Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Think I'm crazy. Well, the answer is, "yes", but that is besides the point.
All right, down to brass tacks.
In the March 2013 issue of "The American Philatelist", APS member Michael Borelli wrote a letter outlining how to do this. If you have that issue, the letter begins on page 205, and is titled "Safe Soaking".
I'm not going to type in the entire letter. I'll just give you the logistics.
1 - fill a microwave-proof container with 3 cups of cold water
2 - heat the water in a microwave for 1.5 minutes
3 - add 1.5 teaspoons of Softsoap hand cleaner (1/2 teaspoon per cup of water)
4 - add stamp(s)
5 - let soak for 5 to 10 minutes
6 - remove each stamp and gently pull off the paper
7 - put the stamp(s) in a container of cold water
8 - soak for 10 minutes
9 - remove the stamp(s) and dry using whatever process you use to dry stamps
There may be some adhesive lingering on the back of the stamp(s) after it is dry. You may have to apply talcom powder to mijnimize the adhesive as is currently done.
The letter was written in 2013. I tried the above steps using a Janis Joplin stamp (issued in 2014). Borelli nailed it.
I used the Target version of Softsoap hand cleaner. Borelli said that it doesn't matter what flavor the Softsoap is, but I had a bottle of the clear soap and used that to keep perfumes and other additives off the stamp.
Try it, and see if you get similar results. If so, you won't have to buy those chemicals, and Softsoap costs alot less too.
NOTE: I edited the original post to add more time to step 5, and to advise on the probability of there being gum residue on the stamp after it is dry. The changes are in red. To me, the most important aspect of this process is the elimination of using potentially harmful chemicals.
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Here's a scan of the soap bottle.
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Michael,
Thank-you most emphatically for posting this procedure. I have a bucket full of recent Canadian and US that simply have to come off cut-squares. I am going to try it with a twist though. I will attempt to zap a bratwurst at the same time. Wow! If it works is this heaven or what? 'Course it might leave an odor on the stamps. Oh well. I guess I will just do one at a time. Procedure I mean. Thanks again.
Leon
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Thanks for trying this out Michael, another page for my notebook!
I do have some stamps that need to be soaked, will report when they are done. Tomorrow when it's raining! 
It was supposed to rain for the past two days and it hasn't!
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Tried this method and I'm fairly happy with the results. The water was warm, not really screaming hot, but I stirred the soft soap with a spoon as opposed to my finger (I'm not really that much of a masochist!) Only one stamp still had the tacky back. Not too bad for about 10 stamps to begin with.
What I really have trouble with is the soaking of stamps on the padded Priority envelopes. No matter how long I soak, the stamps will not release. Those two I had to carefully trim. Didn't want to ruin them.
Now, why Soft Soap? Why not Dawn or bubble bath or another liquid soap?
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Why Softsoap and not another kind of soap? Don't know. Maybe there's a chemical in there that dissolves the gum better than the other soaps??
I don't have a thermometer to check the temperature of the water. I did put my hand into the water and can say that it is somewhere between body temperature and "hot". It was not uncomfortable to have my hand in the water. It was sort of like taking a hot, but comfortable, bath. If you bought a cup of coffee or a tea and got the cup with that temperature water, you would send it back as being not hot enough. Water boils at 220F / 100C. I would say that the temperature of the 3 cups of water after 1.5 minutes in the microwave is around 110F to 120F / 44C to 49C. Of course if you use more or less water, the temperature would be colder or hotter accordingly using the same amount of time to heat the water.
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So.... I decided to try this method of soaking US self-adhesives. I used imperf copies of the 2013 Medal of Honor Medals (one each of each design) and 3 copies of the Althea Gibson issue for a total of 5 stamps.
I followed steps 1 through 5 as written. Step 6 requires very slow removal of the paper, otherwise the paper may thin and some remain on the stamps making it harder to get all of it off. Step seven worked - though the Medal stamps rolled almost into a tight tube. Soaked for 10 minutes and removed and placed on a towel face down to dry - had to work with the Medal stamps a bit to get them unrolled enough.
I think if one were to use a stamp drying book, one would have a large problem. All 5 stamps had a huge amount of adhesive left on them. I don't know how much talcum would be needed to get rid of the stickiness. And you need to eliminate ALL of the stickiness, not just minimize it, if you are planning to place the stamps in a stockbook. Even a small amount will cause them to stick to the pages.
I ended up using Pure Citrus to remove the gum, which kind of defeated the purpose of using this method, at least for me. I was hoping that the adhesive would dissolve somehow but it only becomes soft - just like using the Pure Citrus method.
Of course, I may be doing something wrong.
Tad
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Tad,
For the stamps that didn't come off right away, I ended up leaving them to the end so they could soak a bit longer. Played with the ones that came off well. They went into the cold water bath and then on drying paper face down to dry. Then went back to the tough guys and they finally came off. I only had one thin on a flag stamp, but it turned out okay after drying. All the stamp were curling so they are now being flattened under two volumes of catalogs until I can get back to them. They should be okay.
As far as the talc. Well I dredge the stamp in the powder and then carefully wipe off the excess on my arm or the back of my hand. I was using cloth, but change back to my arm. I have more control over the stamp.
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It may be counter-productive, but instead of using talc, if you got some ultra thin tissue paper to place over the adhesive, that might solve the sticky problem.
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All right, all of you who absolutely must soak unsoakable stamps. I have found a way to soak unsoakable stamps without the use of harmful chemicals like bestine, orange citrus cleaner and lighter fluid. And best of all, it is almost like the process of soaking stamps from the "good old days".
Think I'm crazy. Well, the answer is, "yes", but that is besides the point.
All right, down to brass tacks.
In the March 2013 issue of "The American Philatelist", APS member Michael Borelli wrote a letter outlining how to do this. If you have that issue, the letter begins on page 205, and is titled "Safe Soaking".
I'm not going to type in the entire letter. I'll just give you the logistics.
1 - fill a microwave-proof container with 3 cups of cold water
2 - heat the water in a microwave for 1.5 minutes
3 - add 1.5 teaspoons of Softsoap hand cleaner (1/2 teaspoon per cup of water)
4 - add stamp(s)
5 - let soak for 5 to 10 minutes
6 - remove each stamp and gently pull off the paper
7 - put the stamp(s) in a container of cold water
8 - soak for 10 minutes
9 - remove the stamp(s) and dry using whatever process you use to dry stamps
There may be some adhesive lingering on the back of the stamp(s) after it is dry. You may have to apply talcom powder to mijnimize the adhesive as is currently done.
The letter was written in 2013. I tried the above steps using a Janis Joplin stamp (issued in 2014). Borelli nailed it.
I used the Target version of Softsoap hand cleaner. Borelli said that it doesn't matter what flavor the Softsoap is, but I had a bottle of the clear soap and used that to keep perfumes and other additives off the stamp.
Try it, and see if you get similar results. If so, you won't have to buy those chemicals, and Softsoap costs alot less too.
NOTE: I edited the original post to add more time to step 5, and to advise on the probability of there being gum residue on the stamp after it is dry. The changes are in red. To me, the most important aspect of this process is the elimination of using potentially harmful chemicals.
3 Members
like this post.
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re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
Here's a scan of the soap bottle.
Login to Like
this post
re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
Michael,
Thank-you most emphatically for posting this procedure. I have a bucket full of recent Canadian and US that simply have to come off cut-squares. I am going to try it with a twist though. I will attempt to zap a bratwurst at the same time. Wow! If it works is this heaven or what? 'Course it might leave an odor on the stamps. Oh well. I guess I will just do one at a time. Procedure I mean. Thanks again.
Leon
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re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
Thanks for trying this out Michael, another page for my notebook!
I do have some stamps that need to be soaked, will report when they are done. Tomorrow when it's raining! It was supposed to rain for the past two days and it hasn't!
Login to Like
this post
re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
Tried this method and I'm fairly happy with the results. The water was warm, not really screaming hot, but I stirred the soft soap with a spoon as opposed to my finger (I'm not really that much of a masochist!) Only one stamp still had the tacky back. Not too bad for about 10 stamps to begin with.
What I really have trouble with is the soaking of stamps on the padded Priority envelopes. No matter how long I soak, the stamps will not release. Those two I had to carefully trim. Didn't want to ruin them.
Now, why Soft Soap? Why not Dawn or bubble bath or another liquid soap?
Login to Like
this post
re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
Why Softsoap and not another kind of soap? Don't know. Maybe there's a chemical in there that dissolves the gum better than the other soaps??
I don't have a thermometer to check the temperature of the water. I did put my hand into the water and can say that it is somewhere between body temperature and "hot". It was not uncomfortable to have my hand in the water. It was sort of like taking a hot, but comfortable, bath. If you bought a cup of coffee or a tea and got the cup with that temperature water, you would send it back as being not hot enough. Water boils at 220F / 100C. I would say that the temperature of the 3 cups of water after 1.5 minutes in the microwave is around 110F to 120F / 44C to 49C. Of course if you use more or less water, the temperature would be colder or hotter accordingly using the same amount of time to heat the water.
Login to Like
this post
re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
So.... I decided to try this method of soaking US self-adhesives. I used imperf copies of the 2013 Medal of Honor Medals (one each of each design) and 3 copies of the Althea Gibson issue for a total of 5 stamps.
I followed steps 1 through 5 as written. Step 6 requires very slow removal of the paper, otherwise the paper may thin and some remain on the stamps making it harder to get all of it off. Step seven worked - though the Medal stamps rolled almost into a tight tube. Soaked for 10 minutes and removed and placed on a towel face down to dry - had to work with the Medal stamps a bit to get them unrolled enough.
I think if one were to use a stamp drying book, one would have a large problem. All 5 stamps had a huge amount of adhesive left on them. I don't know how much talcum would be needed to get rid of the stickiness. And you need to eliminate ALL of the stickiness, not just minimize it, if you are planning to place the stamps in a stockbook. Even a small amount will cause them to stick to the pages.
I ended up using Pure Citrus to remove the gum, which kind of defeated the purpose of using this method, at least for me. I was hoping that the adhesive would dissolve somehow but it only becomes soft - just like using the Pure Citrus method.
Of course, I may be doing something wrong.
Tad
Login to Like
this post
re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
Tad,
For the stamps that didn't come off right away, I ended up leaving them to the end so they could soak a bit longer. Played with the ones that came off well. They went into the cold water bath and then on drying paper face down to dry. Then went back to the tough guys and they finally came off. I only had one thin on a flag stamp, but it turned out okay after drying. All the stamp were curling so they are now being flattened under two volumes of catalogs until I can get back to them. They should be okay.
As far as the talc. Well I dredge the stamp in the powder and then carefully wipe off the excess on my arm or the back of my hand. I was using cloth, but change back to my arm. I have more control over the stamp.
Login to Like
this post
re: Truly Safe Soaking of Unsoakable Stamps
It may be counter-productive, but instead of using talc, if you got some ultra thin tissue paper to place over the adhesive, that might solve the sticky problem.
Login to Like
this post