Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
1. Do you think crystal clear pre-cut Lighthouse mounts will cause damage to stamps in long term , because many people say crystal mounts are dangerous?
2. Do you think (1) sheet protectors, (2) mounts and (3) using both sides of the album page ( 1- 3 cumulative) will cause damage in long term (such as moisture trapped, or stamp stuck due to very high pressure on the stamps)?
(P.S. I live in Bulgaria; average humidity; hold my stamps in a special cupboard in stockbooks always in vertical position; never had a problem so far; but I’m concerned is the album safer than the stockbook, because the only reason to use album is the larger area to place some large items in chronological order))
3. Do you think using Folio album for stamps is a good idea at all?
Thanks in advance!
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Hi, I'm not exactly sure what materials you are talking about but I'll give you my thoughts.
I would probably use Lighthouse spring back binders. They accept any page size and do not require any type of holes. Light house does make clear mounts but they are not the "Crystal" mounts you are thinking of. They are an entirely different brand and like you have heard, they should never be used, Light house mounts are good, I prefer Hawid. I hardly ever use plastic sleeves on my pages but it is not because I fear moisture but that they make the thickness of each page several times thicker. They should not put any more pressure on the pages if stored vertically.
I don't know what type of Black stock pages you are using as I don't recall seeing a Gold border on any of them. There are several different manufactures of these with many different pocket sizes from full page to 8 or so line pockets. Perhaps you should look at some others, super safe is a good brand for these. I would not think of using cardboard for placing stamps. I use acid free card stock in either Ivory or parchment color when I make my pages.
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Thank you very much for the response!
The black blank pages with gold borgerline are Lighthouse brand for Grande album, but as I said they don't fit my need. Why the use of Lighthouse black cardboard inserts are not recommended? They are of the same material as the album pages. After all Folio system is for storing large documents and large sheets of stamps - they also need acid free material. Are these cardboards not acid free?
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Sarevok, you are probably referring to these blank pages: http://www.lighthouse.us/epages/lighthouse.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_us/Products/BLS
There should be no problem using Lighthouse mounts on these pages. Afterall, your stamp will not be touching the blank page. However, I would have reservations adhering a stamp (e.g., hinge) directly to the black page, not knowing how colorfast that ink is. But you aren't doing that, so you are okay.
I have GRANDE binders and I use Vario pages. I like them very much, but I prefer homemade pages with mounts if I had the time. For now, the GRANDEs are a staging area for specialized material. The 1-pocket pages are large enough to hold very large souvenir sheets, but not full sheets of stamps.
Like I said, I would prefer larger size album pages (in cream color), with homemade arrangement (except for some Davo albums) mainly because the large page presentation looks better to me (than 8.5x11 inch), not because I would ever consider mounting full sheets. The only thing holding me back is a time (job, family, other hobbies). I would mount souvenir sheets, that would fit in the 1-pocket Vario though. Full sheets I keep in the large sheet portfolios.
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Yes, I'm talking about these black blank GRANDE pages. I bought them first, I know they are good, but they are too narrow for some strips and souvenir sheets. That'a why i ordered FOLIO (Vario is too small) binder with thirty plastic pockets W/H 260 x 360 mm) https://www.leuchtturm.com/epages/leuchtturm_eu.sf/en_EU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_eu/Products/317575
I also ordered 30 cardboard inserts with same size so the pockets can be used from both sides; the FOLIO is large enough to hold large documents and whole sheets of stamps, but I don't know if using transparent mounts on the cardboard to display singe sets and blocks is safe enough, though i think it should be, otherwise the documents or other big items will be damaged.These cardboard inserts are no longer available in Lighthouse (product number 313820). It is old product and I couldn't find it from Lighthouse or local dealer. I ordered them from Austria. The possibility to display all the stamps in chronological order including some large souvenir sheets with additional text on the margin can be achieved only using Folio of Kanzlei binders, although they are not made for this purpose.If I only knew these cardboard inserts are from the same paper as the Grande black blank pages I would be very happy and proceed without risk, but there is not product description of the type of paper. Besides it will be very hard to find thios cardboard inserts in the future and I'm even thinking to use plastic FOLIO interleves instead of them, but that bothers me even more
https://www.leuchtturm.com/epages/leuchtturm_eu.sf/secLpyBzuCmWdM/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_eu/Products/313914
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I don't see where FOLIO albums are available. Do they only have FOLIO sheets and you use a different album?
I might like to use FOLIO sheets for my large sheets if I can find albums still in print? I don't see them for sale on the Lighthouse site.
I don't see why you can't mount to both sides of a reasonably stiff insert, except maybe the trouble/risk adding and removing the mounted sheets from the FOLIO page. I guess that depends on the mounts and how well they are fixed to insert.
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FOLIO sheets does not exist. That is because the FOLIO binders are for large sheets. Instead they use plastic pockets to insert large items. The cardboard inserts are suitable for holding two items in one pocket. I'm going to use them as a sheets for mounting stamps on both sides. This saves space, money and can hold large items. I'm going to try it anyway despite my concerns.
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https://www.leuchtturm.com/epages/leuchtturm_eu.sf/en_EU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_eu/Categories/DE/DE_2203
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I don't see FOLIO albums at this moment too. Maybe they don't have in stock. I have folio 4-ring binder. Bought it from bulgarian dealer who represents kighthouse in bulgaria.
The item number is 324006. Perhaps other dealers have it.
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Thanks. By "sheets" I meant the plastic pockets.
The web sites for stamp products are frustrating for sure. Who knows if the Folio albums are still produced. You can't tell from the website. So I decided to look at the MAXIMUM line and noticed they don't display the dimensions of the album. Same for GRANDE. You can get an idea from the sheets/pages for each system.
I would send an email to them to ask if the FOLIO albums are still in production and can be ordered.
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The Lighthouse US website, http://www.lighthouse.us, doesn't show the FOLIO product line at all. The MAXIMUM holds sheets that are 13x13 inches or 327x329mm.
The US site also lists a Document Album that holds 9x12 inch pages (i.e., A4) and they have plastic pockets that are 11 7/8 x 8 3/8 in (300 x 212 mm).
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Sarevok:
I have Folio pages (some) and a binder from Lighthouse at the shop (I work for a stamp dealer). The Folio line from Lighthouse is new. I'll look at the items in my stock, along with the information from Lighthouse, and report back, with answers to your questions, tomorrow. (Monday is my day off!)
Cheers!
David Giles
Ottawa, Canada
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Thanks David. It makes sense if FOLIO is new.
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To answer your questions, I checked my stock. Not much other than the binder and a few pages (the rest is on back-order) ....that said, based on my professional experience....
"1. Do you think crystal clear pre-cut Lighthouse mounts will cause damage to stamps in long term , because many people say crystal mounts are dangerous?"
Mounts by Lighthouse are described as crystal clear; as in very clear. The old "Crystal Mounts" are a brand name for a mount available in the 1970s and 1980s. They are the ones that are dangerous, as they discoloured and shrunk, damaging stamps inside them.
"2. Do you think (1) sheet protectors, (2) mounts and (3) using both sides of the album page ( 1- 3 cumulative) will cause damage in long term (such as moisture trapped, or stamp stuck due to very high pressure on the stamps)?"
Providing you are storing your stamps the same way you are now, I don't see a problem. There are a number of people using sheet protectors and mounts and I've not seen a problem.
"3. Do you think using Folio album for stamps is a good idea at all?"
Folio is another format or type of album by Lighthouse. Vario, Grande, Maximum, etc. are all the same, other than the size and the format and type and colour of pages available. I have great confidence in Lighthouse products. You can also look at other manufacturers, such as Lindner, too. Find an album that meets your collecting needs and go from there.
I hope this was helpful.
David Giles
Ottawa, Canada
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Thanks a lot, friend! I won't worry anymore!
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My pleasure!
David
Ottawa, Canada
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10:58:59am
I collect stamps for many years, but I have always used stockbooks for the purpose. Recently I bought Lighthouse GRANDE album binder. My intension was to arrange my stamps chronologically (including small sheets). For that reason I needed larger space. I also bought black blank pages. I noticed that there wasn’t enough space for the small sheets (the black blank pages have a golden borderline which limits the usable space, not to mention it is only from one side). Which makes the whole thing unpractical and very expensive. So I decided to improvise and ordered Lighthouse FOLIO album and 30 plastic pockets with 30 black cardboard inserts. I intend to use the cardboard inserts as a blank album pages on which I will arrange the stamps on both sides of the album page using crystal clear Lighthouse mounts. Then I’ll use the plastic pockets as a sheet protector. I have the following questions:
1. Do you think crystal clear pre-cut Lighthouse mounts will cause damage to stamps in long term , because many people say crystal mounts are dangerous?
2. Do you think (1) sheet protectors, (2) mounts and (3) using both sides of the album page ( 1- 3 cumulative) will cause damage in long term (such as moisture trapped, or stamp stuck due to very high pressure on the stamps)?
(P.S. I live in Bulgaria; average humidity; hold my stamps in a special cupboard in stockbooks always in vertical position; never had a problem so far; but I’m concerned is the album safer than the stockbook, because the only reason to use album is the larger area to place some large items in chronological order))
3. Do you think using Folio album for stamps is a good idea at all?
Thanks in advance!
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Hi, I'm not exactly sure what materials you are talking about but I'll give you my thoughts.
I would probably use Lighthouse spring back binders. They accept any page size and do not require any type of holes. Light house does make clear mounts but they are not the "Crystal" mounts you are thinking of. They are an entirely different brand and like you have heard, they should never be used, Light house mounts are good, I prefer Hawid. I hardly ever use plastic sleeves on my pages but it is not because I fear moisture but that they make the thickness of each page several times thicker. They should not put any more pressure on the pages if stored vertically.
I don't know what type of Black stock pages you are using as I don't recall seeing a Gold border on any of them. There are several different manufactures of these with many different pocket sizes from full page to 8 or so line pockets. Perhaps you should look at some others, super safe is a good brand for these. I would not think of using cardboard for placing stamps. I use acid free card stock in either Ivory or parchment color when I make my pages.
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09:02:02am
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Thank you very much for the response!
The black blank pages with gold borgerline are Lighthouse brand for Grande album, but as I said they don't fit my need. Why the use of Lighthouse black cardboard inserts are not recommended? They are of the same material as the album pages. After all Folio system is for storing large documents and large sheets of stamps - they also need acid free material. Are these cardboards not acid free?
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Sarevok, you are probably referring to these blank pages: http://www.lighthouse.us/epages/lighthouse.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_us/Products/BLS
There should be no problem using Lighthouse mounts on these pages. Afterall, your stamp will not be touching the blank page. However, I would have reservations adhering a stamp (e.g., hinge) directly to the black page, not knowing how colorfast that ink is. But you aren't doing that, so you are okay.
I have GRANDE binders and I use Vario pages. I like them very much, but I prefer homemade pages with mounts if I had the time. For now, the GRANDEs are a staging area for specialized material. The 1-pocket pages are large enough to hold very large souvenir sheets, but not full sheets of stamps.
Like I said, I would prefer larger size album pages (in cream color), with homemade arrangement (except for some Davo albums) mainly because the large page presentation looks better to me (than 8.5x11 inch), not because I would ever consider mounting full sheets. The only thing holding me back is a time (job, family, other hobbies). I would mount souvenir sheets, that would fit in the 1-pocket Vario though. Full sheets I keep in the large sheet portfolios.
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02:08:10pm
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Yes, I'm talking about these black blank GRANDE pages. I bought them first, I know they are good, but they are too narrow for some strips and souvenir sheets. That'a why i ordered FOLIO (Vario is too small) binder with thirty plastic pockets W/H 260 x 360 mm) https://www.leuchtturm.com/epages/leuchtturm_eu.sf/en_EU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_eu/Products/317575
I also ordered 30 cardboard inserts with same size so the pockets can be used from both sides; the FOLIO is large enough to hold large documents and whole sheets of stamps, but I don't know if using transparent mounts on the cardboard to display singe sets and blocks is safe enough, though i think it should be, otherwise the documents or other big items will be damaged.These cardboard inserts are no longer available in Lighthouse (product number 313820). It is old product and I couldn't find it from Lighthouse or local dealer. I ordered them from Austria. The possibility to display all the stamps in chronological order including some large souvenir sheets with additional text on the margin can be achieved only using Folio of Kanzlei binders, although they are not made for this purpose.If I only knew these cardboard inserts are from the same paper as the Grande black blank pages I would be very happy and proceed without risk, but there is not product description of the type of paper. Besides it will be very hard to find thios cardboard inserts in the future and I'm even thinking to use plastic FOLIO interleves instead of them, but that bothers me even more
https://www.leuchtturm.com/epages/leuchtturm_eu.sf/secLpyBzuCmWdM/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_eu/Products/313914
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
I don't see where FOLIO albums are available. Do they only have FOLIO sheets and you use a different album?
I might like to use FOLIO sheets for my large sheets if I can find albums still in print? I don't see them for sale on the Lighthouse site.
I don't see why you can't mount to both sides of a reasonably stiff insert, except maybe the trouble/risk adding and removing the mounted sheets from the FOLIO page. I guess that depends on the mounts and how well they are fixed to insert.
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04:22:57pm
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
FOLIO sheets does not exist. That is because the FOLIO binders are for large sheets. Instead they use plastic pockets to insert large items. The cardboard inserts are suitable for holding two items in one pocket. I'm going to use them as a sheets for mounting stamps on both sides. This saves space, money and can hold large items. I'm going to try it anyway despite my concerns.
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04:23:46pm
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
https://www.leuchtturm.com/epages/leuchtturm_eu.sf/en_EU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/leuchtturm_eu/Categories/DE/DE_2203
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04:28:59pm
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
I don't see FOLIO albums at this moment too. Maybe they don't have in stock. I have folio 4-ring binder. Bought it from bulgarian dealer who represents kighthouse in bulgaria.
The item number is 324006. Perhaps other dealers have it.
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Thanks. By "sheets" I meant the plastic pockets.
The web sites for stamp products are frustrating for sure. Who knows if the Folio albums are still produced. You can't tell from the website. So I decided to look at the MAXIMUM line and noticed they don't display the dimensions of the album. Same for GRANDE. You can get an idea from the sheets/pages for each system.
I would send an email to them to ask if the FOLIO albums are still in production and can be ordered.
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
The Lighthouse US website, http://www.lighthouse.us, doesn't show the FOLIO product line at all. The MAXIMUM holds sheets that are 13x13 inches or 327x329mm.
The US site also lists a Document Album that holds 9x12 inch pages (i.e., A4) and they have plastic pockets that are 11 7/8 x 8 3/8 in (300 x 212 mm).
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Sarevok:
I have Folio pages (some) and a binder from Lighthouse at the shop (I work for a stamp dealer). The Folio line from Lighthouse is new. I'll look at the items in my stock, along with the information from Lighthouse, and report back, with answers to your questions, tomorrow. (Monday is my day off!)
Cheers!
David Giles
Ottawa, Canada
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Thanks David. It makes sense if FOLIO is new.
Login to Like
this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
To answer your questions, I checked my stock. Not much other than the binder and a few pages (the rest is on back-order) ....that said, based on my professional experience....
"1. Do you think crystal clear pre-cut Lighthouse mounts will cause damage to stamps in long term , because many people say crystal mounts are dangerous?"
Mounts by Lighthouse are described as crystal clear; as in very clear. The old "Crystal Mounts" are a brand name for a mount available in the 1970s and 1980s. They are the ones that are dangerous, as they discoloured and shrunk, damaging stamps inside them.
"2. Do you think (1) sheet protectors, (2) mounts and (3) using both sides of the album page ( 1- 3 cumulative) will cause damage in long term (such as moisture trapped, or stamp stuck due to very high pressure on the stamps)?"
Providing you are storing your stamps the same way you are now, I don't see a problem. There are a number of people using sheet protectors and mounts and I've not seen a problem.
"3. Do you think using Folio album for stamps is a good idea at all?"
Folio is another format or type of album by Lighthouse. Vario, Grande, Maximum, etc. are all the same, other than the size and the format and type and colour of pages available. I have great confidence in Lighthouse products. You can also look at other manufacturers, such as Lindner, too. Find an album that meets your collecting needs and go from there.
I hope this was helpful.
David Giles
Ottawa, Canada
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this post
04:07:25pm
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
Thanks a lot, friend! I won't worry anymore!
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this post
re: About using Lighthouse FOLIO album
My pleasure!
David
Ottawa, Canada
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