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How to restore and fix a spine roll with just an iron
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90 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, joeypost said:

That was me.

 

9 minutes ago, telerites said:

Sorry, Joey.  You need to grow your hair longer and wear some leather pants to be confused with Roy :bigsmile:

By the way, obviously I am not self-ironing as I send you my books for pressing.  You should have gotten my last batch a short time ago.  :acclaim:

@VintageComics Forgot to offer apologies to Roy - been a lot of years since that thread.  Did not intend to misquote.  

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4 minutes ago, telerites said:

 

@VintageComics Forgot to offer apologies to Roy - been a lot of years since that thread.  Did not intend to misquote.  

He's done it again!

Do not the punishing rings of Newton strike fear into your heart telerites, that you so casually continue to summon the Pressidicus! 

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On 7/22/2018 at 1:22 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

I gave it a try and have to say it ruined the book. Still, I nearly got a hole in one.

sorry about that, hope you tried on a $1 book

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On 7/22/2018 at 1:56 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

HaHa ! In this case, I do not want to help this guy at all.I don't really care if he wants to ruin his own comics but what scares me is that he may put this stuff into the marketplace.  And his final comment.. 'Next time you think about sending a book to get pressed, check out this post, and feel free to inquire of any details on how to do this.' really scares me. Does he really think he is doing a community service here ? Does he really believe he can do better work with an iron then a professional presser ?

Hey look man, it worked. I didn't damage the comic. So.... I know I can't do better than a pro. But I can try. Sure I wouldn't iron an action 1, but a $10-100 book why not?

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Thanks for all the responses guys.

On 7/23/2018 at 3:31 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

No sign of The Pressidicus I see. Must have a pressing appointment. :grin:

Been gone y'all, and there is plenty to respond to in this forum. I realize some of you definitely don't trust my pressing methods. Look I aint rich, as you can see by my 3.0 BP1, (got it for $3.50 though) I can't afford pressing w/ a major company, so I see what I can do. I'm not a crazy collector either, and still working my way through the hobby. It worked. Thats all I can say. It might have brought out some of the acid in the paper, so increased the aging process, but hey the comics seem fine. This is why I only "pressed" 4 or so books. I recommend trying it. Why throw your money at a company that uses the exact same technology you have in your closet? (just a little fancier)

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On 7/22/2018 at 2:00 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

From his own pics, I think this is the REAL Before and After pressing with an iron.

 

BPcornerB.thumb.JPG.b7f9af398274de9e6d5573273d6df46a.JPG

Come on now, really?? Its a piece of junky wood man, lets just take a chill pill and relax.

On 7/22/2018 at 2:11 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

The OP is the same guy who likes PGX and recommends using their pressing services. He is clearly offering us sensible advice.

'Yeah, I understand why you wouldn't trust PGX, I do and I'd be fine with it, but I understand. To each is own, eh?' 'I realize y'all hate PGX since we're on the CGC boards, but you can just get it pressed by them for about no more than $100 if you add additional fees. So... expensive???'

Hey I'll defend PGX all day. Lets go. What you got, huh?

 

Lets just all remember PGX, or CGC, or Voldy, Iron or pressing services, rich or poor, even if some of us are more primitive than others in our collecting methods, we all love comics here. Alright? :) 

Edited by HuddyBee
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4 minutes ago, HuddyBee said:

Come on now, really?? Its a piece of junky wood man, lets just take a chill pill and relax.

Hey I'll defend PGX all day. Lets go. What you got, huh?

 

Lets just all remember PGX, or CGC, Iron or pressing services, rich or poor, we all love comics here. Alright? :) 

Yes, we love our comics. Let's not torture them. :baiting:

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Look guys. Pressing aint no revolutionary tech, its not like CCS was bestowed it from the gods. Its just heat and pressure. Heat and pressure. It aint rocket science. Anyone can do it, AND it DOESN'T damage the book. Y'all are saying I'm ruining books, yet none have told me how.

It's been 3 days and my comics have not exploded or caused a black hole, as it seemed many of you thought would happen. 

Damage? Where?

I see none. Pages are fine, cover is no thinner, inks are good, spine roll is gone. And again no black holes, or explosions. So we're all good y'all.

 

Edited by HuddyBee
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5 hours ago, HuddyBee said:

Look guys. Pressing aint no revolutionary tech, its not like CCS was bestowed it from the gods. Its just heat and pressure. Heat and pressure. It aint rocket science. Anyone can do it, AND it DOESN'T damage the book. Y'all are saying I'm ruining books, yet none have told me how.

It's been 3 days and my comics have not exploded or caused a black hole, as it seemed many of you thought would happen. 

Damage? Where?

I see none. Pages are fine, cover is no thinner, inks are good, spine roll is gone. And again no black holes, or explosions. So we're all good y'all.

 

A valiant fight back Mr Bee. I like you. Stick around :headbang:

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5 minutes ago, Ditch Fahrenheit said:

lol

I applaud your efforts to learn the craft.  Most of us started out the same way, first using pressure with books or weights, and then trying heat with irons and whatnot, and then on to more complex methods.  But, no offense, if you think it's just heat and pressure...well...you still have a long, long way to go.  Your statements show your level of understanding and experience, or lack thereof.  :)  Despite all the claims on the internet, this craft can take years/decades to get it right.  It's not rocket surgery, but it's also not ironing a pair of boxers either.  And it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach to all books - you have to know something about the construction of the comic book from each era/publisher/etc.

There's kind of an unwritten code among pressers not to divulge hard-won secrets/tricks/experience, and I'm not going to break that here since some people make a living at this craft.  But I'll give you some hints:

1) You'll never get better unless you know what you're striving to achieve.  Take before and after pics and compare your work to the work of others or unpressed examples.  This is key.

2)  The method you describe typically leads to flaring and shininess (damaging the ink).  You're moving a hot piece of metal over and over the same area of the book.  What do you think this might do?  I can actually see the shine in your pics.  You're probably not going to see flaring on the spine, but it you move outward you'll soon see what I'm talking about.

3)  At the high setting on the iron, you are probably damaging the paper fibers.  And you are definitely drying out the pages.  This can cause problems down the road with brittleness and other issues.  Avoid excess heat...use only what is necessary (temp and time).

4)  Your method isn't locking in the press, nor is it likely too.  3 days?  :)  Check them in a few months or years and you'll see what I mean.

I tell you what, once you figure out what goes into a proper press by someone who knows what they're doing, you'll wonder how the heck they make any money doing it.  I know I sure do.  It's not easy, and it takes a lot of time - not to mention the investment in equipment and materials.

Hope this helps.  Stick with the cheap books until to earn your stripes.  Good luck.

I didn't realize your sig line was animated, and it kind of freaked me out when it moved lol 

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1 hour ago, Ditch Fahrenheit said:

At the high setting on the iron, you are probably damaging the paper fibers.  And you are definitely drying out the pages.  This can cause problems down the road with brittleness and other issues.  Avoid excess heat...use only what is necessary (temp and time).

This was really the only effect I was worried about, and knew might happen. But the reality that I ironed just the spine for 10 minutes, might affect the book, but not very noticeable considering this will happen with time no matter what, just maybe a year later. I actually did damage the inks on one book, but that was in a trial run, and the books afterwards seem fine. I used parchment paper, and replaced it about every book, so I wasn't directly ironing the book, as that would definitely damage the inks. My biggest problem is with major pressing services and (grading services for that matter), is that I'd first trust my own hands with my comics, then a random stranger's (even if they are "pros"). But thats just my 2 cents. Thanks for the feedback though, as its always appreciated.

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