Interesting items from on-paper kiloware mixes...

Another alternative I thought of was to use Pure Citrus but use a cotton swab to apply the liquid to the back paper only and let it do its job by soaking through to loosen the adhesive and avoid getting any of the Pure Citrus liquid on the face of the stamp. I have done something similar with those Italian prioritaria stamps like the one below. They will not soak off of paper in water, it is like they are nailed on...and I noticed that if they get Pure Citrus on the face of the stamp, the gold color starts to dissolve. I have, however, had success with the cotton swab method which limits the amount of liquid that gets on the face of the stamp.

This is another stamp I remove with paint thinner but it doesn't get the water soak afterward.  And like the Irish SOAR stamps, these Italian stamps spend as little time as possible in the paint thinner to avoid problems with the design being damaged, and I'm careful when drying / wiping the stamp back to remove remaining gum - I make sure that I don't rub the printed surface and I'm having success that way.  The oldest generation of French self-adhesives (red Mariannes) are treated similarly, as too much time in the paint thinner will soften the ink on the design so I'm careful both with the amount of time spent in the chemicals and with how I clean the stamp afterward.

Ryan