Soaking Stamps
From StampWantsWiki
Contents |
Introduction
Especially now that we are well into the era of self-adhesive stamps, collecting of modern postally used stamps is particularly challenging for many of us in the hobby. One of the major concerns to many philatelists is extreme difficulty with soaking used stamps to get them off paper and ready to mount in their albums, share with their children and grandchildren, or to put up for sale. Depending on the issue, results of soaking self-adhesive stamps can vary from being nearly as easy to soak as water-activated gum (WAG), to being near impossible and completely ruining the stamp. Needless to say, it is frustrating.
In the StampWants forums, there has been a lot of discussion about various methods people have used (to varying degrees of success), and about which issues are easier to soak than others. The goal of this Wiki site is to accumulate the experiences of the various StampWants users into a consolidated, easy-to-navigate public resource for finding out what others have done so that you don't have to re-invent the wheel (and ruin great stamps in the process).
I hope you find this site useful. I would love to hear from you about what you think, or what you think could make this site better.
-noernberg
Articles on Soaking Stamps
Please add any good references here!
- michael78651's Store Article
- Soaking stamps by Ken Stewart
- Linns.com Article
- Advice on Soaking Stamps by Robert Murray Stamp Shop
- AskPhil Article
- APS Article regarding Preservation and Care of Philatelic Materials
Ongoing Forum Discussions
Some of these are excellent resources! Check it out, or weigh in!
There's probably more out there. Go to the forums and use the "search" function in the upper right!
View/Edit the Stamp "Soakability" Database
This section includes the "soakability factor" for individual stamp issues, as well as tips and techniques that may vary issue to issue. PLEASE ADD TO IT! If you see multiple factors, it's because there are more than one opinion.
We are currently defining "soakability" with the following admittedly subjective rating scale:
"A" = Very Easy (as far as self-adhesives go) / Wish they were all like this
"B" = Use Patience / It's possible... use care
"C" = Very Challenging / Soak at your own risk
"D" = NOT Recommended / Keep on Paper
Unlike "WAG" stamps, self-adhesives do not soak off as easily in cool water for about one minute. This scale, in general, has the baseline standard of soaking in warm-to-hot water for anywhere from 4-10 minutes (and some gentle rubbing to separate the gum from the stamp). If you find a technique that requires more than just this, please indicate what was done differently (e.g. "One drop of XYZ brand dish soap and a few ounces of water - soak for 30 minutes - gently rinse off soap.")
When you rate and if you are stuck between classifications, use "+" and "-" like your grade school teachers did (e.g. Give it a C+)
Technique variations for soaking self-adhesives
Here is where you can share with others the different and unique methods you have discovered for getting stubborn self-adhesive stamps to safely release from the paper.
- "Repetition method" - This is just a method where you are doing the same thing you would typically do but it may take many repetitions for some stubborn stamp varieties. Soak the stamp in warm water for 5 minutes, remove and place face-down onto a flat, hard surface where you can gently work the edge of the stubborn gum with your fingertip (you are trying to pull or roll back just the gum which will safely lift - when you meet resistance, STOP), resoak in more warm water for another 5 minutes (fresh warm water if needed), keep repeating this cycle until you have rolled back the gum all the way into the center and are able to remove it entirely. This method could anywhere take between 20 minutes and an hour depending on how stubborn that series of stamps and gum is known to be. Lots of patience is the key - along with a hard surface for the stamp to rest on so that the front face of it doesn't bend, break, crack, split. Always keep the stamp itself flat and roll back just the paper or the gum.
- "Watermark Fluid method" - Submerge the stamp in a petri dish with watermark fluid for about 20 seconds. Gently separate the stamp from the paper with tongs. It should come off the paper clean and without damage. The only problem is that the gum may remain still on the back of the stamp. If the gum doesn't come off, transfer the stamp to a leftover piece of backing paper or something similar. This could be a good method for removing from colored paper or for other instances when you can't get a good clean piece to just leave on paper.
- "Water & Watermark Fluid method" - Soak the stamp in warm water as usual and remove gum. If there is still a slight amount of gum remaining on the back of a more difficult stamp, use a Q-tip soaked in watermark fluid to rub gently over the glue a few times until gone. As above, make sure the stamp is on a flat surface. Use a fresh edge of the Q-tip or a new Q-tip as necessary.
- "Paper towel method" - With a soaking wet paper towel, fold it multiple times to form a sponge-like pad, place the stamp on it face-up, weight down the stamp lightly with something non-damaging that will keep just the backside in contact with the wet pad, leave in this position overnight or more to thoroughly saturate the paper on the back for removal without soaking the frontside. Paper should be much easier to remove - repeat as necessary.
Why warm water is important and why you DO NOT USE HOT WATER. click the link for info and photos
I want to contribute to this Wiki site!
The intent of this site is to allow anyone with an opinion or data on soaking stamps to add to post whatever they would like in this site, and to add to the pool of knowledge being presented herein to make it an even more valuable resource. We just ask that you follow a couple guidelines:
1) The StampWants site administrators have the ultimate say as to what is on this site, and can add or remove items as they see fit.
2) This site is to be a consolidate resource for soaking stamps, so please do not use it for conversations or discussions. Go to the forums for that.
3) Please avoid deleting or overwriting other peoples' contributions unless they are clearly inaccurate or inappropriate. Common courtesy if you have a refuting opinion would be to add you opinion alongside and let others be the judge.
4) Please try to keep the database items in Scott # order so that items are easy to locate.
If you would like to make contributions to this site, but are unfamiliar with the "ways of the Wiki", there is a link to the Wike Help Pages at the bottom of the Main page where you can train yourself with a little patience. If that's not for you, feel free to contact the originator of this site (user noernberg) via StampWants message and describe what you want to add. This is on a volunteer basis, so I will do what I can to support you, but please be patient if I can't get to it right away. Thanks.
