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Hi, new contributor here! I've scanned an issue of Total PC Gaming, a title that's in the database but that Retromags doesn't yet have scans of. I tried to follow the guides... could I ask for feedback on the scan please? https://limewire.com/d/ZxN3T#nnaJ3GRkT0

OK, so I keep hearing about people cutting magazines with exacto knives and adamantium claws and whatnot, and I just wanted to put this here for anyone wondering if there's a better way, because I think the answer is yes. Heat guns aren't expensive. I got mine for around $20, but they might be even cheaper in the US (most things are). They're also pretty fast and are the ONLY way you're gonna be able to scan everything that was printed on the page, since cutting is going to inevitably lose some of the stuff in the gutter. I took a short video of me debinding a mag, not because it's a complicated process, but just so you can get a sense of how much time it takes. I've got the mag's front cover held down with a weight. I'd normally use a heavy stack of something flat to avoid the risk of damaging the cover, but I'd already scanned it and was in a hurry, so whatever. Also note the cardboard underneath everything. Heat guns are really, really HOT, so the cardboard is there as a buffer so my carpet doesn't melt while I'm waving the heat gun it its general direction. You'll notice that it takes a little while to get the first page. There are several reasons for that which may be hard to tell from the video: I start by trying to separate the cover spine from the rest of the magazine before trying to peel off individual pages This particular mag has a plastic CD sleeve glued to the first page which I wasted a little bit of time heating up before realizing that it would be easier to just cut it off later rather than risk melting the plastic. The first page and last page always take a bit longer, since there is usually more glue holding those pages for some reason. Anyway, once I get the first page off, you can see how easily the rest of the pages can be peeled off in succession. I place all the pages in order in a pile, and they're ready to be scanned. Sometimes, a few pages will have some glue residue near the edge. If it's particularly excessive, it can cause problems when going through the scanner feeder by snagging on the glass and distorting the scan. In those cases, the glue would have to be peeled or cut away before scanning. But I'd say 98% of the pages come out completely glue-free. Btw, I wasn't trying to make this video look nice or anything. Getting my phone angled to see what I was doing was hard enough. Pardon my messy floor, my jammies, and the fact that I was de-binding a Tech Gian, so you spend a good deal of time as I loosen the cover staring at the first page table of contents prominently featuring big bold print that reads "fetish illustrations" Dunno how many other scanners here use the heat gun method, but I hope this video is helpful for anyone who was curious.

Actually I used this method and worked fine!