| | Soaking stamps - I did it my way | |
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Krash101 Stamp Bears Posting Guru


Posts: 2721 Points: 3763 Join date: 2012-06-18 Age: 40 Location: Pennsylvania
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:48 am | |
| | indestore23 wrote: | hmm...have never used chemicals in washing my stamps, though I gotta admit maybe some recycled sewage water could be involved...can't really remember but may have been mixed into our tap water 
Anyway, with so many stamps to soak, I shall leave the dirty ones to the very very end (as if I'll even get to the very end LOl !) |
Yes, I'm always a little "on the fence" on weather a stamp should get "the treatment" or not, but once in a great while you will find a little gem that has been passed over by collectors due to it's appearance and usually a quick dip in peroxide, warm water & the bubbles will resurrect it! I have found that in most cases it does more good than harm with the only caveat being, that you know what your doing and of course, to what; and properly executed.
It is a long held belief that stamps should be well left alone however it is a recognized practice for dealing with filthy stamps. It can also (Hydrogen Peroxide) can "restore" oxidized stamps. That's Peroxides main function in philately. It is especially seen on the orange and yellow stamp ink,s as they will change color when they come into contact with pollutants and are affectionately and collectively known as "changelings". These can be brought back to their original color with a Hydrogen Peroxide dip and good bubble bath. I just thought it should be mentioned as another tool in your proverbial toolkit.
I hope you took something away from this little endeavor and use it wisely. It is a great thing in small doses. -Cheers! |
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Krash101 Stamp Bears Posting Guru


Posts: 2721 Points: 3763 Join date: 2012-06-18 Age: 40 Location: Pennsylvania
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Wed Jun 27, 2012 6:47 am | |
| Speak of the devil...I just lost the ink on at least 2 of my very early half pence Trinidad stamps in just warm water alone! World Wide stuff is more tricky than the US material. oh well.. |
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indestore Dedicated Stamp Bear


Posts: 3028 Points: 4928 Join date: 2011-10-07 Age: 35 Location: Singapore
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:38 pm | |
| Tough luck, looks like tap water is still the way to go for me...for now. |
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kacyds Moderator


Posts: 9689 Points: 12226 Join date: 2012-07-02 Age: 47 Location: Waggaman (New Orleans), LA USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Tue Jul 03, 2012 8:32 pm | |
| I have used lukewarm water for removing gummed stamps from paper (this does not include the self adhesives, thats another story). Once they have soaked for 10-15 minutes, most stamps will come off the paper without any resistance. After removing them from the paper I stick them to the side of the sink for a few minutes, to drip dry. Then I place them upside down on newspaper to dry overnight. Once they are dried, I place them in some sort of magazine or catalog, make sure they have shiny pages, and press them under some telephone books or any other heavy books. After a few days, they are flattened and ready to be placed in a album.
If you want to remove the self adhesives easily, I can start a post for that. I have a true and tried remedy for that too.....lol |
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Bear Admin


Posts: 14666 Points: 22027 Join date: 2011-05-12 Age: 37 Location: MA, USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:18 pm | |
| please do Kacyds
_________________ Happy Stamping!! Bear |
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kacyds Moderator


Posts: 9689 Points: 12226 Join date: 2012-07-02 Age: 47 Location: Waggaman (New Orleans), LA USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:31 pm | |
| Consider it done.  |
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kacyds Moderator


Posts: 9689 Points: 12226 Join date: 2012-07-02 Age: 47 Location: Waggaman (New Orleans), LA USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:15 pm | |
| Just finished soaking and removing about 500 worldwide stamps from paper. It brings back many memories as a kid, removing the stamps that my mother brought home from work. To bad that the US doesnt follow some other countries with there self adhesives, it would make life so much easier.  |
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bengalpaws Dedicated Stamp Bear


Posts: 4835 Points: 6348 Join date: 2012-04-18 Age: 55 Location: Denham Springs, LA USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:21 am | |
| Most of my soaking and drying of late is from stamps in the 1945-67 range for the most part and what a difference they are from modern stamps!
A bowl, some warm water, a tad bit of agitation to assure everything is properly soaked and in a matter of minutes those old stamps all but float off the paper. The one thing that slows me down the most with soaking and drying is I use a drying book and I can fill it in not much time but have to wait for the drying to occur. Still in all it's those old stamps can be soaked and dried as fast as the system allows for. |
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kacyds Moderator


Posts: 9689 Points: 12226 Join date: 2012-07-02 Age: 47 Location: Waggaman (New Orleans), LA USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:00 am | |
| Yes BP, its amazing how quick those old stamps dry. But I always wondered why most stamps dry flat, there are a few that always seem to curl. Does anyone have any insight on that???? |
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RossTO Admin


Posts: 3306 Points: 5002 Join date: 2012-05-14 Age: 46 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:53 pm | |
| Yeah those older stamps always seem to dry flatter and faster. As for the drying book, I use a watercolour artist pad. Works wonders and is cheaper than the ones you get from the stamp dealers/suppliers. _________________ Ignorance isn't bliss... it is just ignorance.
Current collections; Canada, GB, Australia, & New Zealand (all years). Austria, France & Switzerland (to 1970) Embryonic collections; British Empire, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Germany up to 1970. |
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kacyds Moderator


Posts: 9689 Points: 12226 Join date: 2012-07-02 Age: 47 Location: Waggaman (New Orleans), LA USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:05 pm | |
| I never would have thought of that Ross. I will look into that. Thanks for the great tip. |
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Bear Admin


Posts: 14666 Points: 22027 Join date: 2011-05-12 Age: 37 Location: MA, USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:09 pm | |
| i tried that doodle pad i mentioned elsewhere (perhaps here) and found that the pages and hence the stamps ended up wavy .. i was not happy with having to resoak and start over..
Ross do you find any issues with the water color book? _________________ Happy Stamping!! Bear |
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RossTO Admin


Posts: 3306 Points: 5002 Join date: 2012-05-14 Age: 46 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:25 pm | |
| So far, none. 99% of them come out nice and easy and flat. _________________ Ignorance isn't bliss... it is just ignorance.
Current collections; Canada, GB, Australia, & New Zealand (all years). Austria, France & Switzerland (to 1970) Embryonic collections; British Empire, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Germany up to 1970. |
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Bear Admin


Posts: 14666 Points: 22027 Join date: 2011-05-12 Age: 37 Location: MA, USA
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:26 pm | |
| hmmmm may have to look into one soon.. _________________ Happy Stamping!! Bear |
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indestore Dedicated Stamp Bear


Posts: 3028 Points: 4928 Join date: 2011-10-07 Age: 35 Location: Singapore
 | Subject: Re: Soaking stamps - I did it my way Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:23 pm | |
| Previously I mentioned in some topics that I was trying out a watercolor sketchbook as a drying book. Slightly smaller than an A4-size, here's how it looks like.  |
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| | Soaking stamps - I did it my way | |
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