Welcome to the basic Revival Guide.

Card restoration is as much an art as it
is a process. With patience, practice, and respect for the materials, you can
revive damaged cards and extend their life. The Funky Tiger Cards X COATlectibles Revival Kit gives you the safest foundation — but the true
results come from your skill and experience.

Each bend, fold, crease, or dent
behaves differently, but the underlying principle is the same: you are relaxing the fibres in the card stock, then guiding them back into place as the card dries.

The Revival Kit contains the base equipment you’ll need. This guide will teach you a safe, repeatable method for treating minor bends, indents, and surface creases. For deeper indents and creases, more advanced techniques (and a lot of practice) are required. Whitening and ink that is physically missing is not possible to be repaired.

For a more in-depth guide with Tips n Tricks Click Here.

Step One

Prepare Your Workspace

  • Work in a clean, dust-free, and low-humidity environment.
  • Use gloves if possible to avoid fingerprints, oils, or accidental water spots.
  • Lay out your Revival Kit tools
  • Using our product Mirror Coat ensure acrylic plates are clean and dust free.
  • Using the provided Stickers attach one to the outside of each plate to identify the Outside (Clamping side) of each plate. This ensures the inside remains scratch free.

Step Two

Prepare and Inspect the Card

  • Clean your card before applying Card Mist using our Detailing Starter Kit.
  • If this is your first time using the bottle of Card Mist, prime the pump by pumping the top in an open environment until Card Mist comes out evenly.
  • Identify the type of damage (bend, dent or crease).
  • Note the stock type (vintage, modern, Japanese) — this will help you adjust how much mist to apply.
  • Decide if the card is worth attempting.

Step Three

Application of Card Mist

  • Lay out your Foam Pads on Top of the Acrylic Plates.
  • Hold the mist bottle 20–30 cm away from the Foam Pad.
  • For Vintage/Modern cards, apply Two - Four fine sprays into the air above the Foam Pad, letting the mist settle naturally.
  • For Japanese/Glossy cards, apply One - Two fine sprays into the air above the Foam Pad, letting the mist settle naturally.
  • Do not spray the card directly

Step Four

Rest and Absorb

  • 'Sandwich' the card between Foam Pads and Acrylic Plates.
  • Let the card rest for 30–60 seconds to allow moisture to evenly distribute.

Step Five

Pressing

  • Place the four Clamps evenly around the edge of the 'Sandwich' across the top, bottom, left and right of the card.
  • Apply even pressure — uneven pressing may create new bends.
  • Leave it pressed for at least 6–12 hours.
  • When removing from the card, give it a wipe with a Microfiber to remove excess residue.
  • At this point, the card should be cool to the touch and malleable signifying moisture is engrossed in the card stock. The card is now considered workable*.

*For
advice and guidance on how to work on your card using our tools, please refer
to our Youtube channel, our Discord Community page or reach out to us directly via
Instagram. @FunkyTigerCards or @COATlectibles.

Step Six

Drying and Evaporation

  • Following pressing or working the card, you must let the card dry naturally in a stable, warm and low humidity environment by either:

  • Clamping
    between Foam Pads and the Acrylic Plates.

or

  • Clamping
    between 2 Penny Sleeves and the
    Acrylic Plates    .

  • Avoid direct heat (hairdryers, heaters) — this can warp lamination, slow and steady wins this race.
  • As moisture evaporates, the fibres contract, often lifting minor creases and indents on their own.
  • Allow up to 48 hours for the card to completely dry. But check every 12 hours.

Step Seven

Re-Evaluate

  • Inspect the card under a bright light.
  • Small bends and dents should appear reduced or gone.
  • Surface creases may still be faintly visible but noticeably improved.

If needed, repeat the process — but if the
card doesn’t improve after 2–3 cycles STOP! Overworking the card increases risk of permanent damage.