Page: Guide.PlastifyPage8 - Last Modified : Sat, 20 Feb 10 - 5249 Visits

The concept of sealing card sleeves is for when the cards of the games are smaller than the sleeves. It seems to become much less useful since they are now starting to sell sleeves of various size but still, the euro size sleeves are still hard to get right now and they are always sold out. So the the solution is to seal sleeves. Another interesting thing about this technique is that it is reversible. Which mean that you could cut the sleeve and get back the original card if you want. Here is what you need.

• Plastic bag sealer
• Books to level with the sealer
• Sleeves
• Needle

Now about plastic sealer, I have used at least 2 different model so far and there are various factors to consider. First get a sealer which only has 1 thread. I got a cheap sealer once that had 2 thread and I needed to isolate the 2nd thread else it made ripples. See in the instruction manual if there is a delay between each cut. I think I burn one of my sealer because I did not respect the 2 minute delay they asked. A way to make sure you spend time between the cuts is to do other things. For example, sleeving and placing the cards between each cut can give you some time for the sealer to rest. I also had this situation where it did not cut precisely, the plastic was rippling. I partially solved the problem by adding padding under the rubber band to have more pressure when sealing. So make some tests and see if some adjustments are required.

1. Setup you Sealer: You need to arrange a work surface so that you can lay out cards in front of your sealer without holding them. I generally do this by using a stack of books which will arrive flush with the sealer.
2. Sleeve the cards: Place your cards in sleeves and push the cards always on the same side so that at the end of the process all the cuts will have been made on the same side. I have not tried many kinds of plastic sleeve, I use cheap translucent sleeve. You can still buy quality sleeves, but the most important is to make sure that it can be cut. Make some test before doing the real thing.
3. Place the cards on the sealer: Always start with the side of the card to make sure that there is no air that gets trapped in the card yet. Leave approximately 1 milliliter between the card and the thread. The card will probably move inside the sleeve when you will seal it. Lay out the cards to cover the thread as much possible. The more cards you seal at the same time, the less cut will be required.
4. Seal the cards: When everything is ready, seal the cards. You should seal for approximately 10-15 seconds. The sealer will work for 6-8 seconds. Then wait another 5 seconds to let it cool down and then open the lid. If you open too soon, the plastic might be still hot and tear up.
5. Remove the cards: Remove the leftover plastic and remove the card. If the card is stuck to the thread use your nails to separate the card from the thread. Repeat this process with all your cards.
6. Seal the top: When all the card's side are done, you need to do the top. Place the cards on the sealer like you did before. You might be able to place more cards this time. Then seal the cards.
7. Punch a hole in the card: Now a small portion of air will get trapped in the card. It might not be easy to see, but when you will have a stack of cards, your cards might not hold well because of the air inside the cards. So the solution is to punch a hole with a needle in the corner of the card to make sure the air can go out.
8. Make the air go out: When all the cards have been punched, you can press you stack of cards together to make the air go out. I start with the side that does not have any hole. By doing so all the air will go on the other side. Then I progressively press the cards toward the side with the holes to force the air to go out. I repeat the process until all the air seems gone. It should make the deck of cards hold still more easily.

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