Do any of you guys press moderns?

[fastballspecial]

One thing many people don't realize is that moderns can be dry cleaned as well to fix printing scuffs and minor ink transfers from shipment.

 

I know I was able to make quite a few Nowhere Men covers into 9.8s that would have gotten 9.6 and 9.4 due to scuffs.

 

 

I have a local guy that advertises this service. Just out of curiousity how long does it take to complete one? It seems it would be only prudent to do it on a higher dollar book due to time.

 

[ZaCrew]

One thing many people don't realize is that moderns can be dry cleaned as well to fix printing scuffs and minor ink transfers from shipment.

 

I know I was able to make quite a few Nowhere Men covers into 9.8s that would have gotten 9.6 and 9.4 due to scuffs.

 

 

I have a local guy that advertises this service. Just out of curiousity how long does it take to complete one? It seems it would be only prudent to do it on a higher dollar book due to time.

 

I can fix light ink rubs in 2-3 mintues.

 

Full cleanings on Bronze and older can take much more time.

[youmechooz]

So much good info in this thread. Just read. Pros offer input as well.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1237534&fpart=1

[Transplant]

I imagine this will be my only post in this thread as I anticipate Larry will deem my involvement as antagonistic. When I first came to the boards, I was very much part of a movement that wanted to discuss what pressing was, how it was done and to have pressing history disclosed when selling. The NOD was an attempt by others to educate the collecting public on pressing and other types of restoration performed on books that might not be disclosed to a buyer. I, and many others who did a far better job, fought long and hard to encourage sellers to disclose pressing and other things to buyers.

 

What was the end result? A far, far greater number of people began pressing books. The education to the buying public translated to the practical effect that many buyers began to see the monetary value in having it done themselves. For many in the NOD, this was an ironic outcome as they could have been best described as being anti-pressing, perhaps vehemently so.

 

This thread appears on its face to be started with the intention of exposing some dark cabal of pressing secret keepers. That's not, in and of itself, a bad thing. There have certainly been threads of a similar ilk here before. But I think the real outcome of this thread is going to be a host of amateurs doing shoddy press jobs based on incomplete information.

 

With due respect to ZaCrew and the informative post he offered, that post is a prime example. He described a humidity bath and neglected to mention putting something on the lid to keep this warm water from condensing and dripping down onto the comic. Whoops. That could be an expensive lesson/oversight.

 

The people who charge money to perform this service for others are able to do so for 2 reasons: 1) They have the skill to press and 2) They will have developed more advanced techniques than what have been described here. They have experience and technical know-how and they're insured.

 

More power to the people who want to discuss it here, but I think the practical effect is going to be many more books damaged by bad pressing. Just ask Hooks about how well his waffle iron learning curve went.

[LarrysComics]

I imagine this will be my only post in this thread as I anticipate Larry will deem my involvement as antagonistic. When I first came to the boards, I was very part of a movement that wanted to discuss what pressing was, how it was done and to have pressing history disclosed when selling. The NOD was an attempt by others to educate the collecting public on pressing and other types of restoration performed on books that might not be disclosed to a buyer. I, and many others who did a far better job, fought long and hard to encourage sellers to disclose pressing and other things to buyers.

 

What was the end result? A far, far greater number of people began pressing books. The education to the buying public translated to the practical effect that many buyers began to see the monetary value in having it done themselves. For many in the NOD, this was an ironic outcome as they could have been best described as being anti-pressing, perhaps vehemently so.

 

This thread appears on its face to be started with the intention of exposing some dark cabal of pressing secret keepers. That's not, in and of itself, a bad thing. There have certainly been threads of a similar ilk here before. But I think the real outcome of this thread is going to be a host of amateurs doing shoddy press jobs based on incomplete information.

 

With due respect to ZaCrew and the informative post he offered, that post is a prime example. He described a humidity bath and neglected to mention putting something on the lid to keep this warm water from condensing and dripping down onto the comic. Whoops. That could be an expensive lesson/oversight.

 

The people who charge money to perform this service for others are able to do so for 2 reasons: 1) They have the skill to press and 2) They will have developed more advanced techniques than what have been described here. They have experience and technical know-how and they're insured.

 

More power to the people who want to discuss it here, but I think the practical effect is going to be many more books damaged by bad pressing. Just ask Hooks about how well his waffle iron learning curve went.

 

I actually started the thread to gather information.

That's all.

 

The anger & vitriol that came my way quite frankly shocked me.

 

I'm delicate.

[ZaCrew]

 

With due respect to ZaCrew and the informative post he offered, that post is a prime example. He described a humidity bath and neglected to mention putting something on the lid to keep this warm water from condensing and dripping down onto the comic. Whoops. That could be an expensive lesson/oversight.

 

 

Considering I typed my post on the fly I think I did pretty good, but this is correct. I did not mention that to alleviate any condensation accumulating on a lid, simply wrap a towel around the lid.

 

The main argument against people in the know sharing information on how to press is always the same. Comics that will be damaged/destroyed. That is why I said people have GOT to practice many times before doing any comics of value.

 

I believe the sharing of information is always a good thing.

 

I had somebody send me a PM tell me I am the Edward Snowden of comics

[erazer]

 

With due respect to ZaCrew and the informative post he offered, that post is a prime example. He described a humidity bath and neglected to mention putting something on the lid to keep this warm water from condensing and dripping down onto the comic. Whoops. That could be an expensive lesson/oversight.

 

 

Considering I typed my post on the fly I think I did pretty good, but this is correct. I did not mention that to alleviate any condensation accumulating on a lid, simply wrap a towel around the lid.

 

The main argument against people in the know sharing information on how to press is always the same. Comics that will be damaged/destroyed. That is why I said people have GOT to practice many times before doing any comics of value.

 

I believe the sharing of information is always a good thing.

 

I had somebody send me a PM tell me I am the Edward Snowden of comics

 

Don't worry. The Modern board will grant you asylum.

[Transplant]

I believe the sharing of information is always a good thing.

 

I had somebody send me a PM tell me I am the Edward Snowden of comics

Edward Snowden, you're not. Take that however you like. These discussions have been had in the past, including some detailed posts about how to press. This is not the first time a humidity chamber has been mentioned.

 

In relaying my history here, I was trying to point that I was once like many of you, a full believer that any information is good information. But, I've realized that is not always true.

 

It's a bad analogy, but imagine a thread talking about the best way to color touch or trim a book. Those aren't illegal activities. But trimming is pretty verboten. Heck, I'm not sure that there was much discussion on the particulars of how Jason Ewert was passing microtrimmed books through CGC. The rationale being that, while there is a value to the information being discussed, it was outweighed by the damage done to the hobby from encouraging others to attempt it by means of knowing how to do it better.

[ItsJustRyan]

Edward Snowden of comics

 

I consider you the Julian Assange

 

]

[Pete Marino]

Edward Snowden of comics

 

I consider you the Julian Assange

 

]

 

Minus the rapey parts of his personality....

[Mike's Rack]

Indeed, a quick search will show that a "Snowden" shows up every year or two to discuss this. One of my first posts was titled "Secret restoration techniques" or something to that effect. I'd done some restoration of regular books and that was what got me first hooked on the boards, I wanted to fix up old comics. I was wondering why the majority of comic restoration techniques were kept secret. I walked into a minefield. I didn't understand at first but after seeing some real hack jobs and seeing things like that guy pressing that Avengers #1 in a hot press for 30 mins, I began to understand the thinking.

[MCMiles]

 

 

What is it everyone is expecting here? Some great revelation?

There is a ton of information out there if you look for it, and it's a skill that most have taught themselves through trial and error. All anyone has to have is a desire, motivation and drive and they can figure it out. I guess I forget, we do live in a time where everyone is entitled and should just have everything handed to them.

 

There are a substantial number of people doing it for themselves and several for profit. Just like any skill, some people probably take to it better than others. I'm certain they all have similar basic techniques, which have literally become common knowledge. I'm also certain over time and with practice some of those people have developed techniques unique to themselves which produce better and more consistent results on a wider range of defects.

 

50% of the people that try it for themselves will have decent results, especially on books that "don't need much". 40% will not have either the patience, dexterity, resourcefulness, artistic flair, or common sense it takes to produce good results. 10% or less will become masters and consistently produce the best results on a wide range of books and defects.

 

I'm not sure what the OP's personal problem is, but someone must have hurt his feelings. He certainly has a chip on his shoulder and is presenting it here as if he is some hero for the working class people standing up to the man. I'm sure many of the people that have developed a mastery of the technique are not necessarily eager to teach anyone and everyone or share that info. Why would they be? It's knowledge, a talent, and a skill that gives one an advantage wether it be a hobby or a business for them.

 

That being said. I doubt very seriously anyone has sent the OP any angry or threatening PMs about this thread, or threat of this video, and how it's going to expose it all. That sounds like a bunch of look at me I'm a victim but I'm standing up to the bully drama.

 

Further, anyone worried about this thread or video, or who would send angry PMs is likely NOT a master at the process. There is a very wide gap between the people that do adequate work and excellent work when it comes to pressing. In any trade or skill, the masters have nothing to fear.

 

[awakeintheashes]

 

I'm not sure what the OP's personal problem is, but someone must have hurt his feelings. He certainly has a chip on his shoulder and is presenting it here as if he is some hero for the working class people standing up to the man.

If you check his posting history, that's his MO. He presents good info, you just need to ignore the intro and follow up.

[Conan_Aficionado]

Edward Snowden of comics

 

I consider you the Julian Assange

 

]

 

The first one is not Julian Assange, it's that cutecumber dude.

[LarrysComics]

 

What is it everyone is expecting here? Some great revelation?

There is a ton of information out there if you look for it, and it's a skill that most have taught themselves through trial and error. All anyone has to have is a desire, motivation and drive and they can figure it out. I guess I forget, we do live in a time where everyone is entitled and should just have everything handed to them.

 

There are a substantial number of people doing it for themselves and several for profit. Just like any skill, some people probably take to it better than others. I'm certain they all have similar basic techniques, which have literally become common knowledge. I'm also certain over time and with practice some of those people have developed techniques unique to themselves which produce better and more consistent results on a wider range of defects.

 

50% of the people that try it for themselves will have decent results, especially on books that "don't need much". 40% will not have either the patience, dexterity, resourcefulness, artistic flair, or common sense it takes to produce good results. 10% or less will become masters and consistently produce the best results on a wide range of books and defects.

 

I'm not sure what the OP's personal problem is, but someone must have hurt his feelings. He certainly has a chip on his shoulder and is presenting it here as if he is some hero for the working class people standing up to the man. I'm sure many of the people that have developed a mastery of the technique are not necessarily eager to teach anyone and everyone or share that info. Why would they be? It's knowledge, a talent, and a skill that gives one an advantage wether it be a hobby or a business for them.

 

That being said. I doubt very seriously anyone has sent the OP any angry or threatening PMs about this thread, or threat of this video, and how it's going to expose it all. That sounds like a bunch of look at me I'm a victim but I'm standing up to the bully drama.

 

Further, anyone worried about this thread or video, or who would send angry PMs is likely NOT a master at the process. There is a very wide gap between the people that do adequate work and excellent work when it comes to pressing. In any trade or skill, the masters have nothing to fear.

 

I'm not sure what the OP's personal problem is,

 

*SHRUG*

 

The original post was do you guys press your own books?

Then the panties bunched...

[Conan_Aficionado]

The technique that I am really interested in is spot pressing.

 

 

[youmechooz]

 

What is it everyone is expecting here? Some great revelation?

There is a ton of information out there if you look for it, and it's a skill that most have taught themselves through trial and error. All anyone has to have is a desire, motivation and drive and they can figure it out. I guess I forget, we do live in a time where everyone is entitled and should just have everything handed to them.

 

There are a substantial number of people doing it for themselves and several for profit. Just like any skill, some people probably take to it better than others. I'm certain they all have similar basic techniques, which have literally become common knowledge. I'm also certain over time and with practice some of those people have developed techniques unique to themselves which produce better and more consistent results on a wider range of defects.

 

50% of the people that try it for themselves will have decent results, especially on books that "don't need much". 40% will not have either the patience, dexterity, resourcefulness, artistic flair, or common sense it takes to produce good results. 10% or less will become masters and consistently produce the best results on a wide range of books and defects.

 

I'm not sure what the OP's personal problem is, but someone must have hurt his feelings. He certainly has a chip on his shoulder and is presenting it here as if he is some hero for the working class people standing up to the man. I'm sure many of the people that have developed a mastery of the technique are not necessarily eager to teach anyone and everyone or share that info. Why would they be? It's knowledge, a talent, and a skill that gives one an advantage wether it be a hobby or a business for them.

 

That being said. I doubt very seriously anyone has sent the OP any angry or threatening PMs about this thread, or threat of this video, and how it's going to expose it all. That sounds like a bunch of look at me I'm a victim but I'm standing up to the bully drama.

 

Further, anyone worried about this thread or video, or who would send angry PMs is likely NOT a master at the process. There is a very wide gap between the people that do adequate work and excellent work when it comes to pressing. In any trade or skill, the masters have nothing to fear.

 

I'm not sure what the OP's personal problem is,

 

*SHRUG*

 

The original post was do you guys press your own books?

Then the panties bunched...

I guess he meant the rest of your posts from the second one on.

[youmechooz]

 

That being said. I doubt very seriously anyone has sent the OP any angry or threatening PMs about this thread, or threat of this video, and how it's going to expose it all. That sounds like a bunch of look at me I'm a victim but I'm standing up to the bully drama.

+1

[Lonzilla]

I appreciate reading some good tips on pressing out minor dings and ticks at home, at the same time I understand those who don't want anyone to know their perfected techniques.

I'm not giving anyone my recipe for pepper hash

[LarrysComics]

Hey Guys,

 

After playing & probing for a couple days, here's where I'm at:

 

My goal is to set up an efficient system in the shop for Pressing modern comics in 9.4 condition to to 9.8 candidates. This primarily will involve removing non color breaking tics & production marks. ( from what I've been told, very press able defects )

 

I respect all of the professionals that offer their services in the hobby & have no intentions at this time to press older material. Perhaps as my craft perfects.

 

I am a professional comic book retailer that purchases a fair amount of new material. To pay a professional to press new books is not always time efficient for me & I want to try doing it myself.

 

If we damage new comics in our endeavors, they will be given away in shop as "readers" to fans.

 

Borrowing a copy of: Preservation and conservation for library's and archives by Jenny Hille.

Been on the phone chatting up peeps all day.

 

I currently have a vertical T-Shirt press.

This is not the most efficient tool for pressing comics, a dry mount photo press is.

 

I'm spending quite a bit of time prepping the book to be pressed.

 

I'm now using a 1/4 thick museum board on the bottom on top of the pad & it acts as a self leveling tool.

 

Using silicone release paper.

 

I'm using a 10-14 pt board (thinner than a backer board) between the front cover and the first page and one between the back cover and last page with silicon release paper. I understand that this adds structure to the spine and helps with staple heat transfer and crushing your staples into the cover

 

Playing w Pressure for varying resistance when the press closes. Practicing using the side of the press so I can view the book to determine the right amount.

 

Pressing 175 degrees for 150 seconds, then letting press cool for 15 minutes before opening.

 

Currently Varying times & temps.

 

I have been told that Moderns-already have a lot of moisture do not need much. I have NOT yet played around with a moisture chamber.

 

Results have been "OK'

Been working on the new Fantastic Four #1 as experiment.

They arrived cased in atrocious condition. Black cover spine ticks.

 

The press clearly helped.

 

 

 

I'll show you mine if you show me yours...