Beryllium Guy
Moderator 
Posts: 5,908 
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 9, 2021 20:29:21 GMT
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... Peter, I think you are possibly misunderstanding here. The dimpled or textured paper towels don't matter as long as you're only using them to blot off the excess water. You just don't want to use textured materials against the stamps when you are applying the heavy weights to press flatten them while they are drying. Otherwise, they work fine. It's what I use, and there are no problems caused by them.  |
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bobstew617
Member 
Posts: 376
What I collect: Switzerland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Channel Islands, Hong Kong (British Admin), PNG, others...
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Post by bobstew617 on Mar 10, 2021 1:21:03 GMT
I have had the same issue as oregon1234. I do blot the stamps with a towel AND I do put them under the weight of either a full set of Scott catalogues (2017) or right now some very big old books, and I STILL have issues with many stamps adhering to the page right on top of it. I think I will take khj's advice about soaking the whole group in a "clean" water bath before transferring them. |
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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 Mar 10, 2021 11:03:04 GMT
If I do not blot them on a terry cloth towel to remove excess water prior to putting in drying books, I usually regret it like I did on the last batch. Now, for some that curl in a roll, I have to put in wetter than desired.
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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 12, 2021 14:34:40 GMT
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). I do the same, and since I have a lot of drying books (I got lucky and found a wholesale lot for not much money on eBay once upon a time) I pile everything up in a big stack. Whenever I need another drying book, I take the book that has finally worked its way to the bottom, empty & sort the dried stamps within, then fill it with my newly soaked stamps and put it on the top of the pile. It's always like Christmas when I empty a drying book, it takes long enough that I always forget what I had been working on back when that book was filled.  Ryan |
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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 Mar 12, 2021 20:14:43 GMT
I am happy to report the parchment is far superior to paper towels. I unfolded the sheet, flicked a time or two and all the stamps slid off, even early GB!
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renden
Member
Posts: 9,162
What I collect: Canada-USA-France-Lithuania-Austria--Germany-Mauritius-French Colonies in Africa
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Post by renden on Mar 12, 2021 20:41:45 GMT
I am happy to report the parchment is far superior to paper towels. I unfolded the sheet, flicked a time or two and all the stamps slid off, even early GB! You need to remove excess with Paper Towel or something absorbent, Stan, then parchment so they do not stick - I knew what you meant .....you are about 10 posts late into the discussion  ....normal for a Sacramento guy LOL !! René |
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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 Mar 12, 2021 21:30:10 GMT
I use a cotton towel (ye old flour sack towels) This is the first time tried parchment paper. Up to now I have sandwiched between a folded institutional type paper towel, no weave or pattern... not especially soft.
we're always later out west..... blame it on the rotation of the planet!
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loupy
Member
Back and active, thank you!
Posts: 70
What I collect: US to 2000 with a focus on 720 & 721, WW 1840 - 1930, DDR 5 year workers, Machins, Canada Centennials, Brazil Allegories, Mexico Archiecture & Archaeology 1950 -75, used stamps preffered when possible.
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Post by loupy on Oct 27, 2021 21:04:46 GMT
I have a drying book, and use it for small batches of soaked stamps for drying, and have experienced some sticking due to some of the less than water soluble glues on some of the modern stamps.
For larger batches I place the soaked wet stamps face down on a bath towel spread on a table or counter top. If you put the stamps face up, they will curl into tubes as they dry.
The stamps are dry when they have that snap to them and feel crisp, which depends on the humidity. They dry fastest in the winter. They are not perfectly flat at this time, so I put them in between the pages of an old Merriam Webster hard back dictionary, and leave them there for a day with some weight on top of the dictionary.
When I remove them they are perfectly flat, and other collectors have marveled at their condition. I have never had any ink transfer from the dictionary, but it has that different type of fine paper compared to normal books.
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Jerry B
Departed
Rest in Peace
Marietta, Georgia USA
Posts: 1,485
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Post by Jerry B on Oct 28, 2021 10:41:06 GMT
Hi
Same as Londonbus. I have had my Desert Magic for years with no problems. It sounds as if you may have some adhesive on the face of the stamp.
Jerry B
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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 28, 2021 13:45:56 GMT
I once used a junk store book purchase aptly titled “Great Expectations.” Got lost during a household/office move.
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oregon1234
**Member** 
Inactive
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 Feb 13, 2022 2:44:42 GMT
Hi! OP here. I'm revisiting this thread just over 2 years later and happy to report I'm still using the same Desert Magic drying books! They are totally warped but still work effectively and the stamps dry flat. My current method is:
1. Warm water soak, remove stamps from paper.
2. Cool water rinse in separate container.
3. Place on terrycloth or microfiber towels and blot gently with another towel.
4. Place in Desert Magic drying book.
I rinse the water in the bins every 20-30 stamps and it is sufficient to keep the glue-water to a minimum, so I've had minimal stamps sticking to pages. When they do, just a little water loosens them and I set them up to dry again.
My new problem is that I impatiently take the stamps out of the drying book too early and they curl a bit.
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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 Feb 13, 2022 3:01:01 GMT
How long are you leaving them in the book? I leave mine overnight, after having placed some heavy books on top of the drying book to enhance the stamps' contact with the blotting papers.
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oregon1234
**Member**
Inactive
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 Feb 13, 2022 3:44:20 GMT
How long are you leaving them in the book? I leave mine overnight, after having placed some heavy books on top of the drying book to enhance the stamps' contact with the blotting papers. Not long enough, lol. Sometimes only a couple hours. I do live in an extremely dry climate (high desert) though. I probably need to leave overnight! |
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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 Feb 13, 2022 15:29:56 GMT
Overnight always - seems sufficient for me (also using Desert Magic, so glad I finally switched from paper towels....wax paper, parchment this is much easier!)
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pattib
Member
Posts: 80
What I collect: Anything France but especially semi-postal. Worldwide to 1920.
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Post by pattib on Feb 13, 2022 16:22:55 GMT
oregon1234 I just tried soaking for the first time a couple of weekends ago. I also experienced a lot of curling. I did leave the stamps in overnight. I put a few of the curled stamps in a stock sheet with a small weight on top and that seemed to eliminate most of the curling. The next time, I will try leaving the stamps in the drying book a few days and maybe put more books on top. I did find the process of soaking the stamps quite therapeutic. The problem is that I just don't have the patience to wait several days for the results.
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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 Feb 13, 2022 17:22:59 GMT
Kristy ( oregon1234 ), while I do agree that leaving your stamps more time to dry and flatten will help, it may not be the full answer. Once upon a time, I started this thread: thestampforum.boards.net/thread/4461/advice-flatten-curling-classic-stampsBack then, I had relatively recently relocated from Ohio in the Midwest to central Arizona. There was a big difference in average relative humidities and elevation above sea level: the Arizona place was over 5,000 feet of elevation and relative humidity around 20-30%. Stamps that I brought with me from the Midwest suddenly started curling when I took them out of their stock books. It was not just after soaking that I noticed curling, but that was also noticeably different from where I had been living. Jim ( jkjblue ) told me at the time that he had the same problem whenever he took stamps to high-elevation locations. In the end, my solution has been to take the curled stamps, put them one at a time inside a folded piece of clean, white paper, and then I carefully use my spade-tipped tongs to slightly roll them opposite to the direction of the curling. I do this gently and repeatedly, and it usually succeeds in removing the curling. If what I have said seems unclear, let me know, and I will try to take some photos of the process to show what I mean. |
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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 Feb 13, 2022 17:49:40 GMT
pattib It seems (to me) that curling is an indicator that there is gun remaining on the stamp (or someone along the way used a glue to affix to an album page). Some countries are more troublesome than others. Early Great Britain (penny reds) can take several soakings to remove all the gum, likewise Austria is problematic. There is a thread (somewhere, escapes me at the moment) fo using pancreatin (an enzyme I believe) that breaks down the adhesive that works on the Austrian stamps, but I have nor tried. It helps to know which stamps have inks that will bleed- fortunately not a huge number! I use warm/almost hot water with a drop of clear dish soap for soaking, and then another bowl (rinse) of same temp without the soap. I will sometimes add hydrogen peroxide (3% grocery/drug store)to the rinse, in which case I will have a third bowl for a final water only rinse. Sometimes if I only want to use a peroxide bath on a small number of stamp I use a small (petri) dish It greatly helps to remove paper and hinges as soon as they separate. Also, I put stamps on re or dark blue paper aside and soak separately (kind of like laundry.... which I'm no longer allowed to do, ahving change some whites to lovely pastels.....) I too find it therapeutic, much like weeding in my garden! In my case patience is negated by the fact I will occasionally forget I have stamps in the drying books (unless there was something specific that I soaked)
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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 Feb 13, 2022 17:55:54 GMT
Stan ( stainlessb ), the post about how to soak old Austrian stamps was made by Ryan , and it is here: thestampforum.boards.net/post/49686/threadP.S. Residual gum is one reason for curling, I agree, but it is not the only one. Please see my post just before yours. In my case, many of the stamps were perfectly clean without any residual gum. |
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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 Feb 13, 2022 20:02:07 GMT
Stan! (stainlessb) You have guns on your stamps? Guns in pockets, purses, holsters... and now stamps! OMG!
Be very careful with those!
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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 Feb 13, 2022 20:33:36 GMT
Heavily armed Pete and post corrected LOL
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oregon1234
**Member**
Inactive
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 Feb 19, 2022 6:23:10 GMT
Kristy ( oregon1234 ), while I do agree that leaving your stamps more time to dry and flatten will help, it may not be the full answer. Once upon a time, I started this thread: thestampforum.boards.net/thread/4461/advice-flatten-curling-classic-stampsBack then, I had relatively recently relocated from Ohio in the Midwest to central Arizona. There was a big difference in average relative humidities and elevation above sea level: the Arizona place was over 5,000 feet of elevation and relative humidity around 20-30%. Stamps that I brought with me from the Midwest suddenly started curling when I took them out of their stock books. It was not just after soaking that I noticed curling, but that was also noticeably different from where I had been living. Jim ( jkjblue ) told me at the time that he had the same problem whenever he took stamps to high-elevation locations. In the end, my solution has been to take the curled stamps, put them one at a time inside a folded piece of clean, white paper, and then I carefully use my spade-tipped tongs to slightly roll them opposite to the direction of the curling. I do this gently and repeatedly, and it usually succeeds in removing the curling. If what I have said seems unclear, let me know, and I will try to take some photos of the process to show what I mean. @beryllium guy this totally makes sense because I live at high(er) elevation and it is really dry here! 3500 feet in Bend Oregon. After setting the drying books under the stamp catalogs and smashing them overnight, they are better. And the mounts help too. |
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ken44
**Member**
Posts: 22
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Post by ken44 on Sept 5, 2024 22:33:38 GMT
Hello:
I have 3 Desert Magic drying books and use them often. They are great! Most of the time the stamps fall off the shinny page ( you must place the wet stamps back side down on the shinny page and bring the blotter down on the front side of the stamp). If a stamp does not fall off, just bend the shinny page close to the stamp and it falls off.
I like this product very much. I usually place some heavy books on while the stamps dry for a day.
good luck'
ken44
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....normal for a Sacramento guy LOL !! 
