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Post by carabop on Mar 8, 2016 23:22:00 GMT
It worked, it really worked. I used some cheapy stamps to try it out and I will now try some little bit higher priced ones. Dipping it in the corner first.
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Post by carabop on Mar 9, 2016 3:23:18 GMT
I just want to state here what I did but if you try any of these things I will not be responsible for the outcome of your stamps. It is your risk. I took 2 stamps that had some sort of tape on the face of the stamp, one from Japan don't know the year and it took the tape and goo left by the tape off and the stamp looks nice. One from Ireland again I don't know the year the ink ran and made a mess of the stamp. I did not scrape the stamps like the video shows for the back of the stamp. I took the towel and cleaned off the goo rubbing the stamp with the towel. Again I am not recommending doing this to your stamps I was just experimenting and making comment as to my experiment.
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reena
Member 
Posts: 352 
What I collect: US Federal Duck Stamps
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Post by reena on Mar 9, 2016 11:30:46 GMT
I didn't see anywhere on the video, nor comments here, that after you have scrapped and cleaned the gum, would you not want to wash the chemical off the stamps?
Just wondering if this is a necessary step.
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Ryan
Moderator 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,749 
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Mar 9, 2016 12:07:09 GMT
I didn't see anywhere on the video, nor comments here, that after you have scrapped and cleaned the gum, would you not want to wash the chemical off the stamps? Just wondering if this is a necessary step. Stamps I've removed with chemicals receive a post-soak in water, where possible. There are a number of U.S. stamps that get damaged when soaking in water due to excessive curling and a resultant crinkling of the top layer. I give those just a brief splash in water and then they immediately get sandwiched between a flat plastic thing (usually my stamp sweatbox) and the formica counter top next to my sink. Those stamps curl rapidly so I only do a maximum of 4 like that per soaking batch, they are the absolute last ones to go in the drying book and if I have too many of them, I can't get the book closed before some of them start curling. There are some stamps that don't even get the splash of water, mostly those Spanish ATMs printed on thermal paper. Just like an old fax that's been exposed to the atmosphere, the denomination printed on those things can fade badly, and soaking in chemicals makes it worse. But the image on those stamps is somewhat water soluble, and if you try to soak them in water afterwards, the image comes off! Those stamps still seem to look fine after removal from their backing paper, however. Just a bit more faded on the parts printed thermally - Rod posted one earlier in this thread, it looks nice. And there are a very few stamps that get damaged by the chemicals - I completely removed the hologram from an Italian stamp once. The stamp was already damaged, so it wasn't a huge loss. It's rarely a huge loss in any case, usually my stamps are the kind of stuff where it's exciting if I find something with a catalogue value over a dollar .... Ryan |
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oldtriguy
Member
Posts: 154
What I collect: USA to fill album holes/varieties. Older W/W Airmail
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Post by oldtriguy on Sept 28, 2016 20:41:11 GMT
Hi all,
Reviving this tread with a couple questions about removing self-adhesives from paper/envelopes.
I have a stamp friend that sends me self-adhesives on paper for me to remove for him. I use Rosinol lighter fluid and it works very well most of the time.
However, like Ryan stated earlier "Some gum comes off very easily, others (like that on Machins with security cuts) needs a bit of tender care to come completely clean with paint thinner, at least - Rod's Fuelite or something like Bestine (a kind of heptane) might be a better solvent for that gum, I don't know." Those Machins with the security cut outs don't respond as well to the Rosinol lighter fluid. I was wondering if anyone has had any success using some other kind of solvent on the Machins with security cut outs?
I never saw if anyone has tried the Febreeze yet. Has anyone?
Ryan, would you please send me your soakables list?
For self-adhesives, I usually just trim close to the paper and don't spend the time trying to look up if they are "soakable" or not. However, for self-adhesive stamps going into my albums, I will remove them from the envelope paper.
Kind Regards,
Dave N.
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Sept 28, 2016 20:58:58 GMT
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Ryan
Moderator
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,749
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Sept 28, 2016 22:14:49 GMT
However, like Ryan stated earlier "Some gum comes off very easily, others (like that on Machins with security cuts) needs a bit of tender care to come completely clean with paint thinner, at least - Rod's Fuelite or something like Bestine (a kind of heptane) might be a better solvent for that gum, I don't know." Those Machins with the security cut outs don't respond as well to the Rosinol lighter fluid. I was wondering if anyone has had any success using some other kind of solvent on the Machins with security cut outs? ....
Ryan, would you please send me your soakables list?
I'll send you a private message - you can respond to that with your e-mail address and I'll send off my list. Most of the time when I soak self-adhesives using paint thinner, I use an old expired credit card as a squeegee / scraper to remove most of the gum. I then use my fingernail (palm of the hand towards me / back of the hand away, from the centre of the stamp outwards) as a scraper to remove stubborn gum, if there is any. Some stubborn stamps, however, make it too difficult to use the credit card. For Machins with the security cuts, I can't use the credit card because the cuts too often cause problems and result in a folded stamp or a ripped-out hole. Using my fingernail as a scraper is pretty much the same thing but it covers far less area and I'm able to control things much better. I'm not perfect but I probably get more than 95% of the new Machins off paper without any damage. Fortunately, the Machins are relatively easy to come by so you get lots of practice. When possible, I always work with some damaged stamps first (ripped or tore, pen cancelled, uncancelled). Paint thinner is undoubtedly not the most aggressive solvent out there - but mild is probably good for stamps, it helps reduce damage (and I don't foresee myself instantly mutating into some odd species due to scary chemicals, either). Heptane-based stuff like Bestine or Un-Du looks like it acts much more quickly, it also evaporates much more quickly (and might cause my house to explode the next time the furnace starts, I don't know ....). Paint thinner isn't perfect for stamps but I'm happy with it and am cautious about going too crazy with other stuff. From a chemical standpoint, I suppose the ideal solvent for removing the adhesive would be the same solvent that was used in production of the adhesive. Some adhesives are temperature-based, they use lots of heat to turn the adhesive into a liquid during production, but I don't think stamps are made that way. They probably use a liquid solvent that evaporates out of the adhesive, leaving sticky stuff behind, and that solvent would be the one that would again turn the adhesive into a liquid, making it easy to remove from the stamp. We just need some research done to figure out what that ideal chemical would be! (Of course, you'll end up with many different chemicals for many different adhesives.) Ryan |
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,874
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Aug 24, 2022 10:57:19 GMT
I found this old tread instead of starting a new. I prefer to soak old stamps even iy are of paper, and specially those that goes into my collection. The reason is the obvious get rid if old hinges an rest of paper, but do you think of how much dirt, dust, fat, smoke 100-150 years old stamps has accumulated during their lifetime? I show you some pictures. Before soaking  Fill inn tempered water and add some neutral dish washer liquid. Let it soak for 1/2 hour. Stir gently. Se the color on the water.  Then after 1/2 hour you rinses for ca 10 minutes.  Se the change of color on the water. Then its time for drying. |
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Post by shadowrogue75 on Oct 18, 2022 11:50:51 GMT
I'm very much a fan of soaking - I put on the Bollywood station on the TV and get to work! I do a fairly large batch at a time - 40 grams of clipped, on-paper stamps or 16 grams of off-paper stamps (I like nice clean flat used stamps and I soak off any hinge or gum remnants). A batch that size fits on to a large hand towel as they come out of the sinks (one for soaking, one for rinsing), and from there they go into a drying book. I also segregate the stamps on coloured paper and get them off the paper as soon as I can to avoid staining. I use room-temperature water and because Calgary has such a dry climate, I soak the hand towel so the stamps don't dry out while I'm working. If I don't, the stamps will curl and that makes it a lot tougher to get them in to the drying book, plus they come out flatter if they go in damp. Thanks for posting -- I also live in a very dry climate and my last batch of stamps I soaked curled like rainbows after water->tea towel->Uni-trade drying book->24 hours in drying book under two dictionaries. Would it make sense for me to skip the tea towel stage and put the stamps straight from the water bath into the drying book? |
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Oct 18, 2022 12:05:50 GMT
shadowrogue75 No. I did that when I first got my Apex drying book and the pages I placed those stamps on are now quite wavy (they still work but I put alot of weight on the book to flatten them out. I think the solution in your case would be to leave the stamps in the book for a longer period of time.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,908
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Oct 18, 2022 15:00:49 GMT
Thanks for your post, shadowrogue75First off, I would just say that I completely agree with Steve's ( tomiseksj) comment about not skipping the step of removing the excess wetness before press-flattening. I don't use a drying book myself, I use blotter board, and I ruined a few of those blotters by not removing the excess wetness. The second point is about the time of press-flattening to get the stamps to come out flat. I agree with Steve that more time may help, but sometimes the curling problem may be due to atmospheric conditions, in which case, longer time flattening may not work on all of the stamps. In my early days on TSF, I started this thread: thestampforum.boards.net/thread/4461/advice-flatten-curling-classic-stampsI got the mixed results of some stamps being severely curled and others not in the same soak batch. In the end, although it was never documented in that thread, I ended up manually flattening the curled stamps using a clean sheet of white paper folded in half and a pair of spade-tipped tongs. What I did was place the stamp with one edge along the fold in the paper, ensuring that it was completely protected on both sides. Then I used the tongs to basically curl the stamp while inside the paper in the opposite direction. I have gotten better at doing this over the years, and now I do it routinely on any stamps that have curled too much after soaking. |
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,216
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Post by rex on Oct 18, 2022 16:45:52 GMT
The cotton kitchen towel is important, better if large enough to hold 40 50 stamps at the time, if you leave the stamps in the air for a couple of hours on the table after this time they will be almost dry. They can then go into the drying book more than anything else to flatten them and remove the last residual moisture.
Make sure it is a 100% cotton tea towel, no viscose or mixed materials, it will attract water and humidity if left for a few hours. For important stamps I even change the cotton kitchen towels with a completely dry one and leave them in the air for more hours.
Ps
I do not have a drying book, I have always put the stamps between two sheets of baking paper or greaseproof paper then inserted them in the middle of the pages of heavy telephone directories, to flatten them and dry the residual moisture.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,903
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Oct 18, 2022 17:01:07 GMT
I use a bartenders/bar mop towel- a dozen is usually to be found for under $20. They are 100% cotton, a good size (I typical fold over a time or two for stamping duties. The launder easily and are useful elsewhere in the house- (handy in the kitchen). I fold half of the folded towel back over the op of my 'just soaked" stamps and press firmly to get maximum blotting contact. I typically wait about 30 minutes (sometimes more) and then into the dryimng books with some pieces of plate steel I got from my working career to really flatten down. Stamp[s are usually ready for sorting and moving to stock books the following day (note a very humd day where I live is 40%... you'd think wee were all melting!)
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Post by shadowrogue75 on Oct 20, 2022 12:03:09 GMT
Okay! Sounds like I'll still use a towel. tomiseksj: "I think the solution in your case would be to leave the stamps in the book for a longer period of time." <nods> Will do. Hard when they're on the kitchen table looking so tempting! : ) Given my schedule, I'll probably try leaving them in for two days. Beryllium Guy: "I ruined a few of those blotters by not removing the excess wetness." The drying book I have is used and I can see in the past that some pages are quite wavy and excess wetness was probably the cause. "sometimes the curling problem may be due to atmospheric conditions, in which case, longer time flattening may not work on all of the stamps. [. . .] I got the mixed results of some stamps being severely curled and others not in the same soak batch." That was what happened in my case -- for example, I have a nice block of four stamps that are all curled while another mini-sheet was okay enough that I mounted it. "I ended up manually flattening the curled stamps using a clean sheet of white paper folded in half and a pair of spade-tipped tongs. What I did was place the stamp with one edge along the fold in the paper, ensuring that it was completely protected on both sides. Then I used the tongs to basically curl the stamp while inside the paper in the opposite direction." This is a great idea; I'll try this on the batch. Another thought that came to mind when you mentioned this was that I could potentially iron the stamps. When I'm sewing, one technique I use is to (very carefully! completely dry iron! lowest setting! press cloth!) iron the tissue paper pattern so its completely smooth and flat and ready for pinning. Although I only have a regular iron, I do have a clover mini iron on my Christmas list and that might work well as well. Would have to be sure there wasn't any adhesive left on the stamps, though. And I'd probably iron the stamps face down. rex: "Make sure it is a 100% cotton tea towel" Yes, I used a 100% cotton tea towel. You got me thinking, though -- I have 100% linen tea towels as well and my understanding is that linen absorbs water better than cotton, so perhaps I'll try one of my linen towels for the next batch. stainlessb: "I fold half of the folded towel back over the top of my 'just soaked" stamps and press firmly to get maximum blotting contact. I typically wait about 30 minutes" These are both good tips and I'll use them. Maybe I'll use a linen tea towel on the bottom and a cotton tea towel on the top! : D . And that's an interesting thought -- adjusting drying time on towel to current humidity. Will take some experimentation. Perhaps time for me to get some on-paper kiloware! |
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Oct 20, 2022 12:17:26 GMT
So that's why my drying book is useless to me now because the pages look like sand dunes! I should remove those pages, almost dry the stamps, THEN put the almost dry stamps in the drying book! Silly me, thinking the drying book was for wet stamps!
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,837
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Oct 20, 2022 12:52:57 GMT
I don’t do much soaking myself. When I do with non-self adhesive stamps, I place them wet face down on a paper towel, then lay a second towel on top. Then press the layers together lightly by hand. I next set a timer for 10 minutes and after that lay the stamps between the pages of an old book. I once used a copy of “Great Expectations” which I thought appropriate. And please don’t have a fit about black text ink transfer to the stamps. It’s never happened.
I don’t soak self-adhesives.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,908
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Oct 20, 2022 12:54:37 GMT
Okay! Sounds like I'll still use a towel. For removing the excess water in preparation for press-flattening, I use paper towels rather than cloth ones, and I have never had any problems with that. I just remove the stamps from the water and put them face down on a clean paper towel, normally double thick. When I have put all of the stamps in the batch on the paper towel, I take another clean double-thick paper towel, lay it on top of the one with the stamps on it, and just press down gently with my open hands to ensure that both top and bottom paper towels have absorbed the excess water. Then I remove the top paper towel and use my tongs to transfer the damp stamps onto the blotter boards for press flattening. As before, I put the stamps face down on the blotter board, and then I put a sheet of waxed paper over it. That way, if there is any residual gum on any of the stamps, the stamp can still easily be removed from the waxed paper. I learned that lesson the hard way, as I originally used two pieces of blotter board in direct contact with both sides of the stamps, and sometimes the backs of the stamps would stick to the blotter board. Ever since I switched to waxed paper, I haven't had any more adhesion problems.
Edit: I see that JeffS has posted while I was writing mine, and he also uses paper towels in a way similar to what I do. |
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 5,064
What I collect: Wonderland; 1912 Jubilee International Stamp Exhibition, London ('Ideal' Stamp, ephemera); French Cinderellas with an emphasis on Poster Stamps; Israel and Palestine Cinderellas ; Jewish National Fund Stamps, Labels and Tags; London 2010, A Festival of Stamps (anything); South Africa 1937 Coronation issue of KGVI, singles or bi-lingual pairs.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Oct 20, 2022 15:37:50 GMT
I also use paper towels, have been doing so since 1990 when I purchased my Desert Magic Drying Book which I still use today. (the book not the towels!)
And regarding the 'wavy' or 'sand dune' effects mentioned previously, it makes no difference. The stamps will still come out nice and flat as long as there is enough pressure on the drying book. After 32 years, I can confirm it still does an excellent job. (mine also has a 'wavy' or 'sand dune' appearance, but the pressed stamps don't).
So worry not and carry on.
Londonbus1
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jpotx113
Member
Posts: 460
What I collect: USA, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Machins, misc. WW
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Post by jpotx113 on Oct 21, 2022 18:03:33 GMT
Stamp drying books? That's for the peasants. Buy a SAFE Electric Stamp Drying Press (they only cost $400.00 USD)
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,903
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Oct 21, 2022 18:56:33 GMT
77 sq inches of drying space... Ye olde SAFE better be really fast!- I typically soak sbatches of several hundred stamps, unless theres a specific reason to only soak a small few
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Mr. H
Member
Member - APS #129381
Posts: 952
What I collect: US, Netherlands, Whatever suits my fancy.
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Post by Mr. H on Oct 21, 2022 19:40:51 GMT
Stamp drying books? That's for the peasants. Buy a SAFE Electric Stamp Drying Press (they only cost $400.00 USD) Drying and pressing in record time! Forget the old drying book which has to be weighed down with a number of thick books. Now it’s a real pleasure to remove, dry and press your paper collectibles. The new SAFE-press will dry your stamps, currency, paper, etc. unbelievably fast and press them perfectly flat at the same time without hurting the items. This process can be continued “production line” style to save you time. The SAFE-press is built with a special heating element and blower to help speed up the whole process. Includes power converter from 220v to 110v. Size of press: 13-3/8″ x 12-1/4″ x 3″ high Size of drying area: 11″ x 7″
On sale at the moment for $399.95. I'll stick with the old fashion methods.  |
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 5,064
What I collect: Wonderland; 1912 Jubilee International Stamp Exhibition, London ('Ideal' Stamp, ephemera); French Cinderellas with an emphasis on Poster Stamps; Israel and Palestine Cinderellas ; Jewish National Fund Stamps, Labels and Tags; London 2010, A Festival of Stamps (anything); South Africa 1937 Coronation issue of KGVI, singles or bi-lingual pairs.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Oct 21, 2022 21:52:40 GMT
Stamp drying books? That's for the peasants. Buy a SAFE Electric Stamp Drying Press (they only cost $400.00 USD) Then I'm one happy peasant. We don't all have $400 to throw away on hobby accessories. Especially when the job can be done much more cheaply. I'll stick to my 30-year-old drying book. Londonbus1 |
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,216
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Post by rex on Oct 22, 2022 8:40:50 GMT
 At Safe Italy this dryer is not that expensive, although I am fond of my cotton towel I really like these modern tools. Professional, useful and fast for those who dry large quantities. I am usually a traditionalist in philately, but I must say that when I spent some money on innovations in this regard, I gained advantages and satisfaction. |
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,546
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Oct 22, 2022 9:30:48 GMT
For $400 or even €258.34 I could purchase one or even two , prize stamps which have been beyond my regular budget………and still have change for a roll of paper towel . 😎
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,696
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Oct 22, 2022 10:28:40 GMT
I wonder how many stamps got soaked by Hurricane Ian.
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guyana1230
Member
Posts: 373
What I collect: GUYANA, Surinam, British Commonwealth, Aland, Denmark Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, USA, Scout Posts, Cinderellas
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Post by guyana1230 on Oct 22, 2022 13:16:46 GMT
I have used the same method for drying stamps for 54 years now, sheets of blotting paper, they unfold to the size of 4 A4 sheets so take a lot of stamps. My first ever sheet is just starting to separate into 4 pieces now, so great value.
Never have used any weight to keep them flat, if they curl at all (which I find is rare) then after drying a couple of days in a stockbook does the trick.
Why waste $400 on a useless bit of equipment when that money could get me hundreds of stamps to go through.
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Post by shadowrogue75 on Oct 22, 2022 17:10:18 GMT
I found this old tread instead of starting a new. I prefer to soak old stamps even iy are of paper, and specially those that goes into my collection. The reason is the obvious get rid if old hinges an rest of paper, but do you think of how much dirt, dust, fat, smoke 100-150 years old stamps has accumulated during their lifetime? I show you some pictures. Before soaking Fill inn tempered water and add some neutral dish washer liquid. Let it soak for 1/2 hour. Stir gently. Se the color on the water. Then after 1/2 hour you rinses for ca 10 minutes. Se the change of color on the water. Then its time for drying. : The batch of kiloware I just received from a dealer is full of fun stamps aaaaand it smells funky somehow (smoke, maybe? too long in a plastic bag, maybe?) so I'll be trying your approach very soon. Also, anyone: I received the kiloware in a bubble mailer with some nice stamps on the outside that I'd like to keep. Are there any special considerations (assuming its possible) when removing stamps from a plastic-based bubble mailer? |
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Oct 22, 2022 20:03:37 GMT
shadowrogue75 asked...
From my experience, no diff. They come off easily, unless they are self adhesive - then you may have trouble!
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deniseb
**Member** 
Inactive
Posts: 47
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Post by deniseb on Oct 30, 2022 6:58:21 GMT
I have a question about soaking stamps that have been on cardboard envelopes. Will that work to get the stamps off? Also I see a lot of people talking about removing the glue from the stamp after soaking how exactly is that done?
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deniseb
**Member**
Inactive
Posts: 47
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Post by deniseb on Oct 30, 2022 7:19:02 GMT
Another thing I'm curious about is when I looked up soaking stamps they just showed soaking them and removing the paper. They didn't explain anything about how to remove the glue or to keep them from curling as they dry, which to my dismay a few of them have curled on my first attempt. Can I re-soak them and put them in a book with weight to flatten them back out? Or are they just going to be permanently curled?
I've also noticed conversations about the permanent adhesive stamps that are out now I did watch a video on YouTube he used a stamp lift fluid to help her move them from the paper then he used one of those cards that people put stamps in to sell and placed the stamp on the clear plastic then cut it around the stamp. Is that something advisable to do or not?
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