oregon1234
**Member**
Just sorting away over here...
Posts: 32
What I collect: Trying to focus just on Hong Kong. Wish me luck.
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Post by oregon1234 on Dec 14, 2019 6:01:55 GMT
I purchased a few "Desert Magic"drying books. They have a glossy paper alternating with a thick blotting paper, and you're supposed to put your stamps, glue side down, on the glossy side and then press them and let them dry. I'm finding that my stamps are sticking to the blotter paper. They do come easily off the glossy paper, as advertised, but they're SO stuck to the blotter side that now I've got to soak that and rip that page out just to get the stamp off.
I've tried letting them dry longer (I live in a desert climate so they're usually dry in a day, but I've waited a few days) and "rinsing" the stamps a couple times to get more glue off before placing them in the book, and I still get stuck stamps.
Now I'm thinking it's the product. Has anyone else used the Desert Magic brand and is there another brand that's recommended? Or an alternate method?
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,782
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Dec 14, 2019 6:34:37 GMT
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khj
Member
Posts: 1,246
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Post by khj on Dec 14, 2019 7:37:04 GMT
You can use Stamp Lift fluid to remove those stamps stuck on blotter pages, but it's not cheap. The method described by Tobben63 is essentially the same thing, except a little slower (but doesn't really cost you anything -- can't beat free). No pipette, then just use a small dropper or straw.
Back when I still soaked stamps, I used both the Desert Magic and LH. Both worked great as long as you keep the glossy pages clean of residual glue so that it doesn't transfer onto the blotter pages next time you stick in some wet stamps. Once you get glue into the blotter pages, it is not really recoverable as far as I know. This may be the situation you are experiencing if they are sticking to the blotter pages. To reduce this problem with your next new blotter book, note the following (some of it is overkill, but it will make those 2 rather thin drying books last for >10K stamps each):
1. Use method described by Tobben63 (i.e., either soak longer to get all the glue off, or gently rub off the residual glue -- careful not to rub too much as the paper will be soft and you can actual rub a thin into some stamps!)
2. Rinse the stamps at least once. Don't take it directly out of the soaking pan into the drying book, as the water is essential a dilute "glue" solution -- i.e., you are adding glue water to your drying book if you transfer directly. Dump the stamps into a fresh pan of water while you are sorting the stamps from the leftover envelope paper.
3. I usually put the stamps on a paper towel first to get the excess water off, then put it into the drying book. This will reduce the "spread" of any remaining glue (i.e., less water, less spread).
4. After removing the stamps, wipe down the glossy pages with a damp paper towel or cloth to get rid of any residual glue that may be stuck. Otherwise, it will accumulate "invisibly" and some will slowly transfer to the blotter pages during the drying of the next batch of stamps. Let your drying book "dry" standing vertically with pages spread apart.
Remember, they don't last forever. But I was able to soak >10K stamps each before I made the mistake once of thinking it would be nice to have some glue left on the back of the used stamps. Big mistake. Those pages were irrecoverable. That's when I learned the impact of residual glue transfer.
Some of the self-adhesive stamps have really tough to clean glue. So always be ready when drying/pressing self-adhesives. It may be wise to restrict self-adhesive stamps to 1-2 pages, rather than mixed through the entire drying book.
JMO.
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 4,525
What I collect: Cinderellas and some Ephemera from Great Britain, France and Israel plus a few beautiful bits from elsewhere !! Topical interests include Flags & Judaica, the latter with an emphasis on the Jewish National Fund.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Dec 14, 2019 8:29:15 GMT
I've had the same Desert Magic II drying book for 20 years and never had a problem. I always leave mine under heavy books for two days and then without for a day or so. Even self-adhesives come off easily and any excess glue can just be picked off.
Seems to work for me.
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nikhil
Member
Working on Australia, GDR, Japan
Posts: 552
What I collect: I collect WW. Looking for early issues.
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Post by nikhil on Dec 14, 2019 8:36:00 GMT
I have the same desert magic drying books and have been using it for a year now.. didn't have any problem with it.
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,589
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many, many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Dec 14, 2019 9:18:31 GMT
But there are (after my experience) some stamps that won't let go of their glue. Some old Austrian stamps I find hard to deal with. Torbjørn, take a look at my post on this TSF thread on old Austrian stamps - I was snooping through some journals once and I found what might be the solution for these old Austrian stamps. I have since been to a vitamin store and have bought some pancreatin, but I haven't yet gathered together enough of the old Austrian stamps to try soaking them - I'm saving them in a pile and someday soon I hope to give it a try. And for oregon1234 (hello Kristy in central Oregon, I used to have occasion to drive through Bend & Redmond quite often and when I was a kid living in Portland, my Dad would go racing in Madras all the time so I was there a lot, plus he had a partner in Prineville so I was there a lot too), I agree with what Torbjørn said about trying to use your thumb & fingers while soaking to help get rid of gum that's hanging around - that's what I do. Give them the old "give me money" sign! But to do it properly, you'll only be moving the thumb over the gummed part - the forefinger needs to stay connected to the printed side, you don't want to have it sliding around on that side of the stamp.  Some types of gum dissolve completely and there are no remnants left so no extra cleaning is needed (like old US stamps from the 1940s, for example). Some types of gum leave lots of gooey stuff behind and I need to spend a lot of time using my thumb to wash off that extra gum. Older British stamps are like that, they often leave a real slimey goo behind, and I'm sure your older Hong Kong stamps will often be like that since they were printed in the same place. You have to be careful when using your thumb to help remove that extra gum. Some papers are very tough and can take lots of abuse, and some are quite weak once they get wet and when you're trying to remove the gum you soon end up balling up the paper fibres and putting a thin spot on your stamp! US stamps from the 1970s or 1980s are examples of this - the engraved stamps are on a real tough paper and can take some rough handling, but the non-engraved stamps are often on a real fragile paper and it's easy to damage them. Kim's hint (hello khj ) about using a second container of clean water after soaking the stamp in your first container is also valuable. I do my soaking in the kitchen sinks and put water in both of them, one sink for soaking the stamp off the envelope cutout and the other sink for rinsing it clean. Ryan
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Post by philatelia on Dec 14, 2019 11:02:06 GMT
I adore my desert magic drying books! I constantly admonish people to buy these instead of using accursed paper towels. Not only will they stick to the paper if there is the slightest glue residue, but if they have any embossing it will transfer to the stamps. I tried to explain to a newer collector I was helping by showing them this pic: The one on the left someone dried on those embossed paper towels - doesn’t it look terrible? no 1d5
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renden
Member
Posts: 7,833
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 14, 2019 13:40:26 GMT
Do we have desert magic drying books in Canada - we do not have any desert
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Post by philatelia on Dec 14, 2019 14:45:21 GMT
Do we have desert magic drying books in Canada - we do not have any desert There is a desert in British Colombia, isn’t there? Has an indigenous name if I remember correctly. Let me google ... Okanagan! Hottest place in Canada.
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renden
Member
Posts: 7,833
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 14, 2019 15:17:32 GMT
Do we have desert magic drying books in Canada - we do not have any desert There is a desert in British Colombia, isn’t there? Has an indigenous name if I remember correctly. Let me google ... Okanagan! Hottest place in Canada. You mean Okanagan Valley, BC - not a real desert
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renden
Member
Posts: 7,833
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 14, 2019 15:26:03 GMT
I do not use drying books....
So what I do is to use paper towels, but there is a definite art in using your towels. Use towels folded in half. Put the stamps face down on your towels as per usual, but when your second towel is full, and the first towel not yet fully dry, stack the second towel on top of the first.
if the first towel's stamps are already too dry, they will have curled, and if they are too wet they will stick to the towel on top, so you have to judge this a little bit.
Then keep repeating the procedure until you put the stamps or few stamps (I do not do giant soakings or Peroxyde 3% with numerous stamps) and put the almost free of water between white 8 mil folded paper/flattener and stamp sandwich with my dad's (late) old Stamper machine.
Leave overnight, then remove the stamps from the folded 8 mil paper(s) and put the dry and almost flat stamps between heavy books for a day to give them a proper permanent flattening. At times the are dry enough when coming out of the press !
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Post by philatelia on Dec 14, 2019 15:27:52 GMT
Perhaps, dear Rene, but still an interesting and unique ecosystem worth protecting. Yeah, Terri is a treehugger! Love to learn about interesting regions like this. There are so many wonderful diverse places on this amazing planet.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,097
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 Dec 14, 2019 15:43:21 GMT
I give most all used stamps a "bath" whether on paper or not- starting with warm (bath water) water with a drop of clear detergent, followed by a rinse in clean warm water, followed by a soak in water with hydrogen peroxide followed by a final rinse/soak and then in between a folded paper towel. i will stack up to 10 towels then place a heavy piece of steel on top... and a thick book, and several more pieces of steel and let sit a couple of days.
Most stamps come out nice and flat and I'm able to reuse the paper towels, but tyhere are those stamps that stick so they are removed with paper towel attached and back into the "to be soaked" pile
Tedious, but I put on some music and just go to that same "Zen" place I do when weeding in the garden!
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Post by philatelia on Dec 14, 2019 16:36:30 GMT
I vote yea on desert magic books!! Big thumbs up!
How Terri soaks stamps...
First - I separate stamps by how they soak. Colored paper definitely gets soaked separately as do self adhesives. I use hotter water on the self adhesives that are soakable. My goal is to have them in and out of the water as quickly as possible to prevent fading, micro fractures and other damage. Wet paper is very delicate!
I stand at the sink and do my soaking. I have two fairly large tubs of water. And one smaller bowl. Those little basins from hospital stays are perfect, or upturned plastic bins work, too. I don’t want too many stamps in any batch so that they aren’t crowded and I can get them out of the water quickly. To make the process more ergonomic and easier on my creaky joints, I elevate the tubs with an empty tub beneath and I stand on padded mats. Definitely add some awesome music during the process!
The first bath is fairly warm and has a small shot of orange degunker soap added. The second large tub is cool, clean water, and a small third on the side also has cool water.
Most water activated gums release quickly - five minutes is usually long enough. I take those out one at a time and I lightly rub the back of each stamp before I toss it in the rinse. If it is still sticky or gummy or not released from backing yet, I toss it in the third small bowl so I’m not wasting my time grabbing the same stubborn stamps over and over.
Now I give the stamps in the stubborn bowl try number two.
Next step is remove from the rinse water and arrange on the desert magic drying pages. I can’t imagine soaking without those drying books - they really are awesome and incredibly inexpensive.
Now I blot the excess water off the desert magic page using clean old absorbent dish towels or hand hand towel. I do NOT use fabric softeners on my towels as I am very allergic and I don’t want to transfer any chemicals onto the papers.
Then the stamps are pressed to dry - a day or less is often sufficient. I stack the drying books alternating so the bindings don’t get in the way and then put some heavy books on top.
I find that when I go to remove the stamps if I flex the page, they all pop loose like a dream - no prying them off needed. Once in a while I will have accidentally left too much goo on the back and they let me know by clinging a bit too strongly to the drying page. Those go back in the resoak pile.
Because I live in the tropics, I’m very careful about making sure the drying books are themselves well dried before putting them away. Sometimes I put them in the sun for an hour or so to prevent mold.
I leave unsoakable stamps on the paper. I have seen too many stamps destroyed by all the various desperate measures folks take to remove them. Between the chemicals and the powders, I have yet to see one single stamp removed using any of these methods that looks as good as the original stamp left on paper. They all are thinned, faded, gooey with powder, crackled with microfractures and in general look crappy. And this doesn’t even begin to consider how bad it is to expose yourself to a bunch of chemicals, and no one knows what those powders and chemicals are going to do to the stamps long term. I have pretty much stopped accepting unsoakable issues in trades because they are almost all damaged and I end up returning them.
My main philosophy regarding ANY handling of my stamps is this: These little bits of cellulose are very delicate and the long term effects of any chemical or process they are exposed to are potentially big unknowns. I feel that I am a caretaker of the Philatelic material that I own and I try to not damage or negatively alter any in my possession.
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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 Dec 14, 2019 21:20:20 GMT
I have a "UA" Uni-trade stamp drying book. It works reasonably well, and I too use paper towels to soak up excess water before they go in the book.
And the Arctic is considered a desert, although global warming is beginning to affect it.
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gmot
Member
Posts: 205
What I collect: Canada & French Morocco
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Post by gmot on Dec 15, 2019 0:03:34 GMT
I never soak stamps, just try to give them away if on paper... Impressed with the patience of those who do it!
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renden
Member
Posts: 7,833
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 15, 2019 0:08:41 GMT
I never soak stamps, just try to give them away if on paper... Impressed with the patience of those who do it! Me too but I use peroxide 3% on oxidated stamps and very rarely - I respect those who do - choice !! René
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rjan55
**Member**
Inactive
Posts: 46
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Post by rjan55 on Dec 15, 2019 0:16:19 GMT
Residual glue is the problem with all of these methods. Most stamp glue will dissolve away as a problem on whatever you dry. But certain stamps can merely have their glue moisten into varying shades of goo. I have found most East European bulk cancel glue to be really problematic, its sticks to everything and seems to be resilient in surviving multiple soaks. I had the desert books years ago but found them no more effective than newspaper (getting to be a rarity). The books eventually warped from moisten and were prone to have problem gums stick regardless of prep. Of course the finally decision for me was that I was mass soaking on paper lots and the few books I had could not accommodate the volumes.
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renden
Member
Posts: 7,833
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 15, 2019 1:14:19 GMT
rjan5544 posts - you can make it to 50 easily and enter the upcoming giveaways !! I like your post but it seems or I have this impression that some of us soak all the time - why ?? Is it a fad or simply that the soaking involves lots of stamps on paper and you want to remove them ? Thanks René
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,097
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 Dec 15, 2019 2:26:04 GMT
I like my stamps as clean as they can be... given the fact that many are well over 100 years old
to paraphrase "High Sierra".... (work with me on this one) "... we don't don't need no stinking (le-phew) stamps..."
but I digress
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Post by philatelia on Dec 15, 2019 2:43:00 GMT
I never soak stamps, just try to give them away if on paper... Impressed with the patience of those who do it! The soaking is for those of us with more time than money haha! That's me for sure! Hey! There's an idea - offer to soak stamps for other collectors for a percentage of the take or for $$$.
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,587
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Dec 15, 2019 7:14:43 GMT
Do we have desert magic drying books in Canada - we do not have any desert There is a desert in British Colombia, isn’t there? Has an indigenous name if I remember correctly. Let me google ... Okanagan! Hottest place in Canada. Head of the class philatelia ! Canada does indeed have a desert, the Osoyoos Desert is tucked into the southernmost corner of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Does anyone have a postal item or cancel from Osoyoos, BC they can share?
In the meantime, paper towel (for drying) and then old magazines under a stack of heavy books (for flattening) is my method as well for soaking & drying stamps...
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khj
Member
Posts: 1,246
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Post by khj on Dec 15, 2019 7:29:41 GMT
Does anyone have a postal item or cancel from Osoyoos, BC they can share?
Not mine, but from online seller listing. 
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mikeclevenger
Member
Posts: 887
What I collect: Ohio Tax Stamps, Ohio & Georgia Revenues, US Revenues, US FDC's, & Germany Classics
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Post by mikeclevenger on Dec 15, 2019 14:14:04 GMT
I have two Desert magic drying books that are about 20 years old now. You can clean the glue residue form the pages with Goo Gone. I also use paper towels, but I use plates of glass in between. I just took a bunch of old 8x10 frames and took the glass out. Soak and rinse stamps, place on paper towel, fill towel with stamps, place plate of glass on top. After several layers, or sometimes 10-15 layers, place a really heavy book on top until tomorrow. Stamps are dry and flat. If any stick to the paper towel, re-soak them and try again.
As for me soaking stamps, not a chance, but my wife likes to do it for me. I am a lucky man!
Have a great day.
Mike.
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,589
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many, many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Dec 15, 2019 15:22:14 GMT
I adore my desert magic drying books! I constantly admonish people to buy these instead of using accursed paper towels. Lots of paper towel users on TSF! I'm like Terri, I don't like the look of stamps dried between paper towels and I always use drying books myself. I come across stamps dried in between paper towels quite often in my piles of kiloware I work through, and I always end up resoaking those. Calgary's climate is quite dry, and at this time of year, by the time you've warmed up the outside air to a comfortable indoors temp, the humidity is often so low that my digital thermohygrometer borks and gives me a humidity readout of 4%, which seems to be its readout for "it's so dry I can't tell how dry it is". If I soak my normal 40 gram pile of stamps, the dry air causes them to dry out so quickly that they're already dry & curly before I get the chance to stick them into the drying books, due to the time it takes for me to process my sink full of stamps. So I soak a hand towel and lay it out on the counter next to the sink, and the stamps come out of the sink and go on to the wet towel to wait until I'm finished with the sink full. Then they go from the wet towel to the drying book. I have a fine time soaking stamps, it's not a chore for me. Ryan
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Post by philatelia on Dec 15, 2019 15:58:33 GMT
Yay Ryan !
But - Before the paper towel users come to whip me with a wet stamp hinge (LOL!!! just kidding!!!) let me stress that the paper towels I am campaigning against are the ones with EMBOSSING that imprints a pattern onto the stamps like the one in the picture I posted above. Very, very flat paper towels, unpatterned, and VERY firmly pressed with two tons of weight generally don't emboss the stamps and end up flat as a pancake and smooth as a baby's bottom. I mean some of my best friends are paper towels! Ask the faucets!
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renden
Member
Posts: 7,833
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 15, 2019 16:06:21 GMT
Any paper towel if good for my usage as the stamp does not 1) stay long enough to be affected 2) it goes in the press without any towel paper. This is getting to be an interesting thread.....like soaking stamps René
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,587
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Dec 15, 2019 16:08:45 GMT
I don't like the look of stamps dried between paper towels and I always use drying books myself. I come across stamps dried in between paper towels quite often in my piles of kiloware I work Ryan
Not to put you on the spot ( Ryan ), but how did the Canadian mammal stamps turn out? They were soaked, towel dried and then pressed...
Best regards, -Vince
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,589
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many, many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Dec 15, 2019 19:12:53 GMT
The mammal stamps were perfect! When you say "pressed", do you mean with an actual stamp press? I've often thought that was one of the things missing in my pile of stuff (a modern, heated press, not the old mechanical type).
Ryan
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,587
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Dec 16, 2019 8:06:22 GMT
The mammal stamps were perfect! When you say "pressed", do you mean with an actual stamp press? I've often thought that was one of the things missing in my pile of stuff (a modern, heated press, not the old mechanical type). Ryan Good stuff and I am glad to hear Ryan!
As for the pressing, not an actual press; but instead, after the stamps have air dried between the layers of paper towel (a method described early by stainlessb) for a couple of hours, I remove them and place them between the pages of old magazines (poor man's desert magic book). Then comes the press and again, similar to earlier postings, this is simply a stack of books or whatever is handy to provide the weight for the pressing. Leave for at least a day and the stamps, dried and pressed, simply fall out when you flip through the magazine. Any that may have become stuck and cannot be easily pried off, simply can be cut out and put into the "to-be soaked" box for next time...
It is not a bad exercise and I do not mind the soaking effort once I get stuck into it. The materials including the paper towel are re-usable and so far, I am pleased with the results :-)
Just need to find folks to take the duplicates...
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