jpotx113
Member 
Posts: 460
What I collect: USA, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Machins, misc. WW
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Post by jpotx113 on Aug 20, 2021 23:17:42 GMT
I created a thread a few years ago regarding self-adhesive stamp removal using Pure Citrus and applying talcum powder in the Q&A section. I pretty much gave up on removing S/A papers and started buying mine already removed to save time and effort. However, while on Covid lockdown recently, I have gotten a little experience and have been able to do a pretty good job of removing S/A stamps from paper and the residue left behind.
1. Rather than spray the back of the stamp with Pure Citrus, I spray a little in a glass jar which helps prevent it from evaporating.
2. Dip a small paint brush into the liquid and apply to the back of the paper; you can also use an eye dropper.
3. Remove stamp after about 10 seconds or less.
4. Rub the paint brush on the residue on the stamp and allow it to soak in for about a minute.
5. I then use a letter opener to gently remove the sticky residue.
6. A light dusting with talcum powder (if needed) with a second paint brush helps eliminate any stickiness left over.
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banknoteguy
Member
Posts: 284
What I collect: 19th Century US, High denomination US (> $1), 19th century covers US, Indian Feudatory States and most recently I acquired a BigBlue [with about 5,000 stamps] and pristine pages.
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Post by banknoteguy on Aug 21, 2021 0:24:06 GMT
I have tried pure citrus also. Smells nice but is very tricky to work with. I have ruined several stamps that I was practicing on. My experience has been mixed even using a fine paint brush to apply it to the back side of whatever the stamp is attached to. I have run into cases where the backing material is not permeable and applying Pure Citrus to the front side of a stamp just does not work in my experience.
One other thing I found is that pure citrus dissolves plastic very quickly. So you have to be quite careful with it around anything plastic.
My bottom line, is that I just trim around the stamp and mount it along with the backing or better yet buy one already removed.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Aug 21, 2021 13:45:59 GMT
I have tried pure citrus also. Smells nice but is very tricky to work with. I have ruined several stamps that I was practicing on. My experience has been mixed even using a fine paint brush to apply it to the back side of whatever the stamp is attached to. I have run into cases where the backing material is not permeable and applying Pure Citrus to the front side of a stamp just does not work in my experience.
One other thing I found is that pure citrus dissolves plastic very quickly. So you have to be quite careful with it around anything plastic. My bottom line, is that I just trim around the stamp and mount it along with the backing or better yet buy one already removed.
If there was a panacea, I have no doubt every collector this side of the Milky Way would be ladling it by the gallon.
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145 
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Aug 21, 2021 14:40:11 GMT
I use Pure Citrus often and most often with recent US stamps. I have encountered all of the pitfalls of using it and have established a couple of work-arounds that have helped me solve various problems I have encountered.
- I initially spray on the pure citrus directly from the bottle with the on-paper stamps all face-down on a piece of paper towel. I usually spray 5 or 6 stamps at a time. This helps mitigate the problem of bleed and smearing of US sprayed cancellations. I let the backing paper absorb the pure citrus for 30 seconds or so and then slide my spade tip tong between stamp and the paper and it usually comes off readily. If the stamp is on some sort of non-absorbent coated paper or plastic it can be a challenge which can sometimes only be overcome by spraying the face of the stamp. Sometimes I don't bother to remove if it is a common stamp in this case.
- Once off paper I move the stamp to the hard surface of my Olfa mat that I use on my desktop and working from the middle of the stamp to the perf/die-cut edges, remove the excess adhesive with the end of a metal ruler. I use the same paper towel I used previously to wipe the scraped adhesive off the ruler edge.
- I then use an old terrycloth face cloth to wipe the stamp carefully using the tip of my finger inside the cloth, again from the middle of the stamp to the edges, and wipe off most of the remaining adhesive.
- If, at that point, the stamp is still tacky with adhesive after drying, I will paint some more pure citrus on the stamp with a cotton swab or model paint brush and wipe with the cloth again but usually most of the adhesive is gone by this point.
- I don't use talcum powder. The stamps are typically no longer sticky by this point and they go into my stock pages or onto my album pages.
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drblade
Member
Posts: 726
What I collect: GB Unmounted mint & Machin definitives Q.E.II Used commemoratives
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Post by drblade on Oct 17, 2021 8:01:29 GMT
I have tried pure citrus also. Smells nice but is very tricky to work with. I have ruined several stamps that I was practicing on. My experience has been mixed even using a fine paint brush to apply it to the back side of whatever the stamp is attached to. I have run into cases where the backing material is not permeable and applying Pure Citrus to the front side of a stamp just does not work in my experience.
One other thing I found is that pure citrus dissolves plastic very quickly. So you have to be quite careful with it around anything plastic.
My bottom line, is that I just trim around the stamp and mount it along with the backing or better yet buy one already removed.
I collect GB Machin definitive stamps, many hundreds of which are now self adhesive types. Many dealers & experts in UK now advise leaving the backing paper intact & trimming around the stamps. In fact some of the stamps cannot have their source identified unless part of the design/security printing on the backing paper is not left intact. |
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zipper
Member
Posts: 2,649
What I collect: Classic GB, QV, France Ceres/Napoleon, Classic U.S., Cinderella & Poster Stamps
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Post by zipper on Oct 18, 2021 23:34:08 GMT
More work than I care to do. I just cut around the paper and put it in my album.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,346
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Oct 19, 2021 10:59:18 GMT
This is one reason why I do not collect many self-adhesives.
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drblade
Member
Posts: 726
What I collect: GB Unmounted mint & Machin definitives Q.E.II Used commemoratives
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Post by drblade on Oct 21, 2021 11:30:55 GMT
This is one reason why I do not collect many self-adhesives. Quite honestly, (with current Machin definitive self adhesives GB), it's becoming a pain trying to keep up with the amount of different ones being issued. |
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,150
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Post by rex on Oct 21, 2021 12:44:35 GMT
More work than I care to do. I just cut around the paper and put it in my album. Me too. |
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machin141
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Posts: 17
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Post by machin141 on Jan 5, 2022 23:00:18 GMT
Hi does anyone know of a good method of removing self adhesive stamps please
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radiocruncher
Member
Posts: 317
What I collect: GB especially Wildings and Machins. Early Germany to 1945
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Post by radiocruncher on Jan 6, 2022 10:02:38 GMT
I’ve recently been using a product called ‘goo gone’. It takes a while to work and the stamps take a while to dry out after. I’ve also used isopropyl alcohol which works a lot quicker but it causes post marks to blur
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,150
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Post by rex on Jan 6, 2022 17:58:05 GMT
It is just my personal opinion and obviously being an opinion it is not the Holy Gospel, but I believe that self-adhesive stamps must be left on paper. Any substance used to detach them certainly alters the stamp. For many years now I have always tended to keep all the cover all the postal document intact, (future postal history). 
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daveg28
Member
Posts: 1,015
What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Jan 6, 2022 19:56:12 GMT
Pure Citrus. Works great, and I follow it up with a little talc powder to eliminate any remaining residue.
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machin141
**Member**
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Posts: 17
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Post by machin141 on Jan 6, 2022 23:02:22 GMT
Thanks everyone for your advice will try these methods I have tried lighter fluid myself it does work but I'm not all that happy with this way I wish they had never invented self adhesive stamps happy stamping all the best
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Post by mudgie on Jan 7, 2022 18:24:27 GMT
Regarding British stamps my 2021 Stanley Gibbons catalogue advises that "because the" recent "self-adhesive stamps do not include a water-soluable layer of gum we recommend that used stamps are retained on their backing paper and trimmed with a uniform border of 1-2 mm around the sides taking care not to cut into the perforations".
I agree, although I leave a border that includes all of the postmark..
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jpotx113
Member
Posts: 460
What I collect: USA, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Machins, misc. WW
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Post by jpotx113 on Jan 7, 2022 20:26:58 GMT
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jpotx113
Member
Posts: 460
What I collect: USA, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Machins, misc. WW
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Post by jpotx113 on Jan 7, 2022 20:28:25 GMT
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