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 16, 2019 10:10:33 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 There are heated presses? I have an old home made stainless steel press I got out of box of junk when I was an antique dealer. It is amazing how well it works though. All you need for a press is two thick, maybe 2" thick, block of hard wood, that are perfectly smooth,, mine is mahogany, and a C clamp. That is what i used to use. They were throwing away large blocks of wood at work (in a woodshop) one day, so I took 2, and tried it. It works amazingly for pressing stamps or even cardboard. I tried it on a 1960's box for a goofy toy that was all bent out of shape. You would never know it was bent after a month in the press. It presses stamps perfectly flat.
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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 16, 2019 12:59:51 GMT
There are heated presses? In fact and indeed! Made by SAFE - image nabbed from the German Amazon site. But lots of money, thus I don't own one ... you see them for sale over on our side of the Atlantic for around US $500 for units with our electrics in them, this European model is €210 from amazon.de .  Ryan
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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 17, 2019 1:27:58 GMT
After reading all your answers I think my problem is definitely excess glue and the volume of stamps I'm soaking at one time. I've been rinsing them in a fresh water bath but perhaps need to do it multiple times since I'm doing so many stamps! Also I have sadly experienced the thinning of the paper when rubbing the glue so I definitely don't advise it for anything 1930s and older.
Thanks for all your responses, this is such a great forum!
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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 17, 2019 10:12:42 GMT
Thanks for all your responses, this is such a great forum! The Forum is great because we have such great people on here.
I have learned so much about stamps since I have been a member, I never would have imagined how much knowledge could be learned from others in a forum.
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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 17, 2019 14:31:22 GMT
After reading all your answers I think my problem is definitely excess glue and the volume of stamps I'm soaking at one time. I've been rinsing them in a fresh water bath but perhaps need to do it multiple times since I'm doing so many stamps! Also I have sadly experienced the thinning of the paper when rubbing the glue so I definitely don't advise it for anything 1930s and older. Thanks for all your responses, this is such a great forum! Instead of rubbing the glue off, have you tried that "Pure Citrus" spray? That would work wonders on getting rid of the excess glue. You would just have to lightly scrape the stamp with a credit card like object.
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,104
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 Jun 1, 2020 21:34:47 GMT
Before the advent of self-adhesives I would soak incoming stamps on incoming mail not worth keeping for the cover aspect, then dry them in a junk store copy of the classic book "Great Expectations"
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madbaker
Member
Posts: 441
What I collect: (Mark) I'm a general worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
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Post by madbaker on Mar 4, 2021 4:48:15 GMT
[ADMIN EDIT: This and the following several posts reply to the following question posted on the Whatcha Been Stampin thread.] ...so a question for those with drying books... (I have never seen or owned one) what makes them better than other methods? just curious, my method seems to work well enough, but maybe I am missing something stainlessb , the theory behind drying books is that if you put the stamp gum side down (or, where the gum used to be!) on the 'shiny' page of a drying book, it's less likely to stick to the paper once dry. I have a drying book and it works pretty well. I let the wet stamp sit on newsprint for a bit to get off the bulk of the water, then add to the drying book and 'press' it flat. Almost no stuck down stamps, and because they aren't long on the newsprint, no ink transfer to the stamps either. But I'll bet there are lots of alternative methods that work as well, or better. 
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angore
Member
Posts: 4,503
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Mar 4, 2021 11:09:13 GMT
I use drying books and no complaints.
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,010
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Post by rex on Mar 4, 2021 14:00:00 GMT
Never owned a drying book. My system, ... ... a big heavy old phone book, and a few sheets of parchment baking paper to avoid the stamps from sticking. Very simple and inexpensive. Even the sheets of baking paper reused hundreds of times.
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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 Mar 4, 2021 15:13:27 GMT
stainlessb : What's your method? My stamp drying book has bumps and ridges throughout it from drying stamps that are partially dry when I stick them in it, so they come out of it a bit bent out of shape. I need to find a better way. Place them in tissue/wax paper under a book would probably work better than the drying book for me. Just do it more often so as to not have heaps to dry at once!
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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 Mar 4, 2021 16:31:39 GMT
I use an institutional paper towel called Soft-Roll which is almost completely flat (no pattern like household paper towels). The Soft-Roll are large sheets, so I fold in half and sandwich the soaked stamps (after I place them on a 'barkeepers' cotton hand towel (also not much pattern or grain) to get most of the moisture off. Once the stamps are in the paper towels, I place a piece of stainless steel plate on top and a couple of thick books and leave for 3-4 days.
The only issue I have is early Great Britain and Austria stamps which seem to be most prone to 'sticking' (I just soaked 39 penny reds and 8 of them still stuck and will need to be re-soaked).
I think I will try the parchment. or maybe wax paper.
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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 Mar 4, 2021 16:48:14 GMT
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,010
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Post by rex on Mar 4, 2021 17:36:27 GMT
Immediately after rinsing, I put them directly on a large cotton tissue, leaving them for about an hour in the air, turning them from time to time, after that they are almost dry, in my opinion they do not need kitchen paper, then they go directly from the cotton tissue between two sheets of baking parchmemt paper and then in the middle of a heavy telephone directory. The next day they are dry ironed and ready. There will be many useful and valid ways to dry them, I have always done this way as it was suggested to me many years ago.
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guilloutran
Member
Account Temporarily Disabled
Colllecting France
Posts: 202
What I collect: Western Europe (pre-Euro), France and colonies (pre-1995), United States and Canada (pre-1980, engraved ->2000), British colonies and United Kingdom (engrave to 2000)
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Post by guilloutran on Mar 4, 2021 21:01:42 GMT
I use a very thick sketchbook to dry the stamps after using a towel to remove excessive water. Works nicely for me. If things gets stuck, I just have to bend the page a bit.
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jpotx113
Member
Posts: 422
What I collect: USA, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Machins, misc. WW
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Post by jpotx113 on Mar 4, 2021 22:25:36 GMT
I air dry for a bit on a paper towel, then into a stamp drying book. Before I bought a couple I used a heavy book that had pages that were much like newspaper.
By the way, I saw the term "telephone directory" mentioned. Do we need to explain to the younger members what this is? I've not seen a large one in years; plus I've encountered younger people that can't use a rotary phone. Cell phones seem to have made a lot of this obsolete.
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,010
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Post by rex on Mar 5, 2021 8:09:36 GMT
Some images to help the new generations who don't know how to use a rotary phone. Telephone directory. In our case, Yellow pages.   . Baking parchmemt paper also known as grease proof paper. 
And last but not least, an authentic cotton kitchen towel. 
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,164
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 5, 2021 8:20:26 GMT
Baking parchment paper also known as grease proof paper. In the US, this is also referred to as "waxed paper" or "wax paper", but it is the same thing, just a different name. Edit: I misunderstood that parchment paper for baking is different than waxed paper, now corrected. Apologies to all. Thanks to Ryan for pointing this out. I am still going to continue to use waxed paper for my stamps, though. There have been no issues with either drying or sticking since I started using it.
I blot excess water from the stamps using paper towels, then I put the damp stamps face down on blotter paper (a kind of moisture-absorbent soft cardboard) and then cover with a piece of waxed paper on the back side of the stamps, to prevent sticking just in case there is some residual gum. Works like a charm. Initially, I only used the blotters without the waxed paper, and I occasionally had some problems with sticking. One time I ended up cutting out a piece of the blotter to re-soak an early Hungarian stamp that was completely stuck down to it. That's when I decided I needed to improve the process. Since I started using the waxed paper, no issues with stuck-down stamps any more. Even if it does stick, I have always been able to separate the stamps from the waxed paper without damaging them, and yes, the waxed paper is reusable. I have been working with the same pieces for a few years now.
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,010
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Post by rex on Mar 5, 2021 8:55:46 GMT
Each issue of stamps is usually produced with a certain type of paper that could be defined as light, medium or heavy paper, the value cards of the stamps, banknotes and more are produced with various weights. Once the stamp has been washed and placed on a cotton fabric it is almost able to dry by itself in the air. Our heavy book and baking paper are used mostly to iron and dry the last residual moisture.
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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 Mar 5, 2021 10:15:16 GMT
Baking parchment paper also known as grease proof paper. In the US, this is also referred to as "waxed paper" or "wax paper", but it is the same thing, just a different name. Not so - I don't know if it would make all that much difference for stamp soaking, though. Parchment paper might be a very tiny bit absorbent, hardly any (at least it seems to sweat through just a tiny bit when I cook my frozen Italian sausages on it), whereas wax paper is impermeable. I suppose it might take a bit longer for the stamps to dry if you were using wax paper. Whether or not wax paper can transfer any wax or any chemical to the stamp is another question - parchment paper uses sulphuric acid in the manufacturing process and is known to be not good for archival purposes. Parchment paper has a light coating of silicone on it to stop your cookies from sticking (you can fry your eggs on top of it if you hate cleaning your frying pan). Don't forget your stamps in the drying book for a year if you use any kind of coated paper, that's probably the best tip! If you're a baker, then you'll hate it if you use the wrong one - bake the cookies on top of parchment paper and you'll be happy, but bake the cookies on top of wax paper and you'll melt the wax on to the bottom of the cookies (although you're more likely to set it all on fire, wax paper likes to burn when you put it in the oven...). Ryan
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,010
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Post by rex on Mar 5, 2021 11:26:36 GMT
The transfer of chemical substances from paper to postage stamp would be remarkable if the postage stamp and the paper were heated hot, in cold conditions the release of probable substances is minimal or zero, also considering that the wrappers where food is placed should not release by law chemical residue. .
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 2,805
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Mar 5, 2021 11:57:17 GMT
In the US, this is also referred to as "waxed paper" or "wax paper", but it is the same thing, just a different name. Not so - I don't know if it would make all that much difference for stamp soaking, though. If you're a baker, then you'll hate it if you use the wrong one - bake the cookies on top of parchment paper and you'll be happy, but bake the cookies on top of wax paper and you'll melt the wax on to the bottom of the cookies (although you're more likely to set it all on fire, wax paper likes to burn when you put it in the oven...). Ryan Ha ha! Exciting times then !
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,164
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 5, 2021 12:58:33 GMT
Thanks for your response, Ryan . I have actually seen parchment paper before used in baking, but somehow I had not connected it from its proper baking use with what Ludovico ( rex ) was describing.... not sure why! My apologies to all for posting incorrect info. I have corrected my earlier post so as not to confuse anyone. I don't know how well parchment paper works for drying stamps after soaking, but I can attest that waxed paper works very well, and I have never noticed any issues with leaving some sort of residue on the stamps. I have also not noticed any appreciable difference in how long it takes for them to dry. But as I mentioned, I use paper towels to remove the excess water first, so the stamps are only damp by the time I press them between the blotter and the waxed paper. I started blotting the excess water prior to placing on the blotter paper because when I didn't do that, I ended up with water stains on the blotter paper, and it also became warped, similar to what Peter ( brightonpete ) described with his drying book. After wrecking a couple of pieces of blotter paper that way, I changed to my current process, and I haven't had any problems since then.
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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 Mar 5, 2021 13:23:02 GMT
I use parchment paper much more often for baking, and have a couple rolls of waxed paper. Better to use wax paper for stamps - cheaper! Thanks, Beryllium Guy for that! I'll switch to that.
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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 Mar 8, 2021 14:59:25 GMT
I soaked a small group of stamps, including some GB QV penny reds that stuck themselves quite well to the paper towel- I tried a culinary parchment paper (thank you rex for mentioning parchment) and also as a 'test group" half using the old paper towel method. I am anxious to see how well parchment works (this test is parchment on both sides) I report back in a day or two!
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,010
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Post by rex on Mar 8, 2021 15:33:18 GMT
stainlessb I would recommend leaving the stamps in the air for at least an hour on the kitchen towel, turning them all over at least once, and then placing them between two sheets of parchment paper.
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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 Mar 8, 2021 15:56:19 GMT
I'm not sure if it was a full hour, but they were left on/between and then open with towel
This biggest issue initially was the parchment comes in cut sheets that are rolled and getting it to lay flat required some well placed paper weights. I'm hoping after a time or two of being 'pressed" they will lay flat
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 450
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Mar 9, 2021 4:48:24 GMT
So much careful thought makes me feel like a Neanderthal. I rely on a cotton dinner napkin, well ironed to be sure, without sizing. I fold the stamp in and weigh it with an encyclopedia (another Neanderthal reference?).
Pure cotton, because that's what we have. It only causes trouble with stamps that retain some gum; that can stick to the cotton. If so, I wet it again and repeat. So far, so good. A polyester blend might stick less, even if it's less absorbent. But that would mean buying new napkins, when we have stacks.

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ajkitt
Member
Posts: 175
What I collect: Classics, Central Europe, World
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Post by ajkitt on Mar 9, 2021 6:33:25 GMT
I'm really enjoying this thread... diversity and parallels in the same essentially universal process, eh?
So, my 2 cents worth:
Lay 'em out on terry cloth washcloths (that can be purchase at Walmart at a pack of 18 for $4) just long enough to absorb the bulk of the water and air dry slightly (maybe 10 minutes).
Move them to 110 lb cardstock pages - 8 x 11s that I fold in half to 8 x 5.5, putting the stamps in the middle (250 sheets for about $20? at Staples... might have gone up, I haven't needed to purchase more in quite some time).
Slide the loaded cardstocks between the pages (every 30 or so) of any old, large book I don't care about (I get free textbooks every now and then as a teacher - distributors trying to get me to change what I use in class, but large used books are exceptionally cheap at any public library's old stock sales, often 50 cents a copy).
Stack the books, throw an old dumbbell on top, and let 'em sit overnight.
I do have a drying book (same one I've had for years, don't remember its cost but I've seen similar at shows for 12ish bucks), and I use it for the odd stamp that adhered to the cardstock in the morning (just re-soak, trash the now cut-up cardstock, and use the drying book), or stamps that quite obviously still have enough glue to do that.
But this whole thread is also dismaying me; it's getting harder and harder to walk by my banker's box of on-paper (now 3/4 full!) without doing anything about it! ;-)
Andy
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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 Mar 9, 2021 12:47:07 GMT
So I bought a drying book some time ago. After using it a few times, well once was enough... the pages are all warped. So when I pile weight on the book to flatten the stamps, they still come out warped as well. Is it that I am not adding enough weight on the book? With the pages now warped, can one just soak them, added even more weight to that and wait for them to dry somewhat flatter?
I think I'll do the the cloth drying for 10 minutes technique, then press under book in tissues. All paper towels here are dimpled. My napkins are also textured! I'll look for some smooth ones though...
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Admin
Administrator
Posts: 2,489
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Post by Admin on Mar 9, 2021 12:58:17 GMT
When I got my drying book, I didn't sufficiently blot the excess water from the stamps before putting them in the book and that caused several of the plasticized pages to warp.
Now, I place the soaked stamps on a clean dish towel, place another on top, and press down to blot the excess liquid.
After placing the stamps in the book, I place it under a stack of books (about 10 pounds) and leave it overnight.
The next day, the stamps are dry and flat (even the ones placed on the warped pages).
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