Great advice -thank you so much for this posting. I have been pressing my books at about 165 and it was too hot! I was having sticking issues so I'm going to try my Avengers #1 at 135 for 20 minutes and then let it cool for 2 hours as per your instructions. I've got my fingers crossed
@@hobbyhero6973I pressed the comic with a full torque at 140° cooking time at 20 minutes and 1 hour cool down time then I repeated it the wrinkling was minimal and it had more of a warping problem -the book came back from cgc as a 7.0. pressing comic books at a lower temperature is a good idea. Again thank you for your advice
Great video, very good info! I really like the tip about there not being a one size fits all strategy. In my opinion, the planning stage is the most important part of pressing. I like to make a unique plan for every book and list the planned steps on a sticky note... then, just check it off as I go. Of course, sometimes you run into unforeseen issues, but with experience.. that seems to be happening less and less
Thru experimentation and a little ingenuity, I have been able to come to a point where I can press any comic without leaving that board crease/warp line from using a board to prevent staple dimples. It works like a charm and took me less than a few days to figure out. In addition, it has nothing to do with chamfering the board that prevents the staple dimples during the press.
Good stuff. I've run into all these issues! Seems like you and I started around the same time and have travelled similar paths in our cleaning and pressing! Remember absorbine putty and trying to clean with it lol? I love the sponge though it works great! Keep up the great work!
When it comes to cold pressing my opinion on how long to leave the book in the press depends on how much humidity you introduced to the book. Just my 2cents
I’ve played around with it quite a bit (mostly because I’m extremely impatient and want to see results) and I’ve never really noticed any significant recurring reversion. It’s definitely more by feel at this point.
I cooked a modern book by accident. Quite a valuable one too. I’m very angry at myself. So the pages did come apart. But they are ruined. The cover is perfect. What kind of grade would that come out as do you think? Thanks for the video! Much appreciated
Sorry to hear that. Hard to say for certain. They don’t put much emphasis on interior pages when it comes to the grade and there is always the fact they may not even pay enough attention and miss the defect entirely. If you do send it keep me posted on the results
Thanks for posting this info. I'm not new to comics but I am fairly new to dry cleaning and I've yet to buy a press (Christmas is coming!). I do use cotton pads and the absorene sponge but I've yet to decide what type of eraser to use on white areas. The first book I tried anything on was a beat up daredevil book, not a grail by any means and it has a taped spine. It was filthy and at first, I used the Mr. Clean sponge. While it worked great on the DD books back cover, overall I found it to be far too abrasive as it did rub off color. I won't use it any longer because of that. My Wife has a steamer for her clothes and my thought was to use that to humidify book before pressing. Still, I need to decide what press to get though I lean to the 15 X 15 size digital presses I've seen, just not sure which brand, if it makes a difference. I am intrigued by your use of hydrogen peroxide for dust shadows and in general for whitening back covers. Spray bottles are easy to find at .99 cent stores. I've got plenty of print paper and backing boards but not magazine size. I was also taken by your thought about SRP and teflon sheets. I may not even try them at all. I did want to hear about press weight and temperature and you did enhance my understanding of that part of the process. Sorry for the long rant. You're the first poster I've seen to go into any depth and I, for one, appreciate every word. Now, I've gotta get myself a press as I have a number of test books that range from needing a simple press and others that need a good C&P. As for my extensive collection of Silver age Marvels, I likely would send many of those out to professional people instead of risking my amateur hand on them. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge on this process.
@@hobbyhero6973 Thanks and I'll keep you in mind. BTW, perhaps you would post a tutorial on removing tape residue? I'd like to send you a couple of pics of what I am looking to deal with. Best.
I probably have the most ghetto pressing setup possible. I use two 1/4" stainless steel plates that I heat up in my toaster oven. Steam the cover with a clothing steamer. Teflon sheets between the plates, and then I set two 45 lb dumbbells on top to press. 🤣🤣
Of course you need pressure to flatten a wrinkled comic! Try putting the same heat and humidity on a book WITHOUT a press. It will not get flat, in fact it will deform more. As a scientist, your generalizations make me cringe.
May be taking it a bit too literal. The pressure needed is literally just required to keep the page in place meaning that more pressure is not going to help and could potentially even damage the book.
I mean I’ve been pressing for a few years now and pressed a fair number of books in that time. In my experience SRP offers marginal upside to copy paper as a buffer. As for using cheap SRP I actually use the SRP you recommend in your Facebook group so I would hope that isn’t the issue. I will reiterate that I never claim that SRP doesn’t work just that copy paper works fine and is more forgiving.
@@hobbyhero6973 copy paper will lift ink. High quality Srp will not shrivel or scallop. Cheap stuff works and is meant for one time use. I would not recommend using copy/ink jet paper. One other thing that can happen with regular old paper is that anything such as tape, debris, glue that is unnoticed etc will stick to the paper and or pull away from the book.
@@matthewchristein3556 I do mention that there are some trade offs with the copy paper as well and mention the color lift specifically. Residue would be another if it was missed with a dry clean as well.
Who’s run into any of these issues?
Great info! I bought a press forever ago but don't think I'll ever get around to learning how to use it.
Well if ever need any pointers you know where to find me
Great advice -thank you so much for this posting. I have been pressing my books at about 165 and it was too hot! I was having sticking issues so I'm going to try my Avengers #1 at 135 for 20 minutes and then let it cool for 2 hours as per your instructions. I've got my fingers crossed
Keep me posted!
@@hobbyhero6973I pressed the comic with a full torque at 140° cooking time at 20 minutes and 1 hour cool down time then I repeated it the wrinkling was minimal and it had more of a warping problem -the book came back from cgc as a 7.0. pressing comic books at a lower temperature is a good idea. Again thank you for your advice
Great video, very good info! I really like the tip about there not being a one size fits all strategy. In my opinion, the planning stage is the most important part of pressing. I like to make a unique plan for every book and list the planned steps on a sticky note... then, just check it off as I go. Of course, sometimes you run into unforeseen issues, but with experience.. that seems to be happening less and less
Appreciate it! So often see people talk in finites and it really is a little different each time.
Thru experimentation and a little ingenuity, I have been able to come to a point where I can press any comic without leaving that board crease/warp line from using a board to prevent staple dimples. It works like a charm and took me less than a few days to figure out. In addition, it has nothing to do with chamfering the board that prevents the staple dimples during the press.
That’s what it’s all about. Learn the theory and then put into practice and make your own adjustments along the way.
Great points, I messed up early on and used wax paper as my buffer - long story short I turned a 9.6 into a 4.0😊
I feel you. I turned a PC book into a practice book right out of the gate.
Good stuff. I've run into all these issues! Seems like you and I started around the same time and have travelled similar paths in our cleaning and pressing! Remember absorbine putty and trying to clean with it lol? I love the sponge though it works great! Keep up the great work!
Yeah I still use it rarely. But far less than I started out using it.
Hi, what are the specs on the metal plate for your heat press and where to pick up? If you have a link, that would be helpful. Thanks
Shoot me a message on FB or IG and I can send you the link
Great video! I have been guilty of using too much pressure and having the staples sink in.
You are not the only one for sure
Yep. Me too.
When it comes to cold pressing my opinion on how long to leave the book in the press depends on how much humidity you introduced to the book.
Just my 2cents
I’ve played around with it quite a bit (mostly because I’m extremely impatient and want to see results) and I’ve never really noticed any significant recurring reversion. It’s definitely more by feel at this point.
I cooked a modern book by accident. Quite a valuable one too. I’m very angry at myself. So the pages did come apart. But they are ruined. The cover is perfect. What kind of grade would that come out as do you think?
Thanks for the video! Much appreciated
Sorry to hear that. Hard to say for certain. They don’t put much emphasis on interior pages when it comes to the grade and there is always the fact they may not even pay enough attention and miss the defect entirely. If you do send it keep me posted on the results
Thanks for posting this info. I'm not new to comics but I am fairly new to dry cleaning and I've yet to buy a press (Christmas is coming!). I do use cotton pads and the absorene sponge but I've yet to decide what type of eraser to use on white areas. The first book I tried anything on was a beat up daredevil book, not a grail by any means and it has a taped spine. It was filthy and at first, I used the Mr. Clean sponge. While it worked great on the DD books back cover, overall I found it to be far too abrasive as it did rub off color. I won't use it any longer because of that. My Wife has a steamer for her clothes and my thought was to use that to humidify book before pressing. Still, I need to decide what press to get though I lean to the 15 X 15 size digital presses I've seen, just not sure which brand, if it makes a difference.
I am intrigued by your use of hydrogen peroxide for dust shadows and in general for whitening back covers. Spray bottles are easy to find at .99 cent stores. I've got plenty of print paper and backing boards but not magazine size. I was also taken by your thought about SRP and teflon sheets. I may not even try them at all. I did want to hear about press weight and temperature and you did enhance my understanding of that part of the process. Sorry for the long rant. You're the first poster I've seen to go into any depth and I, for one, appreciate every word. Now, I've gotta get myself a press as I have a number of test books that range from needing a simple press and others that need a good C&P. As for my extensive collection of Silver age Marvels, I likely would send many of those out to professional people instead of risking my amateur hand on them. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge on this process.
There is certainly a lot to learn when starting out but you will get there with practice. If you run into issues you know where to find me!
@@hobbyhero6973 Thanks and I'll keep you in mind. BTW, perhaps you would post a tutorial on removing tape residue? I'd like to send you a couple of pics of what I am looking to deal with. Best.
@@Joeh1154 it is on the list of videos to make
Great video. Lots of good info. Thx.
Thanks! Try to save others from making the same mistakes.
Also do you humidify every book you press?
Not every book but most of them get some form of humidity
Awesome! Thank you for that.
My pleasure 😇
Have you ever used parchment paper instead of srp paper? It seems easier to get and cheaper
No, I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard from people I trust that it does work as well as SRP
You don't get any "canvasing" from copy paper? I thought copy paper had more pores than SRP paper
I have not. I have only ever seen or heard of canvassing from use of Teflon sheets
Teflon or wax paper causes canvassing
From what I have seen in terms of heat, once you get to about 185 degrees f you will run the risk of pulling off ink from books.
It can. Heat, humidity and type of ink can all be factors on transfer of ink
Does anyone know how to remove fingerprints off on a foil comic?
Light buffing can help. If they are in the ink there isn’t much you can do.
Have not seen canvassing with Teflon after hundreds of books - Srp is a mess - like the copy paper idea
I’ve always avoided teflon from the beginning personally but have seen several others who have had it happen to them.
Also no two presses are the same even if they are identical
Correct, have to learn your individual press. I have four and I definitely have favorites.
Staples pressed so that they are wayyy off
Sunken staples are the worst. Tricky fix too
I probably have the most ghetto pressing setup possible. I use two 1/4" stainless steel plates that I heat up in my toaster oven. Steam the cover with a clothing steamer. Teflon sheets between the plates, and then I set two 45 lb dumbbells on top to press. 🤣🤣
Lol I have to imagine it’s up there 😂
Now that's gotta be a huge toaster. Hopefully, the results have been good.
@@Joeh1154 It's a toaster oven. The Steel plates are about 10" x 12". I've gotten pretty good with it with some practice 👍👍
@@ramfat I need to see a video
@@hobbyhero6973 If you go to my channel, I have one video for Batman 368 👍👍
Of course you need pressure to flatten a wrinkled comic! Try putting the same heat and humidity on a book WITHOUT a press. It will not get flat, in fact it will deform more. As a scientist, your generalizations make me cringe.
May be taking it a bit too literal. The pressure needed is literally just required to keep the page in place meaning that more pressure is not going to help and could potentially even damage the book.
Everyone is a pro nowadays...🙄
Use quality SRP folks. Cheap paper ripples, not the goof stuff.
I mean I’ve been pressing for a few years now and pressed a fair number of books in that time. In my experience SRP offers marginal upside to copy paper as a buffer. As for using cheap SRP I actually use the SRP you recommend in your Facebook group so I would hope that isn’t the issue. I will reiterate that I never claim that SRP doesn’t work just that copy paper works fine and is more forgiving.
@@hobbyhero6973 copy paper will lift ink. High quality Srp will not shrivel or scallop. Cheap stuff works and is meant for one time use. I would not recommend using copy/ink jet paper. One other thing that can happen with regular old paper is that anything such as tape, debris, glue that is unnoticed etc will stick to the paper and or pull away from the book.
@@matthewchristein3556 I do mention that there are some trade offs with the copy paper as well and mention the color lift specifically. Residue would be another if it was missed with a dry clean as well.
You can use parchment paper instead of srp
I’ve been pressing since 06 and no prob
@@pkeel7576 not used it personally but sounds like it’s working for you