Tips For Using Stamp Mounts

I hope no one will be offended if I make three general comments concerning the use of black Hawid etc mounts to hold stamps ,

As an outside observer

1. I always feel the black margins can be overpowering unless they are trimmed or purpose made to fit the stamp . Mini guillotines are available for this if you don’ t have the right size and scissors may not leave a clean cut.

2 mounts which are not correctly fixed horizontally and vertically detract from the display

3. Stamps which are not sitting fair and square in their mounts are also distracting and spoil the overall effect

I make these comments in light of my previous experience as an occasional displayer and exhibitor where judges can be critical of the overall appearance .
It is the stamps that are important and should be set off to advantage by the frame.

This is why I do not like black mounts especially split back style mounts. Black highlights all the issues: cutting, placement, stamp orientation in the mount. When handling pages the stamps can move around in the mount. Also, split backs do not always fit the exactly so you have to center the stamp manually in the mount. The stamps are harder to adjust skew in split back.

My favorite is a clear top loading HAWID mount. They are much more forgiving.  Clear mounts  also mix well with hinged stamps if one hinges stamps.  Of course, you lose the contrast between the perforations and the background.

So why did use black? For these regional pages I used black because I still have a lot so was using them up.

That's why I hate those split backs. Why soak the entire two halves of the mount? I couldn't believe that people do that! Why? The stamps will sit just fine with only a small portion at the bottom stuck to the page! I have only seen the complete mount stuck down when buying stamps from the APS StampStore. A sharpened kitchen paring knife is used to extract the stamps stuck down that way!

I cannot believe someone would lick top and bottom of a split back mount but received collections where it was done. You need a small knife to extract them at times.

I used a q-tip to moisten the back with a small dab at top when I was using moisture.

Some unscientific observations and personal opinions about mounts: I notice that when album manufacturers assemble a "hingeless" album, they use clear mounts. Either those are more popular, cheaper to manufacture, or some other reason for their prevalence. Also of the collections I've purchased, none of the European collections used black mounts - could be coincidence. Those seem to be much more popular here in the USA. I much prefer to buy collections with clear mounts because the used albums end up looking nicer and are more reusable.  I rarely encounter damage from mounts from the clear mounts, but I find gum damage with split back mounts and also perf damage from too large stamps stuffed in too small split backs. It is also easier to remove stamps from the clear mounts.

I run my tongs across the top seam on split back mounts to remove the stamps. Fastest way I've found to extricate them without damaging the stamps.

BUT black mounts are sure better than Crystal mounts or even hinges! Remember those gawd awful shrinky wrinkly things? bleah! And black does provide higher contrast better enabling the eye to see perfs.

djcmh - I also switched to Vario and Hagnar sheets, but mostly because I collect so many varieties of issues and constantly change the collection. It would cost me a fortune if I kept removing and remounting!

Based on this thread on another forum, I don't think they are being made any longer, and apparently have not been for at least a decade.  www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=20394

Ok, mounters. I think you've convinced me. After years of being a carefree happy hinger, I'm going to give mounts a try. Clear, top loaders.

Any advice on a decent selections of sizes to pick up? Hinges were, for the most part, one size fits all.

I'm assuming that, even with clear mounts, I want the whole stamp inside the mount. How much taller than the stamp do you go? Or is it just a case of 'one size bigger than the stamp'?

I'm wary of buying 15 different heights. Do you really buy 24mm, 25mm and 26mm? would you trim down a 27mm to get the shorter sizes when needed?

I already have 4 different blue, 3 red, 5 yellow paints that are all basically the same shade for my other hobby. So I'm quite curious what you do.

PS - it seems like the time is right, especially after reading that Hawid will stop making mounts and essentially all mounts are Hawid. Is this the Dennison hinge story all over again?

I was just buying the 55mm mounts and sizing them with my guillotine cutter. But just yesterday, I purchased a king size bundle of mounts in all sizes. Hopefully they'll last for a while. I look at the different this way - less plastic waste if I use properly sized mounts.

I must say thank's to Admin and angore . I have an italian translation of the Souder's article about plastics for stamps, but sometime the translation is not so good and i would like to look for the original version. Time ago, when i've purchased the translation, i tried to look for this article and aomewhere i could find it, but i can't find it now anymore... I will try to ask AP a copy of the article in Dec 2000 issue.
About the powerpoint, i already have it.
In principle, both articles raises me a lot of doubts. PVC in not good, but modern PVCs without plasticizers could be good and some producer use it (i always tought PVC NO!). Polypropylene which is the material of most of the office sleeves is also good (?).
BTW! The result of this powerpoint are about a test of plastic material inside an oven. I believe any collector will ever put a stamp in a oven, but on the other side, how can you make a long duration test about effects of plastics on stamps? how long? not a week, not a month, not an year... 10-20 years... Ok, let's start now and see the results in 2040... Not sure that the effects of an oven are the same of 20 years lasting, but what else?

The Elmer's craft glue stick provides many of the properties of a PostIt Notes.

I'm going to pick some of these up at lunch-time and see how it goes.