Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Leon
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Pre-cut mounts are mostly for USA stamps. The other size that you are referring to are for mount strips. You insert the stamp into the mount strip and then cut the strip to size.
They do make packs of various sized strips. Sort of like sampler packs, as well as cutters for the mounts. As you need more mounts, you can easily purchase packs of the mount size needed.
Check out various dealers, online, catalog and brick-and-mortar shops.
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Hi Leon and welcome to SOR. Like you, I am getting back into the hobby after a long lapse, 30 years more or less. Am also fairly new to SOR, about a year.
I use the Showguard mounts in my US Scott National album. My local dealer sells "used but still usable" mounts in large mixed lots, so I have a large pile of mounts of various sizes. Getting the right one took me a while to get used to, but I can almost find one that fits. In some cases, I use the bottom half of an oversized mount and create a mount that is sealed on the bottom and open on both sides and the top. Works pretty well and keeps costs down.
The two biggest things I learned with the Showguard system are: 1) their size refers to the height of the stamp, not the height of the mount; and 2) only fasten/adhere the top part of the back of the mount and let the bottom hang free.
In my WW collection, I use hinges and am not that particular as to which ones I use. I found one packet that says "acid free," which is a good thing, but I don't know if the others are acid free and just don say so. Many of them say "peelable" which is false advertising in most cases (IMO). I've found that most hinges can be made somewhat peelable, in the sense that they will not create a thin in the stamp when being removed, by applying only the smallest amount of moisture to the hinge, and then letting it partially dry before applying it. My main concern now is whether or not that hinge will hold the stamp for the next 20-30 years.
If you do a content search here on SOR for hinges, you will find a number of helpful discussions. One consistent theme is that the old Dennison hinges we all had as kids are long gone. Even the recipe for making those Dennison hinges seems to be lost to the ages. You can get them on eBay for $10-$15 per packet, but I haven't gone that route.
Best of luck with your collection!
Steve
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Hi Leon,
I collect WW so need to deal with a wide range of stamp shapes and sizes. As such, I prefer the clear Hawid mounts (open on three sides). I buy the strips and trim to the correct size. Having said that, about 90% of my collection is hinged (not mounts), and I use the mounts only for better items (higher CV) and MNH items. I generally try to use the old Dennison or Fold-O-Hinge, but they are a bit expensive on eBay.
Good luck!
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Hi Leon welcome back into the hobby. Here is something you might consider.
http://showgardseconds.com/catalog
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-03-30 17:58:07)
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For me, when it comes to mounts, I like Scott/Prinz over Showgard for my MNH stamps as I really like the plastic containers the mounts come in. Since I live in Florida, I have found that the Showgard mounts tend to warp over time. I have not found this with the Prinz/Scott mounts. I also am moving more towards the strips as opposed to the precut mounts--I have a nice Fiskars cutter which is great for trimming the mount to the size I want. (I prefer the black mounts as I think it makes the stamp show better, but to each his or her own).
For hinges, I use them only for used or previously hinged stamps. Other than Dennison, I tend to like the Supersafe variety--they do not curl in the Florida weather, I have found, unlike others I have tried. BOB
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Thank-you one and all for the informative answers. One thing I want to clarify is that the title of the thread is an error.I meant it to be "which mounts" as opposed to " which hinges." All of you were too polite to belittle my blunder and I appreciate that. I am going to go with strips and cut them myself as I am also a fine scale modeler. These modern German have more sizes than Dickens has adjectives but I am sure it could be worse. Thanks again.
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I bought a little mount cutter and that darn thing has been so useful!
They aren't very expensive and compared to the cost of mounts, a worthwhile
investment.
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"only fasten/adhere the top part of the back of the mount and let the bottom hang free"
I'm just curious; why this way and not adhere just the bottom part of the mount? I would think that's more stable on a page. Or is it just a personal preference?
Thanks.
Peter
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"Quote:"
"only fasten/adhere the top part of the back of the mount and let the bottom hang free"
Question:
"I'm just curious; why this way and not adhere just the bottom part of the mount? I would think that's more stable on a page."
Peter, that's a good question. I guess the major point is to not fasten both top and bottom. That makes it hard to remove the stamp when you eventually find a better copy. With my US collection, I'm always on the lookout for a fancier cancel or a brighter color.
Top vs. bottom? Fastening the top half is more hinge-like, and since I grew up with hinges, that seemed the natural way to go. If there is any stability to be gained from top vs. bottom, I would guess that a top attachment is less likely to flop over and accidentally get bent when you close the album. But that is a rare chance in any case, so it probably defaults back to appearance and personal preference.
-Steve
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I was getting frustrated yesterday with not having the right size mounts for certain stamps, and did an experiment. It turns out that you can use the heat sealing strip of a food saver to make custom sized mounts. It took a few tries to get the timing right and even more time to set up a little shelf to hold and measure while sealing, but the results were amazing. Some were better than others, Scott/Prinz mounts came out beautiful. Hawid mounts a little less so. After sealing, a fiskars paper cutter made them look perfect.
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" I guess the major point is to not fasten both top and bottom."
That is an important point. I have seen plenty of collections where both the top and bottom of the mounts (smaller sizes as opposed to the larger sizes)were attached to the album pages. The result is a line across the middle of the stamp where moisture seeped between the two gummed tabs on the back of the mount and effectively ruined the gum on the stamp. That leaves the stamp good only for postage.
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"It turns out that you can use the heat sealing strip of a food saver to make custom sized mounts."
Sean, you are a man after my own heart. Well done, MacGyver!
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Just getting back into hobby after recent retirement and want to do it right. I eased myself back in by getting a Schaubek 2000 Germany supplement nine pages. The MNH set I bought is due to arrive at any time. I need hinges, however I am not sure which ones. Showgard makes a packet that is marked UN/Germany but I am not sure if they are the ones to get. As I said, I want to do things right. I have researched and have the measurements of all of the stamps, however when I search for mounts it seems they have a size number but not the actual measurements. Please, any advice would be appreciated.
Leon
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re: Which Hinges
Pre-cut mounts are mostly for USA stamps. The other size that you are referring to are for mount strips. You insert the stamp into the mount strip and then cut the strip to size.
They do make packs of various sized strips. Sort of like sampler packs, as well as cutters for the mounts. As you need more mounts, you can easily purchase packs of the mount size needed.
Check out various dealers, online, catalog and brick-and-mortar shops.
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
Hi Leon and welcome to SOR. Like you, I am getting back into the hobby after a long lapse, 30 years more or less. Am also fairly new to SOR, about a year.
I use the Showguard mounts in my US Scott National album. My local dealer sells "used but still usable" mounts in large mixed lots, so I have a large pile of mounts of various sizes. Getting the right one took me a while to get used to, but I can almost find one that fits. In some cases, I use the bottom half of an oversized mount and create a mount that is sealed on the bottom and open on both sides and the top. Works pretty well and keeps costs down.
The two biggest things I learned with the Showguard system are: 1) their size refers to the height of the stamp, not the height of the mount; and 2) only fasten/adhere the top part of the back of the mount and let the bottom hang free.
In my WW collection, I use hinges and am not that particular as to which ones I use. I found one packet that says "acid free," which is a good thing, but I don't know if the others are acid free and just don say so. Many of them say "peelable" which is false advertising in most cases (IMO). I've found that most hinges can be made somewhat peelable, in the sense that they will not create a thin in the stamp when being removed, by applying only the smallest amount of moisture to the hinge, and then letting it partially dry before applying it. My main concern now is whether or not that hinge will hold the stamp for the next 20-30 years.
If you do a content search here on SOR for hinges, you will find a number of helpful discussions. One consistent theme is that the old Dennison hinges we all had as kids are long gone. Even the recipe for making those Dennison hinges seems to be lost to the ages. You can get them on eBay for $10-$15 per packet, but I haven't gone that route.
Best of luck with your collection!
Steve
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
Hi Leon,
I collect WW so need to deal with a wide range of stamp shapes and sizes. As such, I prefer the clear Hawid mounts (open on three sides). I buy the strips and trim to the correct size. Having said that, about 90% of my collection is hinged (not mounts), and I use the mounts only for better items (higher CV) and MNH items. I generally try to use the old Dennison or Fold-O-Hinge, but they are a bit expensive on eBay.
Good luck!
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
Hi Leon welcome back into the hobby. Here is something you might consider.
http://showgardseconds.com/catalog
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-03-30 17:58:07)
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
For me, when it comes to mounts, I like Scott/Prinz over Showgard for my MNH stamps as I really like the plastic containers the mounts come in. Since I live in Florida, I have found that the Showgard mounts tend to warp over time. I have not found this with the Prinz/Scott mounts. I also am moving more towards the strips as opposed to the precut mounts--I have a nice Fiskars cutter which is great for trimming the mount to the size I want. (I prefer the black mounts as I think it makes the stamp show better, but to each his or her own).
For hinges, I use them only for used or previously hinged stamps. Other than Dennison, I tend to like the Supersafe variety--they do not curl in the Florida weather, I have found, unlike others I have tried. BOB
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
Thank-you one and all for the informative answers. One thing I want to clarify is that the title of the thread is an error.I meant it to be "which mounts" as opposed to " which hinges." All of you were too polite to belittle my blunder and I appreciate that. I am going to go with strips and cut them myself as I am also a fine scale modeler. These modern German have more sizes than Dickens has adjectives but I am sure it could be worse. Thanks again.
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
I bought a little mount cutter and that darn thing has been so useful!
They aren't very expensive and compared to the cost of mounts, a worthwhile
investment.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
08:40:47am
re: Which Hinges
"only fasten/adhere the top part of the back of the mount and let the bottom hang free"
I'm just curious; why this way and not adhere just the bottom part of the mount? I would think that's more stable on a page. Or is it just a personal preference?
Thanks.
Peter
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this post
re: Which Hinges
"Quote:"
"only fasten/adhere the top part of the back of the mount and let the bottom hang free"
Question:
"I'm just curious; why this way and not adhere just the bottom part of the mount? I would think that's more stable on a page."
Peter, that's a good question. I guess the major point is to not fasten both top and bottom. That makes it hard to remove the stamp when you eventually find a better copy. With my US collection, I'm always on the lookout for a fancier cancel or a brighter color.
Top vs. bottom? Fastening the top half is more hinge-like, and since I grew up with hinges, that seemed the natural way to go. If there is any stability to be gained from top vs. bottom, I would guess that a top attachment is less likely to flop over and accidentally get bent when you close the album. But that is a rare chance in any case, so it probably defaults back to appearance and personal preference.
-Steve
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
I was getting frustrated yesterday with not having the right size mounts for certain stamps, and did an experiment. It turns out that you can use the heat sealing strip of a food saver to make custom sized mounts. It took a few tries to get the timing right and even more time to set up a little shelf to hold and measure while sealing, but the results were amazing. Some were better than others, Scott/Prinz mounts came out beautiful. Hawid mounts a little less so. After sealing, a fiskars paper cutter made them look perfect.
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
" I guess the major point is to not fasten both top and bottom."
That is an important point. I have seen plenty of collections where both the top and bottom of the mounts (smaller sizes as opposed to the larger sizes)were attached to the album pages. The result is a line across the middle of the stamp where moisture seeped between the two gummed tabs on the back of the mount and effectively ruined the gum on the stamp. That leaves the stamp good only for postage.
Login to Like
this post
re: Which Hinges
"It turns out that you can use the heat sealing strip of a food saver to make custom sized mounts."
Sean, you are a man after my own heart. Well done, MacGyver!
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this post