab il ity incre ase s w h e n you k e e p th e b ottom of you r fist pre sse d against th e w ork su rface .

57

85

86

Erasing is q u ick and e asy w ith th is tool , b u t you m u st b e care fu lnot to dam age th e finish . U se l igh t pre ssu re and don’t k e e p th e tip in one spot for too l ong or you’l le at aw ay th e su rface . Sh ort, b rie f w iggl e s and l ittl e circl e s cau se th e l e astdam age . To ge t ink ou t of l ow spots in th e finish , rotate th e card and e rase in se ve raldiffe re ntdire ctions.

87

M isce l l ane ou s m e th ods #0000 ste e lw oolal so w ork s w e l l , and if you don't m ind a l ittl e el b ow gre ase , anoth e r good produ ct is th e "U nion" ink /pe ncile rase r (ph oto 88). It h as a gray h al fth atdoe s a nice job.

88

Avoid u sing nailpol ish re m ove r (b oth ace tone and non- ace tone ). It not onl y de stroys th e pl astic coating, ital so ru ins th e pape r l aye r itse l f du e to th e w ate r conte nt.Goof- O ff(Xyl e ne ) is al so too h arsh .

R e storing th e finish Erasing du l l s th e finish , b u t th e sh ine can b e re store d w ith w ax. Tak e a w h ite crayon or som e carnau b a au tom ob il e w ax and ru b itove r th e du l l e d are as of th e card (ph oto 89 ). Th e coatsh ou l d b e fairl y th in and dry. Th e n b risk l y pol ish th e are a w ith facialtissu e (ph oto 9 0). D on’t pol ish too m u ch or th ose are as w il ll ook too sh iny com pare d to th e re st of th e card. Ph oto 9 1 sh ow s h ow th ings l ook afte r pol ish ing.

89

90

58

91

Tone r Transfe r Se cre ts 92

Th e prob l em Th e "h ol y grail " of card gaffing h as al w ays b e e n to printcu stom de signs onto Bicycl e pl aying card stock . U nfortu nate l y, th e re are n'tm any options for th e do- it- you rse l fe r sh ortof scre e n and offse t printing. "Fak o" dry transfe r sh e e ts are e xpe nsive and not du rab l e e nou gh . D ire ct printing via ink je t is frau gh t w ith difficu l ty. It's ce rtainl y possib l e to ge t good ink adh e sion on th e card by stripping th e pl astic coating w ith ace tone b e fore se nding it th rou gh th e printe r. H ow e ve r, th e finish ne ve r fe e l s th e sam e , e ve n afte r spraying a cl e ar fixative on it. O th e r b rave sou l s h ave fe d th e ir cards into standard l ase r printe rs w ith m ixe d re su l ts. It's th e air- cu sh ion finish th atm ak e s printing su ch a ch al l e nge . Th e pol ye ste r coating re sists ink s and tone r. As if th atw e re n'tb ad e nou gh , th e finish al so h as th ou sands of tiny dim pl e s th attone r can'tge tinto.Th atm ak e s dire ctprinting de vil ish l y difficu l t. Th e sol u tion Afte r ye ars of trialand e rror, I've de ve l ope d a m e th od of indire ctprinting b ase d on an ol d sol ve nt transfe r te ch niq u e . It's not th e grail , b u t it's a fine al te rnative . U nl ik e prior m e th ods, it w ork s w ith ou tre m oving th e air- cu sh ion finish and doe s notinvol ve stick e rs, cl e ar l ab e l s, iron- on t- sh irt transfe rs, or w ate rsl ide de cal s.Ye t, th e im age s l ook and fe e ll ik e th e y w e re printe d. H ow is it done ?By indire ct transfe r. Inste ad of dire ctl y printing on th e card, you l ase r print th e de sign onto an e m pty sh e e t of l ab e lb ack ing pape r and th e n transfe r it to th e card. Ph oto 9 2 re ve al s th e capab il itie s and l im itations of th is syste m . As you can se e , it's gre at for sm al lsol id fe atu re s l ik e inde xe s and pips. In th is case , th e u ppe r l e ft AH inde xe s w e re e rase d and re pl ace d w ith 3C tone r transfe rs. Ph otos and l arge de signs are m ore difficu l t. Th e H ou dini card sh ow s th e e ffe ct of th e air cu sh ion finish on th e transfe rre d im age . H ardl y ste l l ar, b u t it's prob ab l y good e nou gh for m ostappl ications.W e 'l ldiscu ss som e ofth e se difficu l tie s l ate r.

59

Tone r Transfe r: Ove rvie w M ate rial s and e q u ipm e nt: Ifyou w antto try th is sol ve nttransfe r te ch niq u e , you 'l lne e d: Al ase r printe r Back ing pape r from Ave ry l ab e lsh e e ts U n- D u adh e sive re m ove r or Be stine Sol ve nt& Th inne r Nitril e prote ctive gl ove s (m u stre sistn- H e ptane ) Le t's go ove r th e ab ove ite m s in de tail : Su itab l e printe rs W e 'l lb e gin by disappointing you ink je t fol k s. Th is onl y w ork s w ith l ase r printe rs capab l e of h andl ing l ab e lsh e e ts. It sh ou l d, pre fe rab l y, al so h ave a bypass fe e de r so you w on't h ave to k e e p ope ning u p th e pape r tray. Th e b ack ing pape r Th e k e y to th e syste m is th e b ack ing pape r. It's th e partof l ab e lsh e e ts norm al l y th row n aw ay afte r pe e l ing off th e l ab e l s. Th e ide a is to l ase r printa re ve rse d de sign onto th e sl ick side of th e b ack ing pape r, and th e n transfe r th atde sign to a card. Sou nds sim pl e , b u tth e re are tw o th ings standing in th e w ay of a good transfe r: Th e pl astic coating, and th e dim pl e d air cu sh ion finish . Earl y in th e de ve l opm e nt of th is syste m , I rou gh e ne d th e card w ith ru b b ing al coh oland th e n u se d a h ot se al ing iron against th e b ack side of th e pape r to transfe r th e de sign. H ow e ve r, th at didn't w ork too w e l l . Th e l ow spots in th e dim pl e d finish pre ve nte d tone r from com pl e te l y transfe rring. So h ow did I ge tarou nd th is issu e ?By e l im inating th e ne e d for a se al ing iron or any h e atsou rce atal l . H e atl e ss sol ve nttransfe r Th e se cre t to good transfe rs is to soak th e l ase r printe d b ack ing pape r in a sol ve nt cal l e d nH e ptane . Th is doe s tw o th ings. Th e sol ve ntsofte ns b oth th e tone r and th e b ack ing pape r, m ak ing it possib l e to pre ss th e tone r fu l l y into th e dim pl e s of th e card finish . It al so re l e ase s th e b ond b e tw e e n th e b ack ing pape r and tone r so th e y can b e cl e anl y pe e l e d apart, l e aving th e tone r stu ck to th e card. Eve ntu al l y, th e sol ve nte vaporate s from th e card w ith ou ta trace . No ironing, re sidu e s, or dam age to th e finish .

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O b taining su itab l e b ack ing sh e e ts Not al lb ack ing sh e e ts w ork . Som e are too sl ick to h ol d th e tone r. You 'l lk now if th e sh e e t is too sl ick w h e n th e de sign e m e rge s from th e printe r w ith m issing patch e s. If th at h appe ns, b e su re to im m e diate l y se nd fou r or five b l ank printjob s th rou gh th e printe r to cl e an th e dru m , pape r path , and fu se r ofany tone r th atcam e offth e b ack ing sh e e t. As far as spe cific b rands and catal og nu m b e rs are conce rne d, th e re isn't e nou gh space h e re to m ak e a de ce nt l ist. Be side s, l ab e lm anu factu re rs constantl y ch ange and discontinu e th e ir l ine s. You 'l lju st h ave to te st diffe re nt produ cts to find one th at w ork s w ith you r printe r. As of th is w riting, Ave ry #6873 w ork s b e au tifu l l y w ith an H P Lase rje t1012. O n th e oth e r h and, Ave ry #05450 l ab e l s are too sl ick and w on'tw ork . You m igh tb e ab l e to snag b ack ing sh e e ts for fre e by ask ing frie nds to save th e m for you . Look for l arge singl e l e tte r- siz e sh e e ts. Avoid one s th at are pe rforate d dow n th e m iddl e or divide d diagonal l y into sm al l e r disconne cte d se ctions. Al th ou gh th e y m igh t w ork , th e y're h arde r to h andl e b e cau se you ne e d to go th rou gh th e e xtra ste p ofcre ating graph ics th atfitth e m prope rl y. Ab ou tth e sol ve nt Th e ne ce ssary sol ve nt, n- H e ptane , is avail ab l e at m ost craft store s and art su ppl y sh ops in th e U SA. Bu t don't ask for n- H e ptane . You 'l lge t l ook s of confu sion from th e sal e scl e rk s. Inste ad, ask for e ith e r "Un- D u adh e sive re m ove r" or "Be stine sol ve nt & th inne r". U n- D u is pu re n- H e ptane th at com e s in a sq u e e z e b ottl e w ith a b u il t- in scraping tool . Be stine sol ve nt is al so pu re nH e ptane , b u t it's ch e ape r and com e s in pl ain m e taltins and l arge r siz e s. Al so, som e ge ne ric b rands of ru b b e r ce m e ntth inne r are ju stcans of pu re n- H e ptane , so you can u se th ose too if you w ant. In any case , re ad th e l ab e l s and ch e ck th at th e y don't contain any carcinoge nic im pu ritie s l ik e b e nz e ne .

W AR NING Al w ays ob se rve any safe ty notice s on th e produ ctl ab e l . n- H e ptane is h igh l y fl am m ab l e . W ork in a w e l lve ntil ate d are a far aw ay from h e at sou rce s l ik e th e se al ing iron and l itcigare tte s. NO SM O K ING!

Se l e cting th e prope r gl ove s You 'l lb e h andl ing pie ce s soak e d in th e sol ve nt, so u se nitril e gl ove s onl y. Th e y're avail ab l e at m ost h ardw are store s, h om e im prove m e nt ce nte rs, and w oodw ork ing su ppl y sh ops. D on't u se l ate x gl ove s.Th e y can'ttol e rate th e sol ve ntve ry l ong.

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Tone r Transfe r: Th e Proce dure To de m onstrate th e transfe r proce ss, w e w il lm ak e a dou b l ee nde d k ing w h e re one e nd is a spade , and th e oth e r a h e art. Ph oto 9 3 sh ow s a com pl e te d gaff. It tak e s a fe w trie s to ge t u se d to th is te ch niq u e , so e xpe ctfail u re initial l y.W ith practice , th e transfe rs b e com e q u ite re l iab l e.

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Th e S te ps First, e rase one pip and inde x from a k ing of h e arts as e xpl aine d in th e pre viou s ch apte r. In th is case , it h e l ps to m ask th e b l u e fram e l ine s in th e de sign w ith Scotch tape to prote ct th e m from e rasu re .Re m ove th e tape afte rw ard.

Ne xt, re m ove al ll ab e lm atte r from th e b ack ing sh e e t and l oad it into th e bypass fe e de r or pape r tray of you r l ase r printe r, m ak ing su re th at it w il l print onto th e sl ick frontside of th e sh e e t. Th e n print ou t th e de sire d graph ics. In th is e xam pl e,I printe d som e inde xe s and pips (ph oto 9 5). Note h ow th e de signs are printe d in re ve rse (m irror im age ) and th at th e b ack side of th e pape r h as Ave ry l ogos.

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Cu t ou t one pip w ith scissors, b u t l e ave e nou gh space arou nd it so you can h ol d it w ith you r finge rs. W h il e w e aring nitril e ru b b e r gl ove s, pl ace a fe w drops of sol ve nt on th e tone r side (ph oto 9 6). Re m e m b e r, it's h igh l y fl am m ab l e , so do th is aw ay from h e atsou rce s in a w e l lve ntil ate d are a.

96 W ait a fe w se conds for th e sol ve nt to softe n th e tone r. D on't l e t it com pl e te l y e vaporate th ou gh . If ne ce ssary, re w e t it w ith anoth e r drop or tw o of sol ve nt. Th e n care fu l l y pl ace th e pape r tone r- side dow n onto th e card (ph oto 9 7).

97

Th e w e t pape r stick s to th e su rface of th e card. At th is point, th e tone r is soft, b u t not soft e nou gh to m ak e itinto th e dim pl e s on its ow n.

98

Th atre q u ire s pre ssu re .

Pre ss th e pape r firm l y w ith you r th u m b for ab ou t te n se conds.

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99

Le t th e sol ve nt e vaporate com pl e te l y and w ait ab ou t five m inu te s for th e tone r to h arde n u p. Afte r th e tone r h as h arde ne d, appl y a drop or tw o of sol ve nt to th e b ack side of th e pape r. As it soak s in, th e pape r w il lre l e ase from th e tone r.

100 W h il e th e pape r is stil lw e t, care fu l l yl ift th e pape r aw ay from th e card. If e ve ryth ing w e nt ok ay, th e tone r w il lb e l e ft b e h ind on th e card. If th e tone r crack s or distorts, you 'l lne e d to startove r. Appl ya fe w drops of sol ve nt and re m ove th e tone r w ith a cotton b al lor w adde d tissu e .

101

A good w ay to e nsu re th atth e tone r is pre sse d into th e dim pl e s is to u se a b u rnish ing tool . Bu rnish ing is b e st done afte r m ost of th e sol ve nt h as e vaporate d, b u t w h il e th e tone r is stil lsoft. It's e asy to te l lb e cau se th e pape r l ose s transl u ce nce as it drie s. Ph oto 102 sh ow s a su fficie ntl y dry inde x.

102

H e re , I'm u sing th e e nd of a paint b ru sh to b u rnish th e inde x. Be ve ry care fu l . H ol d dow n th e pape r se cu re l y to pre ve nt it from sl iding and crack ing th e tone r de sign.

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104 Som e tim e s, a transfe r w on'tcom e ou tpe rfe ctl y and l e ave s l ittl e m issing spots (ph oto 104).Th e se can b e fil l e d in w ith a sh arpie m ark e r.

U se a Sh arpie indu strialm ark e r to fil lin th e m issing spots. Th e fine tip offe rs a good de gre e of pre cision in tigh tare as.

105

H e re 's w h at it l ook s l ik e afte r th e tou ch u p w ork . Le t th e card sit for a fe w m inu te s w h il e th e ink drie s.

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To finish u p, you can ge ntl y pol ish ove r th e are a w ith a candl e or non- ab rasive car w ax (carnau b a). If you 're w ork ing w ith l iq u id w ax, pou r som e onto a pie ce of al u m inu m foil . Le titdry ou tcom pl e te l y and th e n cru m b l e it to a fine pow de r. Sprink l e som e onto th e du l lare a and pol ish w ith a cl e an dry tissu e . D on't ru b too h ard. If som e tone r com e s off, tou ch itu p w ith th e Sh arpie again.

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Note s and Tips Large de signs Large l ogos are trick y, b e cau se th e sol ve nt e vaporate s faste r th an you r th u m b can pre ss th e de sign. H ow e ve r, if you b u rnish and re w e tth e pape r du ring th e proce du re , it can ce rtainl y b e done (se e ph oto 108).

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M ost of th e tim e , you 'l lne e d to do l ots of Sh arpie tou ch - u p w ork . O bviou sl y, sol ve nt transfe r isn't practical for cre ating b u l k give aw ays, b u t it's fantastic for one - offs and VIP give aw ays. Th in fe atu re s Avoid de signs th ath ave ve ry th in l ine s.Th e y te nd to com e offinside th e l ase r printe r. Pre pping th e cards w ith al coh ol Som e tim e s, it h e l ps to rou gh e n th e su rface of th e card w ith ru b b ing al coh olto im prove tone r adh e sion. Ju stpu ta l ittl e on a cotton sw ab, give th e card a q u ick sw ipe w ith it, and l et ite vaporate .Th e re 's no ne e d to ru b.Th e du l l ne ss can b e re m ove d afte rw ard w ith w ax. Col or I h ave n'ttrie d th is m e th od w ith col or l ase r printe rs, b u tI im agine th atitsh ou l d w ork if th e printe r is of th e singl e - pass type . You m igh t ru n into pe e l - off issu e s if th e printe r doe s m ul tipl e passe s across th e b ack ing pape r. O th e r sol ve nts (good, b u tnotre com m e nde d) I've trie d oth e r sol ve nts th at w ork b e tte r, b u t th e y're q u ite toxic. For e xam pl e , m ine ral spirits containing b e nz e ne are carcinoge nic, b u t m ore re l iab l e . A m ix of 100 parts H e ptane to 5 parts GoofO ffgive s gre ate r transfe r pe rm ane nce . Itw on'tru b offw ith a finge rnail .

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H ofzinse r Transpare ntCards: Tone r Transfe r M e th od In an e arl ie r se ction, w e m ade H ofz inse r transpare nt cards by adding an e xtra b l ack pip l aye r. As you m igh t h ave notice d, th at cau se s th e gaff to b e sl igh tl y th ick e r and stiffe r th an a norm alcard. Now th at you 've l e arne d ab ou t tone r transfe r, you can u se it to constru ct transpare nt gaffs th at are ju st one card th ick w ith indice s l ocate d in th e corre ct positions w h e n vie w e d th rou gh th e b ack .Th e b ig diffe re nce h e re is th atno sol ve ntis ne ce ssary.H e atis e nou gh to ge tth e job done .

Th e S te ps Cre ate tw o transfe r de signs: a b l ack pip im age w ith a card ou tl ine , and a card ou tl ine w ith ju st th e indice s*. Th e l igh t gray b ack grou nd fil l pre ve nts th e inte rnalb l ack pips from b l e e ding th rou gh to th e re d face . Lase r print th e se im age s onto Ave ry #6873 b ack ing pape r and trim th e m to a m anage ab l e siz e (se e ph oto).

109

Pip transfe r

U nfol d th e D M T and l ay itatop th e fu sing pad.

Inde x transfe r

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* For you r conve nie nce , th is e b ook pack age incl u de s a se parate pdf fil e th at you can u se as a transfe r im age . Print it at fu l lsiz e w ith no scal ing. 67

111 Pu t th e "inde x transfe r" tone r- side dow n onto th e righ t h al f of th e D M T. Be su re th e im age is re asonab l y ce nte re d.

Cove r th e transfe r sh e e t and D M T w ith sil icone pape r.

H e at th e se al ing iron to 300 °F and ru n it firm l y ove r th e pape r u ntil th e im age transfe rs com pl e te l y to th e D M T. Care fu l l y pe e law ay th e b ack ing pape r a l ittl e at a tim e and ch e ck if th e im age is fu l l y transfe rring. If you se e e m pty spots in th e im age or th e re are l ittl e bl ack spe ck s l e ft b e h ind on th e b ack ing pape r, iron som e m ore w h il e b u rnish ing w ith th e re ar e dge ofth e iron.

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H e re 's w h ata su cce ssfu l l y transfe rre d im age sh ou l dl ook l ik e .

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Fl ip ove r th e D M T so th e im age is face - dow n w ith th e inde x at th e u ppe r righ t corne r. Th e D M T is sh e e r e nou gh th atth e ou tl ine is e asil y visib l e.

Trim th e "pip transfe r" al ong th e ou tl ine so it e xactl y m atch e s th e profil e ofa pl aying card.

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Lay th e "pip transfe r" tone r- side dow n onto th e D M T, m ak ing su re it's pe rfe ctl y sq u are d ove r th e b ack side of th e firstim age . Th e dark ou tl ine of th e inde x im age m ak e s al ignm e nta cinch .

117

Cove r e ve ryth ing w ith sil icone pape r and iron ove r th e transfe r l ik e you did w ith th e firstim age .Th e ph oto sh ow s th e re su l ts ofa su cce ssfu ltransfe r. Tou ch u p any m issing are as w ith a b l ack Sh arpie .

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119 M oiste n e ith e r a b ru sh or a cotton sw ab w ith h e ptane sol ve nt and ru n it across e ach pip. Th is coats th e pips w ith a th in l aye r of dissol ve d D M T adh e sive . W h il e w e t, th e su rface s of th e pips fe e l tack y. Bu t in a fe w m inu te s, th e y w il lb e dry and w on'tfe e lstick y atal l .

Fol d th e D M T so th e inde x im age is on th e inside and th e pips are on th e ou tside facing u p.

120

Lay th e re d b ack pie ce pe rfe ctl y sq u are d ove r th e pip im age .U se th e gray ou tl ine as a gu ide .

121

Cove r e ve ryth ing w ith sil icone pape r and finish u p as u su al : tack th e e dge s, trim aw ay th e e xce ss D M T, fu se th e face pie ce (8D ), rou nd th e corne rs, and you 're done .

If you can't find Ave ry #6873 b ack ing pape r, a su pe rb al te rnative is "Tone r Transfe r Pape r". El e ctronics h ob byists u se it to m ak e prototype printe d circu it b oards, and it can b e pu rch ase d onl ine (se e appe ndix). Th is spe cialpape r h as a w ate r sol ubl e coating on one side th at you can l ase r print you r de sign onto. Trim th e printe d inde x and pip im age s al ong th e ou tl ine s so th e y're th e sam e sh ape and siz e as a pl aying card. Iron th e m to th e D M T as u su al , b u tinste ad of pe e l ing th e transfe r pape r off, soak th e m in w ate r for a fe w m inu te s and th e y'l lsl ide aw ay to re ve alth e tone r de signs stu ck to th e D M T. R inse th e D M T w ith cl e an w ate r and se titaside to dry com pl e te l y.

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Sh im m e d Cards: Tone r M ask Sh im s som e tim e s produ ce notice ab l e sh ading variations in th e su rface of th e gaff. Th e sim pl e st sol u tion to th is prob l e m is to al w ays u se cou rt cards to h ide th e b l e m ish e s. H ow e ve r, w ith a l ittl e e xtra e ffort, you can sh im spot cards too. Th e fol l ow ing page s sh ow h ow to cre ate a tone r m ask th atcom pe nsate s for any diffe re nce s in sh ading b e tw e e n th e sh im and th e pape r.

Th e S te ps U se tin snips to cu t a 1" x 2" re ctangu l ar sh im from .001" or .002" th ick col d rol l e d ste e lsh im stock . Th e n w ash th e pie ce w ith dish w ash ing de te rge nt and w e t sand it al ong th e e dge s w ith 220 or 400 grit to re m ove any b u rrs and nick s.

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D e sign a card ou tl ine w ith a sh ade d b ack grou nd and an e m pty 1" x 2" are a in th e ce nte r. Th e sh im w il lfit into th is void. Print th e im age onto Ave ry #6873 b ack ing pape r and transfe r it to th e D M T.

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124 Tack th e sh im onto th e void.

Fol d th e D M T so th e sh im is on th e inside and fl ip it ove r so th e gray ou tl ine can b e e asil y se e n.

Lay th e b ack pie ce pe rfe ctl y sq u are d ove r th e gray ou tl ine and tack th e e dge s as u su al . W e 'l le nd th e e xpl anation h e re , since you al re ady k now th e re st.

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Al th ou gh th e m ask ing proce du re doe s a b ang u p job of h iding sh im s, you 'l lw ant to u se spot val ue s l ik e e igh ts, nine s, and te ns for b e tte r cam ou fl age . Sh ade d b ack grou nds can al so m ak e D M T gaffs l e ss de te ctab l e w h e n vie w e d e dge on. For e xam pl e, D M T gaffs don't h ave b l ack ce nte r l aye rs, so th e ir e dge s are l igh te r th an u ngaffe d cards. Th is b e trays th e ir l ocations inside a stack of norm alcards. To e l im inate th is prob l e m , add a sh ade d b ack grou nd (or e dge ) to th e D M T b e fore tack ing and fu sing th e gaff. Th is e ffe ctive l y m im ics th e b l ack ce nte r l aye r ofa norm alcard and h e l ps th e gaffb l e nd in w ith th e oth e rs.

For you r conve nie nce , th is e b ook pack age incl u de s a se parate pdf fil e th at you can u se as a transfe r im age . Print it at fu l lsiz e w ith no scal ing.

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Cre ating Graph ics You 're prob ab l y w onde ring w h e re to ge t pips and inde xe s for th e tone r transfe r syste m . Th at's im portant, b e cau se it w on't b e of m u ch u se to you if you don't ow n graph ics softw are . D on't w orry ab ou t it. Th e re 's no ne e d for e xpe nsive com m e rcialpack age s l ik e Ph otosh op and Il l u strator, b e cau se you can do e ve ryth ing w ith fre e ope n sou rce softw are . Th e onl y oth e r th ing you 'l lne e d is a scanne r or a digitalcam e ra.Th at's al l ! Th e proce ss goe s l ik e th is. Le t's say you w ant to print ou t som e pips. First, you tak e a scan or a pictu re of th e card th at h as th e pip you w ant. Th e n you im port th at fil e into a ve ctor il l u stration program cal l e d Ink scape . Th e "trace b itm ap" fe atu re of th at program cre ate s an e ditab l e ve ctor ve rsion of th e card. You th e n u se th e Ink scape e diting tool s to isol ate th e de sire d pip and cl e an it u p.Th e pip is save d as an SVG fil e. From th e re , you ope n u p a de sk top pu b l ish ing program cal l e d Scrib u s and cre ate a ne w docu m e nt. Im port th e pip SVG into th e docu m e nt and m ak e as m any copie s of th e pip as you ne e d. Scrib u s l e ts you scal e , distort, or position th e m anyw h e re on th e page . W h e n you 're h appy w ith th e w ay th ings l ook , you can e ith e r printitou tor u se th e Scrib u s pdf e xportfe atu re to cre ate a pdfth atyou can sh are w ith oth e rs. I re al iz e th at not e ve ryone h as th e softw are k now l e dge to cre ate graph ics fil e s from scratch l ik e th is. So, to save you som e trou b l e , I've incl u de d a Scrib u s fil e (.sl a) of variou s pips and inde xe s. Ju stope n itin Scrib u s and fol l ow th e instru ctions on th e firstpage ofth atdocu m e nt. Stil l , I h igh l y re com m e nd th atyou tak e th e tim e to l e arn th e se tw o ope n sou rce program s.Th e y're e xce l l e nt, and are fre e l y dow nl oadab l e atth e fol l ow ing site s: w w w .ink scape .org w w w .scrib u s.ne t

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Ink scape Tips Ink scape is a ve ctor draw ing program . If you 've ne ve r u se d sim il ar softw are , ittak e s a l ittl e ge tting u se d to. I w on't atte m pt to go into th e fu ndam e ntal s, as you 're b e tte r off l e arning th at from th e tu torial s atth e Ink scape w e b site . Ve ctor v.s. R aste r Graph ics Th e re are tw o type s of graph ics you can u se - ve ctor and raste r. Raste r (a.k .a. b itm ap) graph ics are e sse ntial l y patte rns of pixe l s de fine d by a grid coordinate syste m . Be cau se of th is, th e re sol u tion of th e im age m u st b e m atch e d appropriate l y to th e siz e it w il lb e displ aye d or printe d at. Th e l arge r th e printou t, th e h igh e r th e re sol u tion re q u ire d. Inade q u ate re sol u tions m ak e graph ics appe ar e ith e r fu z z y or pixe l l ate d w ith "jaggie s" al ong l ine s and sh arpl y contrasting e dge s. Com pre ssion artifacts in l ossy form ats l ik e jpe g can al so pre se ntprob l e m s. O n th e oth e r h and, ve ctor graph ics are not de fine d by pixe l s, so th e y can b e scal e d and m anipu l ate d e asil y to any siz e w ith ou t affe cting th e ir q u al ity. Line art ge ne ral l y l ook s m u ch sh arpe r and cl e ane r in ve ctor form at. For th is re ason, it is b e st to u se ve ctor graph ics w h e n cre ating artw ork for cu stom printe d cards. Using th e "trace b itm ap" Fe atu re Th is fe atu re is gre atfor conve rting scanne d b itm ap card im age s to ve ctor form at. For b e stre su l ts, scan you r cards against a b l ack b ack grou nd. It's al so e asie r if you scan Aviator face s inste ad of Bicycl e s b e cau se th e y don't h ave a te xtu re d air- cu sh ion finish th at you w ou l d oth e rw ise ne e d to e ditou tofth e im age . O nce you 've gotth e im age s scanne d, startInk scape , and se l e ctFil e > Im portfrom th e m e nu . Se l e ct th e im age fil e you w ant to trace . In th is e xam pl e w e w il lu se a jpe g of th e tw o of spade s. Cl ick "O pe n" to im portth e im age .

Th e im age sh ou l d now b e visib l e on you r w ork space . Rotate itifne ce ssary by se l e cting: O b je ct> Rotate 9 0°CW

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Be su re th e im age is se l e cte d and th e n cl ick : Path > Trace Bitm ap Cl ick th e "U pdate " b u tton to ge ta m ini pre vie w ofth e trace . Ifyou 're h appy w ith it, cl ick "O K".

Afte r th e trace is finish e d, cl ose th e "trace b itm ap" w indow to re tu rn to th e m ain w indow . Th e ne w ve ctor ve rsion w il lb e u nde rne ath th e b itm ap, so cl ick on th e im age and drag it aside to se parate th e m from one anoth e r. D e l e te th e b itm ap.

Ne w ve ctor

At th is point, th e im age is no l onge r a b itm ap. It's a ve ctor trace . Th is ve ctor is cu rre ntl y a singl e h om oge ne ou s ob je ct cal l ed a "path ", so you 'l lne e d to b re ak it u p into se parate path s if you w antto individu al l y m anipu l ate th e pips, inde xe s, and ou tl ine . Se l e ctth e trace im age and th e n cl ick : Path > Bre ak Apart Th is se parate s th e path into individu alpie ce s. In th is case , th e card ou tl ine , pips, and inde xe s b e com e se parate pie ce s. Th e gray dash e d l ine s indicate th e l ocation ofe ach e l e m e nt(se e righ t).

Cl ick "Edit > D e se l e ct" and th e n cl ick som e w h e re on th e ve ry e dge of th e b l ack re ctangl e to se l e ct it. Pre ss th e de l e te b u tton. You 're l e ftw ith a sm al l e r card- sh ape d re ctangl e th at's sol id b l ack (se e righ t).

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Bitm ap original

D rag

To m ak e th e ce nte r u nfil l e d and onl y th e b orde r b l ack : Cl ick "O b je ct> Fil land Strok e " In th e "Fil l " tab, cl ick th e "X" b u tton for "no paint". In th e "Strok e Paint" tab, cl ick th e "fl atcol or" b u tton.

You now h ave a ve ctor draw n im age of th e tw o of spade s. H ow e ve r, it stil lne e ds to b e re siz e d to th e prope r dim e nsions ofa pok e r card. D raw a 2.5" w ide by 3.5" h igh re ctangl e . You 'l lu se th is as a re fe re nce . Se l e ct th e e ntire tw o of spade s and re siz e it to m atch th e re ctangl e . H ol d dow n th e CTR Lk e y w h il e re siz ing to pre se rve th e aspe ct ratio. Rotate th e im age if ne ce ssary. D e l e te th e re ctangl e and you 're l e ft w ith a pok e r siz e d tw o ofspade s. Final l y, go to "Fil e > D ocu m e ntPrope rtie s". Cl ick "Fitpage to se l e ction" and cl ose th e dial og b ox. Save th e im age as an SVG fil e w ith "Fil e > Save As". If none of th is m ade any se nse to you , pe rh aps an anim ate d Fl ash pre se ntation w il lh e l p cl e ar th ings u p. Tak e a l ook in th e "e xtras" fol de r of th is e b ook pack age , and ope n th e fil e "Bitm ap tracing tu torial .h tm ". Ye l l ow b oxe s e xpl ain e ach ste p and prom pt you w ith gre e n navigation arrow s. O th e r de signs Back s de signs can b e ve ctoriz e d th e sam e w ay. Cou rtcards, h ow e ve r, are m u ch m ore difficu l tand l ab or inte nsive .You 'l lne e d to pe rform a k ind ofcol or se paration. In th e "trace b itm ap" dial og, on th e "m ode " tab, se l e ct "Col ors" u nde r "M u l tipl e scans: cre ate s a grou p of path s". Cl ick "O K" to trace th e im age . Afte r th e trace is finish e d, you w il lh ave e igh tpath s stack e d on top of e ach oth e r. Each path is for a diffe re nt col or in th e im age . Cre ate se ve n ne w l aye rs and se nd e ach path to its ow n l aye r. Now for th e tim e consu m ing part. Edit th e node s of e ach l aye r to cre ate CM YK e l e m e nts. Th is re q u ire s you to de te rm ine w h ich l aye rs b e st m atch th e fou r col ors. You th e n m anipu l ate and de l e te l aye rs and node s as ne ce ssary u ntilyou e nd u p w ith onl y fou r l aye rs - CM YK.

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Appe ndix - Source s & M frs D ry m ou nttissu e :

Corne r R ou nde rs:

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e Bay se l l e r id: fine grafics Th is is th e se l l e r I b ou gh tth e Ch ine se corne r rou nde r from . Contactth e m to se e ifth e y can stil lge tth e 1/8" u nit.Th e y al so carry Lassco and Ak il e s produ cts.

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M .C. M ie th M anu factu ring, Inc. P.O . Box 29 1129 PortO range , FL32129 - 1129 Ph one : (386) 767- 349 4 Fax: (386) 756- 7503 w w w .tick e tpu nch .com Lassco- W iz e r 485 H agu e Stre e t Roch e ste r, NY 14606- 129 6 Tol lFre e : (800) 854- 659 5 Ph one : (585) 436- 19 34 Fax: (585) 464- 8665 w w w .l asscow iz e r.com Ak il e s Produ ctInc. 19 09 Sou th Vine yard Ave O ntario, CA 9 1761 Te l : (9 09 ) 9 23- 7778 Tol lFre e : (800) 453- 39 9 7 Fax: (9 09 ) 9 23- 2003 w w w .ak il e s.com

n- H e ptane Sol ve nt: Tone r Transfe r Pape r (Tone r Transfe r Syste m ): U n- D u w w w .b igtim e produ cts.ne t Be stine Sol ve nt& Th inne r w w w .pape rce m e nt.com Stark e y Ru b b e r Ce m e ntTh inne r w w w .stark e ych e m ical .com

PU LSAR Attn: Frank M il l e r, O w ne r & CBW 21 Carriage D rive Craw fordvil l e , FL32327- 249 6 O rde rs & Te ch Su pport(850) 9 26- 2009 Fax: (850) 9 26- 8822 w w w .pu l sarprofx.com

Card Gaffing Ge nii: w w w .toddl asse n.com 77

Appe ndix - Source s & M frs (Continue d) Am orph ou s Al l oy (M anu factu re r): M e tgl as® , Inc. M agne tic m ate rial s w w w .m e tgl as.com Am orph ou s Al l oy and M u - m e tal(R e tail e r): Le ss EM F Inc. 809 M adison Ave nu e Al b any, NY 12208 In U SA: (888) 537- 7363 O u tside U .S.A.: (518) 432- 1550 Fax: (309 ) 422- 4355 E- m ail :l e sse m f@ l e sse m f.com w w w .l e sse m f.com Le ssEM F se l l s M e tgl as al l oy rib b ons 1" w ide and 0.00065" th ick .Th e se are u nde te ctab l y th in and w on'tprodu ce b u l ge s in th e card atal l .Th e y're pe rfe ctifyou w antsh im cards w ith m il d attraction. M u - M e tal(nick e l - iron al l oy): M cM aste r- Carr w w w .m cm aste r.com

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To al lm y cu stom e rs, Th ank you for su pporting th is proje ct. It w as a h u ge am ou nt of w ork , and I spe nt h u ndre ds of h ou rs pu tting it toge th e r. If you fou nd any of it h e l pfu l , pl e ase spre ad th e good w ord and re com m e nd th is b ook to you r frie nds. I w ou l d al so appre ciate any su gge stions for fu tu re e ditions. Th e goalis to m ak e th is re sou rce as u se fu las possib l e. M ah al o! Craig M atsu ok a

Au th or contact: cardgaffs@ gm ail .com

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Th is b ook l e ftinte ntional l y finish e d

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