The products I use to clean and press are listed on my website at improvecollecting.com/recommended-comic-book-collecting-supplies/ Be sure to sign up for my newsletter while you are there! I am developing tools to make collecting better and will be announcing it to my email subscribers in the future.
If you don't have access to chamfered edge board you can also accomplish this with three pieces of plain copy paper. I put one page under cover and then one under the next two pages. Great video!
I told you you'd love those chamfered boards from Immaculate comics! Use them all the time. They work great under the covers in the press machine at a lighter press setting to take out a ton of tics and really smooth the spine. Careful with old books with weak spines or staples though. And do a bit of humidity prior. Low heat too. Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
This is great work, especially one-handed! thanks for the shout-out. I really like your tacking iron holder too, great idea. I use a potentiostat to control the temp of my tacking iron, just FYI. thanks again!
Always more than one way to skin a cat when pressing. Been pressing for 7+ years now...and im always looking for new techniques. Hear many pressers use back boards for isolating the spine and other parts of a book when pressing....and I've never had any luck. I use SRP exclusively for the whole book. Just works great for me. Awesome content and may have to try some of your techniques. Take care.
@@carlonbasscomix3387 yep. I utilize 12 to 14 SRP sheets for the centerfold. Depends on how the staples look- flat to curved makes a difference in how much SRP I will use.
The simplest definition is that restoration adds something to the book: Color, Paper, etc. Renewal/repair/pressing only removes defects that have accumulated, making the book return to what it was before the defects were added.
Great video once again. Im really enjoying your channel. I cant seems to part with the books once i start working on them lol smh ireally got to over come this or im going to be over run with low grade keys lol 😆 😅 😂 🙃 🤣 🤧 cheers.
Thanks for the video! I have now pressed a few books with my new press. So far so good! I've made my crappy practice books look almost respectable. I definitely need to add this technique to my repertoire though. It's unfortunate I cannot seem to find one of these tack irons to order. Keep up the great work!
It seems they are sold out everywhere, but I did find this one that might work: I found this one that might work.. amzn.to/3VTaCRQ I might buy a few different models and test them sometime
Here are the specifications of my tack iron: www.horizonhobby.com/product/protrim-sealing-tool/HAN145.html I use the low setting, which ranges from 186 f to 215 f. I find that if the iron heats up and sits around for a bit without use, it gets a bit too hot. So, I make sure that I press it against a wet towel right before use to cool it down slightly before putting it on a book. Otherwise, it can make the surface appear hazy.. from heat damage. Ouch. My gut says that about 160ish is the ideal temp, but further testing is needed. I really want a tack iron that lets you pick an exact heat.
Is there another iron you recommend? The Hanger 9 pro trim sealing iron hasn't been available for months. I am guessing the company went under? The only sites that seem to have it are highly suspect.
I am currently trying to find an alternative. I did a ton of looking but can't seem to find anything with the right temperature. It's really frustrating. I'm going to try and figure out who makes the Hangar 9 and reach out to them
Thin gouges are tough.. like when someone writes on a piece of paper with a comic underneath. Those fine lines gouges into the paper are extremely hard to get out (sometimes impossible)
I love your videos as they are very informative on cleaning and pressing. For modern books that have light spine tics that do not break color, I know that light moisture can mess with the inks before you use the SRP paper and tac. Do you have any suggestions? Also, do you have any videos where you show the best way to remove a crease off of a book that was in a polybag? Those seem to be quite a learning curve for me. Thanks again!
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, moisture can be tricky with newer books. I spot-add moisture (hotshot?) to the defect. I also use very very light pressure and to repair ticks. Luckily, ultra-modern books are veyr easy to fix, normally. Oh, I don't really do this on dark/black spines. It can cause a weird haziness.. I just build up the spine a bit (2-3 sheets of copy paper or 1 sheet of 60 cardstock), spot add a tiny bit of light moisture to the ticks, and hope the press removes them. As for poly creases, I am actually doing a video showing my process. I took some out of a few Spider-Man 1 copies last year and am going to be featuring several Ghost Rider 28's this year. What I basically do is lightly apply distilled water along the crease down the entire middle of the book (with a makeup pad) right before putting it in the press... both inside and outside the cover. Make sure there is no excess moisture on the cover. Then, I leave it in the press for a few hours, check to see if the crease is gone. If it isn't, I repeat the process. If it is gone, I put the book back in for the final press and leave it 24 hours minimum. I hope this helps!
excellent video and good information. the tack iron you link on your website is out of stock and backordered most places. do you know of a comparable product?
I found this one that might work.. amzn.to/3VTaCRQ I will look into contacting whoever makes the hangar 9 models and see if I can get a deal on them for my audience
Quick question, is there any reversion after you iron? Basically I have about 3 or 4 books I want to clean up and only a 1 book press. So I would like to tack iron the books at the same time when I have the time and then press one. My worry is that the ticks may start to go back before I can press. Thanks. Great info!
Sometimes I notice a tick coming back slightly after a press and sitting in the cold press for a few days. I give them a second round and then wait a week or so to see if there's anymore reversion. It is a rare occurrence, though. If the ticks are especially severe, I will leave the chamfered board under the cover for a couple of hours to let it completely cool. This seems to really help stop reversion
Are you (or anyone reading) familiar with the Clover Mini Iron II? I couldn't find the Hangar anywhere online so I got this Clover. Seems to offer the same thing. This version has 4 or 5 interchangeable ends of different shapes and sizes, so that seems useful. I'm curious about the heat though. I looked in Kaptain Myke's CPR book and cannot find any recommended heat settings for using a tack iron. I looked in every related area in the book and cannot find it. This one has three settings for heat (Low = 220f, Mid = 390f, & High = 560f). Any thoughts on how this compares to your preferred heat setting? Had some success earlier on a very tan late bronze age book, although I did put two holes in the spine! Lol. I see that you have to really regulate the heat and give some heat relief on the spine as you go, almost like a "stick and move" type method. Thanks for any insight on this! Cheers. 👋
I did find his recommended heat settings for the iron he uses, and it is comparable to the low settings of the Hangar iron. I plan to do an extensive video on this topic, where I test several different irons and recommend heat settings accordingly. I will dive in sometime in 2023. By the way, the Hangar box gives the settings, but it's kind of hard to find. I think these are the settings to his iron: www.stevensaero.com/download/pdf/HAN101.pdf He uses a 2 and 3 setting in his videos, so 234F and 280F respectively. Mine only has 2 settings, high and low. I only use low.. which is about 215F max. My gut says anything between 200 and 250 is optimal.. but am not 100% sure yet.
I find that pressing really doesn't get spine ticks out that well, although it can clean them up. My opinion is to fix the ticks right before putting it in the press, and the press can help solidify the repair. Not sure if it actually helps, but that's my process
Hey thanks for the tip👍🏽 I have a few questions if you don’t mind: Is there anyplace to purchase a tack iron beside online, like Home Depot? And second: I have a Cable first issue collectors edition. My spine tics are pretty bad in the back, I’m going to try this method. But what I’m really worried about is pressing the book. Because idk if you have the same issue of Cable, but parts of his name and other parts on the cover have that detail where it kinda bulges up, you know what I mean?? Anyways, I afraid to try and press it due to damaging that detail, any thoughts? Thank you for any feed back you might have!
@immaculatecomics has an iron for sale now- immaculatecomics.com/shop/tacking-iron-for-spine-ticks/ I haven't had a chance to test it, I ordered one that should be here by end of week. I am not sure about the Cable book, I haven't worked on that particular comic. Is the writing raised on the book? If so, it probably can't be pressed.. but the spine could still be carefully worked with the iron. Hopefully I'll own that book at some point and can test on it.
Here are the specifications of my tack iron: www.horizonhobby.com/product/protrim-sealing-tool/HAN145.html I use the low setting, which ranges from 186 c to 215 c.
@@ImproveCollectingComics Jim, in the video it looks like you have your tack iron shoe fully inserted into the handle. Per the Hanger9 instruction sheet, if you pull out the shoe by about 1 cm (to the engraved line on the shoe shaft) it'll reduce the shoe temp by about 30*F, to 186*F. Still well above the 130-140*F that Rick Morgan recommends, but still more manageable.
Enjoy watching your process and hearing the play-by-play. However, in this video, it was hard for me to see the after, as your camera was out of focus for the area you fixed… plus the glare from your worklight. This is where your before & after still images are very helpful. 👍
The products I use to clean and press are listed on my website at improvecollecting.com/recommended-comic-book-collecting-supplies/
Be sure to sign up for my newsletter while you are there! I am developing tools to make collecting better and will be announcing it to my email subscribers in the future.
If you don't have access to chamfered edge board you can also accomplish this with three pieces of plain copy paper. I put one page under cover and then one under the next two pages. Great video!
Much appreciated, thanks for the tip!
Like the tac iron holder on side of table!
Thanks! Here is the Amazon link to it: amzn.to/3WldH0q
I need to add it to my website
I told you you'd love those chamfered boards from Immaculate comics! Use them all the time. They work great under the covers in the press machine at a lighter press setting to take out a ton of tics and really smooth the spine. Careful with old books with weak spines or staples though. And do a bit of humidity prior. Low heat too. Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
I haven't pressed with them yet, but plan to try it. Thanks for the tips!
That fold in the middle is killing me! Haha
Great video. Thanks for adding you equipment/supply list.
This is great work, especially one-handed! thanks for the shout-out. I really like your tacking iron holder too, great idea. I use a potentiostat to control the temp of my tacking iron, just FYI. thanks again!
No problem, thanks for the comment! Love your channel, learned so much from you. I will look into the heat control, never heard of that one.
Great video as always. Thank you for information. You are correct when you state the book is good but so is a video tutorial.
Always more than one way to skin a cat when pressing. Been pressing for 7+ years now...and im always looking for new techniques. Hear many pressers use back boards for isolating the spine and other parts of a book when pressing....and I've never had any luck. I use SRP exclusively for the whole book. Just works great for me. Awesome content and may have to try some of your techniques. Take care.
So you only put only SRP paper inside the centerfold and inside the covers when you press? Curious as I haven't seen this before. Thanks.
@@carlonbasscomix3387 yep. I utilize 12 to 14 SRP sheets for the centerfold. Depends on how the staples look- flat to curved makes a difference in how much SRP I will use.
@@chadnelson1150 I see. Will have to try it! Thanks for the reply.
Thanks for the tutorial, this was very helpful for beginners like me.
No problem! GL in the hobby!
Thank you for doing this video, really helps.
Great, thanks for letting me know!
Thanks. good to see captain mike’s technique in action
So glad he took the time to put his info out there, saved me a ton of headaches!
Great video, very helpful!
Love the content as a comic book fan and very helpful guides you've put out for the average Joe. Throwing you a huge SUB!!!
Cool thanks!
Now in days I'm starting to look at pressing as restoration
The simplest definition is that restoration adds something to the book: Color, Paper, etc. Renewal/repair/pressing only removes defects that have accumulated, making the book return to what it was before the defects were added.
Amazing job
Great video once again. Im really enjoying your channel. I cant seems to part with the books once i start working on them lol smh ireally got to over come this or im going to be over run with low grade keys lol 😆 😅 😂 🙃 🤣 🤧 cheers.
Understand completely!
Don't spine ticks transfer to the inner pages also? Ergo they'll return eventually? They typically occur when the book has been bent.
Sometimes yes, if that's the case I repair the inner pages as well
Thanks for the video! I have now pressed a few books with my new press. So far so good! I've made my crappy practice books look almost respectable. I definitely need to add this technique to my repertoire though. It's unfortunate I cannot seem to find one of these tack irons to order. Keep up the great work!
Check his website. I believe it sends you to ebay
It seems they are sold out everywhere, but I did find this one that might work: I found this one that might work.. amzn.to/3VTaCRQ
I might buy a few different models and test them sometime
How hot should the heat temp be? Great video btw!
Here are the specifications of my tack iron: www.horizonhobby.com/product/protrim-sealing-tool/HAN145.html
I use the low setting, which ranges from 186 f to 215 f.
I find that if the iron heats up and sits around for a bit without use, it gets a bit too hot. So, I make sure that I press it against a wet towel right before use to cool it down slightly before putting it on a book. Otherwise, it can make the surface appear hazy.. from heat damage. Ouch. My gut says that about 160ish is the ideal temp, but further testing is needed. I really want a tack iron that lets you pick an exact heat.
Thank you for the info and link. Probably would be good to have a infrared thermometer gun to see what temp it reads.
Is there another iron you recommend? The Hanger 9 pro trim sealing iron hasn't been available for months. I am guessing the company went under? The only sites that seem to have it are highly suspect.
I am currently trying to find an alternative. I did a ton of looking but can't seem to find anything with the right temperature. It's really frustrating. I'm going to try and figure out who makes the Hangar 9 and reach out to them
What do you feel the hardest correction/repair without restoration to make on comics is?
Thin gouges are tough.. like when someone writes on a piece of paper with a comic underneath. Those fine lines gouges into the paper are extremely hard to get out (sometimes impossible)
Awesome video as always! Have you ever tried to do this process on a foil covered comic? Like a venom lethal protector #1
I haven't yet, but need to try that sometime.. I think KaptainMyke has guidelines for that. I'm sure that book will eventually cross my desk
Also was curious what the specific purpose of the metal plates you have your website, Thanks!
It's for the press machine. See KaptainMyke's book, website, or channel @kaptainmyke ... he explains it very well
How about removing ink and water stains?
KaptainMyke does cover that in his book. I will likely do videos on that topic, once I get better at the process
I love your videos as they are very informative on cleaning and pressing. For modern books that have light spine tics that do not break color, I know that light moisture can mess with the inks before you use the SRP paper and tac. Do you have any suggestions? Also, do you have any videos where you show the best way to remove a crease off of a book that was in a polybag? Those seem to be quite a learning curve for me. Thanks again!
Thanks for the kind words!
Yes, moisture can be tricky with newer books. I spot-add moisture (hotshot?) to the defect. I also use very very light pressure and to repair ticks. Luckily, ultra-modern books are veyr easy to fix, normally. Oh, I don't really do this on dark/black spines. It can cause a weird haziness.. I just build up the spine a bit (2-3 sheets of copy paper or 1 sheet of 60 cardstock), spot add a tiny bit of light moisture to the ticks, and hope the press removes them.
As for poly creases, I am actually doing a video showing my process. I took some out of a few Spider-Man 1 copies last year and am going to be featuring several Ghost Rider 28's this year. What I basically do is lightly apply distilled water along the crease down the entire middle of the book (with a makeup pad) right before putting it in the press... both inside and outside the cover. Make sure there is no excess moisture on the cover. Then, I leave it in the press for a few hours, check to see if the crease is gone. If it isn't, I repeat the process. If it is gone, I put the book back in for the final press and leave it 24 hours minimum.
I hope this helps!
excellent video and good information. the tack iron you link on your website is out of stock and backordered most places. do you know of a comparable product?
I think any of the hangar 9 models would work, I just prefer the one with the smaller head
I found this one that might work.. amzn.to/3VTaCRQ
I will look into contacting whoever makes the hangar 9 models and see if I can get a deal on them for my audience
Quick question, is there any reversion after you iron? Basically I have about 3 or 4 books I want to clean up and only a 1 book press. So I would like to tack iron the books at the same time when I have the time and then press one. My worry is that the ticks may start to go back before I can press. Thanks. Great info!
Sometimes I notice a tick coming back slightly after a press and sitting in the cold press for a few days. I give them a second round and then wait a week or so to see if there's anymore reversion. It is a rare occurrence, though. If the ticks are especially severe, I will leave the chamfered board under the cover for a couple of hours to let it completely cool. This seems to really help stop reversion
Are you (or anyone reading) familiar with the Clover Mini Iron II? I couldn't find the Hangar anywhere online so I got this Clover. Seems to offer the same thing. This version has 4 or 5 interchangeable ends of different shapes and sizes, so that seems useful. I'm curious about the heat though. I looked in Kaptain Myke's CPR book and cannot find any recommended heat settings for using a tack iron. I looked in every related area in the book and cannot find it. This one has three settings for heat (Low = 220f, Mid = 390f, & High = 560f). Any thoughts on how this compares to your preferred heat setting?
Had some success earlier on a very tan late bronze age book, although I did put two holes in the spine! Lol. I see that you have to really regulate the heat and give some heat relief on the spine as you go, almost like a "stick and move" type method.
Thanks for any insight on this! Cheers. 👋
I did find his recommended heat settings for the iron he uses, and it is comparable to the low settings of the Hangar iron. I plan to do an extensive video on this topic, where I test several different irons and recommend heat settings accordingly. I will dive in sometime in 2023.
By the way, the Hangar box gives the settings, but it's kind of hard to find. I think these are the settings to his iron: www.stevensaero.com/download/pdf/HAN101.pdf
He uses a 2 and 3 setting in his videos, so 234F and 280F respectively. Mine only has 2 settings, high and low. I only use low.. which is about 215F max. My gut says anything between 200 and 250 is optimal.. but am not 100% sure yet.
Oh, here are the settings for my iron: www.horizonhobby.com/product/protrim-sealing-tool/HAN145.html
@@ImproveCollectingComics Thanks so much for this info. This will be very helpful! 👋
is there a specific reason why you have to use a tac iron for spine tics that the normal pressing wont get out?
I find that pressing really doesn't get spine ticks out that well, although it can clean them up. My opinion is to fix the ticks right before putting it in the press, and the press can help solidify the repair. Not sure if it actually helps, but that's my process
Hey thanks for the tip👍🏽 I have a few questions if you don’t mind:
Is there anyplace to purchase a tack iron beside online, like Home Depot?
And second: I have a Cable first issue collectors edition. My spine tics are pretty bad in the back, I’m going to try this method. But what I’m really worried about is pressing the book. Because idk if you have the same issue of Cable, but parts of his name and other parts on the cover have that detail where it kinda bulges up, you know what I mean??
Anyways, I afraid to try and press it due to damaging that detail, any thoughts? Thank you for any feed back you might have!
@immaculatecomics has an iron for sale now- immaculatecomics.com/shop/tacking-iron-for-spine-ticks/
I haven't had a chance to test it, I ordered one that should be here by end of week.
I am not sure about the Cable book, I haven't worked on that particular comic. Is the writing raised on the book? If so, it probably can't be pressed.. but the spine could still be carefully worked with the iron. Hopefully I'll own that book at some point and can test on it.
I have a digital tack iron. What temp should I put it around to make sure it isn't too hot. Think it is between 212- 400
Here are the specifications of my tack iron: www.horizonhobby.com/product/protrim-sealing-tool/HAN145.html
I use the low setting, which ranges from 186 c to 215 c.
@@ImproveCollectingComics thank you. I usually have my set to 213. It's the more wider tack iron that looks like a mini iron
Do you use the low temp on the flat iron when removing spine tic?
Yes, and I do talk about that in the video.. sometimes it gets a bit too hot even on that setting
@@ImproveCollectingComics Jim, in the video it looks like you have your tack iron shoe fully inserted into the handle. Per the Hanger9 instruction sheet, if you pull out the shoe by about 1 cm (to the engraved line on the shoe shaft) it'll reduce the shoe temp by about 30*F, to 186*F. Still well above the 130-140*F that Rick Morgan recommends, but still more manageable.
Enjoy watching your process and hearing the play-by-play. However, in this video, it was hard for me to see the after, as your camera was out of focus for the area you fixed… plus the glare from your worklight. This is where your before & after still images are very helpful. 👍
Finally finding time to go through comments (I read them all but I'm slow). I need to be better about my photos, sorry about that!