Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Just got a package of 'Fold O-Hinge' from CWS. I'd bet only a third are usable. Many of those are folded the wrong way and I need to refold them.
Like so many things nowdays we just put up with mediocrity. Has anyone found a brand that has a better average of miscuts than this?
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I just went through two packs of Supersafe hinges,about 40% curl, if you leave them in an envelope there will be less curl, I like mine in a container and just deal with the curl, no problems with miscuts. I used up my supply of Foldo's and Denny's,not going to pay $15 bucks ++ for them. Imagine if the stamp investors back in the 60's and 70's had bought Dennison hinges instead of plate blocks, woo hoo. A case of 100 Dennison's vs 100 3 cent plate blocks............
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It may not be relevant for the USA but I use Stanley Gibbons prefolded hinges, which I suspect are actually made by Prinz. The short part of the fold goes on the stamp and the long fold into the album. They are extremely succesful for me if the correct technique is used. The absolute minimum of moisture is required. A little ( and I mean little !) water applied using the tip of the little finger ( pinkie in US-speak ?) to the short length, and stuck to the back of the stamp, and a little water applied to the extreme end of the long part to stick to the album, leaving a dry part between.
If perchance you need to remove the stamp from the page you grasp with your tweezers ( tongs?) the former DRY part and remove the whole thing from the album leaving the remainder of the hinge on the stamp. Do not try to remove it until the whole assembly is fully dry, so if you make a mistake leave until at least the next day before trying to rectify it.
To remove the hinge from the stamp, float ( or use a sweat box or damp blotting paper). Providing you didn't over wet the hinge in the first place the remainder comes of with no (or very little) residue on the stamp.
I have used these for decades without any ill-effects. I recently purchased 3 packs of 1000 at £2.25 per pack. To mount single stamps I actually cut the hinges in half, but blocks need the whole thing.
The secret is patience,planning and a light touch ( as in most philatelic endeavours !).
I am sure that you will be able to find an outlet in the US if you try. I always buy at least 3 packs, and if kept in the packets ( which are very similar to glassine) they last for years.
Malcolm
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I wonder why some manufacturer has not been able to duplicate the Dennison hinge. I heard that we were probably licking horse glue, but you'd figure they could produce something FDA acceptable today.
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There are several theories on why modern hinges are so bad and good hinges are no longer made. I wrote a short article on Dennison hinges (http://www.stampsmarter.com/learning/Gen_Dennison.html and read a number of the theories. The original Dennison equipment and formula were passed on to other companies but they were not able to produce a quality hinge.
I also read that that Dennison had a specific process which added texture to the adhesive. I invested in a case of Dennison hinges a number of years ago (late 1950s vintage) and have examined a number of other era Dennisons, they all have a distinct texturing.
It may be that Dennison ran the equipment with a specific processes along with specific materials that others have not been able to replicate. Others have certainly invest a lot of money trying but to this day no one has succeeded in making a hinge the quality of the vintage Dennisons.
Given the +4000% increase in the value of vintage Dennison hinges we would all be better off investing in them instead of stamps! (Demand keeps increasing and supply will keep dropping unless someone can figure out how to make a truly peelable hinge.)
Don
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I have two unopened packages of Dennison hinges that I got a long time ago in an auction supply box lot. I figure when the time comes I'll sell them (I don't use hinges), and both my grandsons will be able to get a doctorate degree off the proceeds!
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Hi hinge lovers;
@ BenFranklin1902;
It isn't the FDA that has to pass approval of hinges. They really have nothing to say on this matter at all, nor do they care.
As usual, it's the damn lawyers that muck up the works, just like Washington. Every other manufacturer is afraid to make anything due to possible liability. Lawyers only have to suggest to the head of a corporation about a product having a possible liability, and into the trash that idea goes. That includes non-food grade adhesive used to make hinges.
That is why you rarely see really hot, spicy foods in the freezer section. If a consumer chokes on a hot spicy frozen dinner, you can bet the lawyers will be all over management to get rid of that product.
Stop making zombie gun and make lawyer guns instead. Set tasers for stun!
just sortin' things out....
TuskenRaider
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I have been using Prinz hinges for quite a while now for
lower-value stamps and am quite satisfied with them.
I would estimate that I end up discarding no more than 10% of the hinges due to damage in packaging/shipping, etc.
I, too have a few of the original Dennison packs reserved for some of the higher-value
stamps; beyond that, I use mounts.
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I've been using Prinz hinges as well and have no complaints about them. I started cutting them in half when I was about to run out and have continued doing so ever since. To make sure they don't get damaged after receipt, I store the packages flat and under weight.
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I'm going through the process of removing stamps from a recent purchase, a nice Scott International Part I. For the most part, the hinges are peeling off beautifully even though they were probably applied 30-40 years ago. I assume they are Dennison.
However, there is a small amount of yellow residue/staining on both the stamp and the album page. I haven't yet soaked any of the stamps to see if that goes away. I'm not too concerned, because the yellowing does not affect the front of the stamp (yet) and the spots in the album will all be covered, right? 
This made me wonder if newer hinges might be better if they are made from a more paper-friendly material. That is, a trade-off between peel-ability and yellowing? Guess I'll have to wait 30-40 years to find out!
-Steve
PS I use a variety of hinges, but primarily Supersafe because those are the ones they sell at Hobby Lobby.
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No hinge discussion is ever complete without bringing up (again) the 3M 811 removable tape, which I use right out of a tape dispenser to make my own removable hinges (works perfectly and no leftover indication of use, once removed...but review the usual warning notices...which were amply discussed before).
I am still waiting for a final technical assessment of APS on removable tape...but I have researched it and experimented for many years and for my "temporary" use (Here I am talking years, and not weeks) it performs perfectly. I have one album with stamps mounted (temporarily) now for 10 years, and I have no complaint. MY goal is always to mount stamps in mounts, eventually....but in albums that are work in process, unless you attach the mounts with 3M removable tape (why not), repositioning stamps and reconfiguring pages is cumbersome until all done..and lack the flexibility I need.
3M, a few years back, had a temporary substrate and glue formulation issue (could have been a lot of counterfeit tape rolls...I bought them via Amazon...and I raised the issue with 3M, and discussed it here before), but since then, they have performed flawlessly,
Since then, it also seems that the 3M formula has been improved, as any minor issues (occasional residue) that I had noted before are not present today. I have also developed additional skills and techniques to negate any possible issues...using "Penny" Kims suggestion of pre-cutting the tape in smaller hinges (1/8 inch wide), and sticking them on a sheet of paper for future use...the two step technique weakens the stickiness, but it is more than adequate for stamps. I am also reusing old hinges, again as the extra stickiness is weakened when you simply recycle them rather than discard them.
I love our hobby...but purists collectors are stuck in old non technical solutions when modern technology offers alternatives. Does anyone still use paper hinges? We move at a snail pace....why use any permanent hinge at all? Why not experiment (certainly you can on the 5c/10c stamps!)
rrr...
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I have tried many brands of hinges: SG, Dennison, Klebefalze, and Supersafe. The problem with all of these is that they don't just hold the stamp in place, they bond to the stamp. Thus if you have to remove the stamp from one album and put it into another album, there is not a simple way of getting the old hinge completely off without taking something of the stamp off with it (short of soaking each transferred stamp). Back in the dark ages there used to be peel-able hinges that came off the stamp easily (though a mark was, at times, left on the stamp). But those are long gone; it looks like Klebefalza and Supersafe are the common hinges of philately today.
I should mention that until 5 years ago, I always used hinges, co-relatedly, I have never use mounts (at least not in 35 years) because they are ridiculously expensive for a large world wide collection.
So if I don't use mounts, and stopped using hinges, what have I used in the past nearly-5 years to place stamps in my stamp collection (albums)?
What I have started using for the past nearly-5 years -- and it works great -- is special photo safe acid free removable double-side tape. I am NOT talking about Scotch 811 -- I do not believe that that is actually acid free. What I am talking about is slight more expensive, but works great. I posted about this in a Scotch 811 discussion, but my comments are probably better placed here in a discussion on hinges.
Now, before I repeat the text of my old post (from another discussion group), let me add a few caveats: you have to be sure to buy the correct specific tape product below, it has to be photo safe AND acid free (as well as removable, which hinges are not in any practical sense). The tape should be used in small swatches and not plastered on the back of the stamp. This is not just some old style Scotch magic tape, this is the real deal, and it does no harm to the stamp, unless misused (misapplied).
With that being said, here was my post on the matter back in January:
FROM JANUARY 2017, I had written:
-----------------------------------
I have been using Scotch 2002 Double Sided Removable Photo and Document Tape on my stamps for four years now; this tape is photo-safe AND acid free. Best move I ever made. (The tape meets key high quality standards for sensitive items like art material and photos: International Standardization Organization ISO #18916 (2007) which deals with stability on usage on photographic images and ASTM #D-4236 -- Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials).
After fours years of use: I can remove stamps that are placed with this tape with no problem. Try removing a standard hinge from a used stamp without an damage -- not easy to do. This removes like a breeze. The only caveat I would note is that one must use small/tiny snippets of the tape to adhere to the back of the stamp; putting large sized pieces makes the removal of the tape doable, but more problematic and difficult. I use small swatch square of tape place it on the album page, and then gently place stamp atop it, and then press to bond in place; voila the stamp is held well in place, and can be removed easily if needed..
This tape is also very useful if using a stamp album with double sided pages (like Minkus Global or Scott International). Why? Because hinged stamps on those page oft require glassine interleaving to prevent the stamps that are pressed against each other on opposing pages from getting caught on each other's perforations and causing damage when opening those pages. Using this tape, the stamps seem to encounter none of those problems. I have hardly had to touch any of my stash of glassine pages in the few years since switching to the tape system; it seems to hold the stamp more closely to the page.
I have used hinges on stamps since 1968, when I began collecting. In the past few years, I have had a great experience with the double-sided removable acid-free photo-safe tape. There are two types that seem to fit the bill for collectors:
Scotch 2002 Double Sided Removable Photo and Document Tape
Elmer's Double, Sided Removable Scrapbooking Tape
I know that I was fearful of this change, but the glue that activates when licking a standard hinge seems to me more permanently bonded to a stamp, and more damaging than this special tape could ever be.
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Good post Jim:
I agree with you 100%, I would never use today any of the hinges on the market. I still have a few packages of the older authentic removable Dennyson, and as I was not using them much, I recall donating a few packages some time ago to fellow collectors.
But even the best old hinges mark the back of a new stamp, and can rip off the back of any stamp leaving a hinge thin!
I have been using the 811 3M tape for 5-10 years now, and I have checked my first albums, and double checked them, for any signs of degradation or unwanted impact on the stamps and I have seen none...but I did mention some time ago some temporary adhesive issues and some breakage of thin inferior tape substrate, that could have come from one bad batch or from a counterfeit tape manufacturer (?).
No problem as of late.
From what I understand the 811 3M tape is acid free as well. (it meets ISO standard 18916)
Double sided tape is an interesting alternative Jim, possibly more convenient then folding the 811 in small hinges for permanent use, and I plan to test it. Not sure how it functions if you plan to move the stamp around, one of the reasons I use 811 on "working albums".
Ideally all goes in mounts in my albums eventually, and I have now been using 811 tape on the mounts, which saves the album pages and allows moving the mounted stamp, should you want to!!!!! why not, just use a bigger piece of tape is my recommendation for nice flat sticking to the page. Now removable double sided tape seems an ideal use here!!
Jim: how does the double sided tape work if you want to move the stamp around on a page? To me one of the benefits of the removable tape is this ability to reposition the stamp at will. For moving the stamps around, I peel stamp and hinge off the page (rather than the stamp)...or hinge and mount... and you just move it where you want as is, hinge and all and re-stick it.
The key technique advice as you pointed to is to keep the size small (for hinges, I now use widths of 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and to fold the part adhering to the stamp small as well for hinges, to less than 1/4 inch. It works fine even with the really small hinges!
I have found, using a technique described by "penny" Kim some time ago that pre-cutting the tape on a support sheet and peeling them off to use as you need, insures better control of the "hinge" size, and seems to alleviate the occasional residue issue.
I also have a roll in a 3M dispenser and just cut a small piece off the roll as I need..this is fast and painless!
Occasional residue: when you pull the hinge off the stamp, it occasionally leaves minute residue deposits, which rub off instantly with the fingers and thus has no permanent impact, but is an occasional annoyance. (It could have been an older formulation, as the more recent tape I have used does seem to be less problematic).
Less deposits today does not mean none, and it could be due the small size I now use, or the age of the tape, or a reformulated adhesive?. But it always rubs off and leaves no mark.
I am also guessing that by using the "kim technique" the small loose adhesive stay on the first substrate and thus impact the stamps less or none at all. Again, I am waiting for a final technical decision for long term philatelic use, and consider all current use I have (some are 5-10 years now) as temporary.
Note also that I can reuse my hinges as they still work well, and have less or no related deposits after their first use..just pull them off the stamp and stick them on your support sheet for future use.
I am curious if anyone else has experimented with anything else. Hinges are truly a horrible technology (even the old style removable ones are problematic) as they do impact the back of the stamp! Why should you degrade a stamp, or risk a thin!
Rrr...
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rrraphy: Thanks for the post. You asked, "how does the double sided tape work if you want to move the stamp around on a page? To me one of the benefits of the removable tape is this ability to reposition the stamp at will."
In terms of moving the stamp from one spot to another:
If you use a small piece of the removable tape to put the stamp in the book, just grab your tongs, and pull up the stamp. Sometimes, the tape will remain on the stamp, while other times the tape will remain on the page.
- If it remains on the stamp, you just place the stamps into its new location (if you wish to remove the still adhered tape, you can simply pull it off the stamp)
- If the tape remains on the album page when you remove the stamp, you can easily peel up the tape from the page and re-use it.
Again, I cannot emphasize enough how useful this tape it in my collection.
I will add one thing: Once I order this specific tape from Amazon, and the supplier sent me the incorrect type of tape. I felt it immediately upon touching the tape. I realized it was neither removable nor acid free. Thank goodness I caught the erroneous tape!
Here is the tape to order: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2YVZ2W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Let me add one more trick I have learned. If I am not mounting the stamps in mounts, I will put the whole page in a sheet protector. I use Avery premium heavyweight Sheet protectors that I buy in boxes of 250, for virtually less per page than you would pay for one mount (at Costco!)! They are acid free, and "archival safe", although here again, I do monitor my old albums to be extra safe.
This forces me to print my own (thank you Mr Steiner) 8 1/2 x 11 pages, as many album pages are oversized (or I cut the pages to size). Again, a more cost effective method.
Having the pages in sheet protectors minimises any problem of loose stamps, page handling etc... and you can hand your album to neophytes and see them enjoy looking at them without worrying! (great with the younger generation of collectors as they learn about handling and collecting).
rrr...
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Yeah it's only $2-3 for a pack of non vintage hinges. I use those on less valuable used stamps and have been going through a lot lately. I am realizing how much waste there is in them. On average less thn half of the packet is usable. The rest are rolled tight into balls, cut incorrectly or folded in several places and cannot be salvaged. Most collectors don't think it's worth complaining about, I suppose. Wouldn't you think they could increase the percentage a bit?
Just got a package of 'Fold O-Hinge' from CWS. I'd bet only a third are usable. Many of those are folded the wrong way and I need to refold them.
Like so many things nowdays we just put up with mediocrity. Has anyone found a brand that has a better average of miscuts than this?
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I just went through two packs of Supersafe hinges,about 40% curl, if you leave them in an envelope there will be less curl, I like mine in a container and just deal with the curl, no problems with miscuts. I used up my supply of Foldo's and Denny's,not going to pay $15 bucks ++ for them. Imagine if the stamp investors back in the 60's and 70's had bought Dennison hinges instead of plate blocks, woo hoo. A case of 100 Dennison's vs 100 3 cent plate blocks............
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09:17:52am
re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
It may not be relevant for the USA but I use Stanley Gibbons prefolded hinges, which I suspect are actually made by Prinz. The short part of the fold goes on the stamp and the long fold into the album. They are extremely succesful for me if the correct technique is used. The absolute minimum of moisture is required. A little ( and I mean little !) water applied using the tip of the little finger ( pinkie in US-speak ?) to the short length, and stuck to the back of the stamp, and a little water applied to the extreme end of the long part to stick to the album, leaving a dry part between.
If perchance you need to remove the stamp from the page you grasp with your tweezers ( tongs?) the former DRY part and remove the whole thing from the album leaving the remainder of the hinge on the stamp. Do not try to remove it until the whole assembly is fully dry, so if you make a mistake leave until at least the next day before trying to rectify it.
To remove the hinge from the stamp, float ( or use a sweat box or damp blotting paper). Providing you didn't over wet the hinge in the first place the remainder comes of with no (or very little) residue on the stamp.
I have used these for decades without any ill-effects. I recently purchased 3 packs of 1000 at £2.25 per pack. To mount single stamps I actually cut the hinges in half, but blocks need the whole thing.
The secret is patience,planning and a light touch ( as in most philatelic endeavours !).
I am sure that you will be able to find an outlet in the US if you try. I always buy at least 3 packs, and if kept in the packets ( which are very similar to glassine) they last for years.
Malcolm
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I wonder why some manufacturer has not been able to duplicate the Dennison hinge. I heard that we were probably licking horse glue, but you'd figure they could produce something FDA acceptable today.
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
There are several theories on why modern hinges are so bad and good hinges are no longer made. I wrote a short article on Dennison hinges (http://www.stampsmarter.com/learning/Gen_Dennison.html and read a number of the theories. The original Dennison equipment and formula were passed on to other companies but they were not able to produce a quality hinge.
I also read that that Dennison had a specific process which added texture to the adhesive. I invested in a case of Dennison hinges a number of years ago (late 1950s vintage) and have examined a number of other era Dennisons, they all have a distinct texturing.
It may be that Dennison ran the equipment with a specific processes along with specific materials that others have not been able to replicate. Others have certainly invest a lot of money trying but to this day no one has succeeded in making a hinge the quality of the vintage Dennisons.
Given the +4000% increase in the value of vintage Dennison hinges we would all be better off investing in them instead of stamps! (Demand keeps increasing and supply will keep dropping unless someone can figure out how to make a truly peelable hinge.)
Don
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I have two unopened packages of Dennison hinges that I got a long time ago in an auction supply box lot. I figure when the time comes I'll sell them (I don't use hinges), and both my grandsons will be able to get a doctorate degree off the proceeds!
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
Hi hinge lovers;
@ BenFranklin1902;
It isn't the FDA that has to pass approval of hinges. They really have nothing to say on this matter at all, nor do they care.
As usual, it's the damn lawyers that muck up the works, just like Washington. Every other manufacturer is afraid to make anything due to possible liability. Lawyers only have to suggest to the head of a corporation about a product having a possible liability, and into the trash that idea goes. That includes non-food grade adhesive used to make hinges.
That is why you rarely see really hot, spicy foods in the freezer section. If a consumer chokes on a hot spicy frozen dinner, you can bet the lawyers will be all over management to get rid of that product.
Stop making zombie gun and make lawyer guns instead. Set tasers for stun!
just sortin' things out....
TuskenRaider
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I have been using Prinz hinges for quite a while now for
lower-value stamps and am quite satisfied with them.
I would estimate that I end up discarding no more than 10% of the hinges due to damage in packaging/shipping, etc.
I, too have a few of the original Dennison packs reserved for some of the higher-value
stamps; beyond that, I use mounts.
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I've been using Prinz hinges as well and have no complaints about them. I started cutting them in half when I was about to run out and have continued doing so ever since. To make sure they don't get damaged after receipt, I store the packages flat and under weight.
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re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I'm going through the process of removing stamps from a recent purchase, a nice Scott International Part I. For the most part, the hinges are peeling off beautifully even though they were probably applied 30-40 years ago. I assume they are Dennison.
However, there is a small amount of yellow residue/staining on both the stamp and the album page. I haven't yet soaked any of the stamps to see if that goes away. I'm not too concerned, because the yellowing does not affect the front of the stamp (yet) and the spots in the album will all be covered, right?
This made me wonder if newer hinges might be better if they are made from a more paper-friendly material. That is, a trade-off between peel-ability and yellowing? Guess I'll have to wait 30-40 years to find out!
-Steve
PS I use a variety of hinges, but primarily Supersafe because those are the ones they sell at Hobby Lobby.
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Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
19 May 2017
01:36:51pm
re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
No hinge discussion is ever complete without bringing up (again) the 3M 811 removable tape, which I use right out of a tape dispenser to make my own removable hinges (works perfectly and no leftover indication of use, once removed...but review the usual warning notices...which were amply discussed before).
I am still waiting for a final technical assessment of APS on removable tape...but I have researched it and experimented for many years and for my "temporary" use (Here I am talking years, and not weeks) it performs perfectly. I have one album with stamps mounted (temporarily) now for 10 years, and I have no complaint. MY goal is always to mount stamps in mounts, eventually....but in albums that are work in process, unless you attach the mounts with 3M removable tape (why not), repositioning stamps and reconfiguring pages is cumbersome until all done..and lack the flexibility I need.
3M, a few years back, had a temporary substrate and glue formulation issue (could have been a lot of counterfeit tape rolls...I bought them via Amazon...and I raised the issue with 3M, and discussed it here before), but since then, they have performed flawlessly,
Since then, it also seems that the 3M formula has been improved, as any minor issues (occasional residue) that I had noted before are not present today. I have also developed additional skills and techniques to negate any possible issues...using "Penny" Kims suggestion of pre-cutting the tape in smaller hinges (1/8 inch wide), and sticking them on a sheet of paper for future use...the two step technique weakens the stickiness, but it is more than adequate for stamps. I am also reusing old hinges, again as the extra stickiness is weakened when you simply recycle them rather than discard them.
I love our hobby...but purists collectors are stuck in old non technical solutions when modern technology offers alternatives. Does anyone still use paper hinges? We move at a snail pace....why use any permanent hinge at all? Why not experiment (certainly you can on the 5c/10c stamps!)
rrr...
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03:42:52pm
re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
I have tried many brands of hinges: SG, Dennison, Klebefalze, and Supersafe. The problem with all of these is that they don't just hold the stamp in place, they bond to the stamp. Thus if you have to remove the stamp from one album and put it into another album, there is not a simple way of getting the old hinge completely off without taking something of the stamp off with it (short of soaking each transferred stamp). Back in the dark ages there used to be peel-able hinges that came off the stamp easily (though a mark was, at times, left on the stamp). But those are long gone; it looks like Klebefalza and Supersafe are the common hinges of philately today.
I should mention that until 5 years ago, I always used hinges, co-relatedly, I have never use mounts (at least not in 35 years) because they are ridiculously expensive for a large world wide collection.
So if I don't use mounts, and stopped using hinges, what have I used in the past nearly-5 years to place stamps in my stamp collection (albums)?
What I have started using for the past nearly-5 years -- and it works great -- is special photo safe acid free removable double-side tape. I am NOT talking about Scotch 811 -- I do not believe that that is actually acid free. What I am talking about is slight more expensive, but works great. I posted about this in a Scotch 811 discussion, but my comments are probably better placed here in a discussion on hinges.
Now, before I repeat the text of my old post (from another discussion group), let me add a few caveats: you have to be sure to buy the correct specific tape product below, it has to be photo safe AND acid free (as well as removable, which hinges are not in any practical sense). The tape should be used in small swatches and not plastered on the back of the stamp. This is not just some old style Scotch magic tape, this is the real deal, and it does no harm to the stamp, unless misused (misapplied).
With that being said, here was my post on the matter back in January:
FROM JANUARY 2017, I had written:
-----------------------------------
I have been using Scotch 2002 Double Sided Removable Photo and Document Tape on my stamps for four years now; this tape is photo-safe AND acid free. Best move I ever made. (The tape meets key high quality standards for sensitive items like art material and photos: International Standardization Organization ISO #18916 (2007) which deals with stability on usage on photographic images and ASTM #D-4236 -- Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials).
After fours years of use: I can remove stamps that are placed with this tape with no problem. Try removing a standard hinge from a used stamp without an damage -- not easy to do. This removes like a breeze. The only caveat I would note is that one must use small/tiny snippets of the tape to adhere to the back of the stamp; putting large sized pieces makes the removal of the tape doable, but more problematic and difficult. I use small swatch square of tape place it on the album page, and then gently place stamp atop it, and then press to bond in place; voila the stamp is held well in place, and can be removed easily if needed..
This tape is also very useful if using a stamp album with double sided pages (like Minkus Global or Scott International). Why? Because hinged stamps on those page oft require glassine interleaving to prevent the stamps that are pressed against each other on opposing pages from getting caught on each other's perforations and causing damage when opening those pages. Using this tape, the stamps seem to encounter none of those problems. I have hardly had to touch any of my stash of glassine pages in the few years since switching to the tape system; it seems to hold the stamp more closely to the page.
I have used hinges on stamps since 1968, when I began collecting. In the past few years, I have had a great experience with the double-sided removable acid-free photo-safe tape. There are two types that seem to fit the bill for collectors:
Scotch 2002 Double Sided Removable Photo and Document Tape
Elmer's Double, Sided Removable Scrapbooking Tape
I know that I was fearful of this change, but the glue that activates when licking a standard hinge seems to me more permanently bonded to a stamp, and more damaging than this special tape could ever be.
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Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
03 Jun 2017
02:42:26pm
re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
Good post Jim:
I agree with you 100%, I would never use today any of the hinges on the market. I still have a few packages of the older authentic removable Dennyson, and as I was not using them much, I recall donating a few packages some time ago to fellow collectors.
But even the best old hinges mark the back of a new stamp, and can rip off the back of any stamp leaving a hinge thin!
I have been using the 811 3M tape for 5-10 years now, and I have checked my first albums, and double checked them, for any signs of degradation or unwanted impact on the stamps and I have seen none...but I did mention some time ago some temporary adhesive issues and some breakage of thin inferior tape substrate, that could have come from one bad batch or from a counterfeit tape manufacturer (?).
No problem as of late.
From what I understand the 811 3M tape is acid free as well. (it meets ISO standard 18916)
Double sided tape is an interesting alternative Jim, possibly more convenient then folding the 811 in small hinges for permanent use, and I plan to test it. Not sure how it functions if you plan to move the stamp around, one of the reasons I use 811 on "working albums".
Ideally all goes in mounts in my albums eventually, and I have now been using 811 tape on the mounts, which saves the album pages and allows moving the mounted stamp, should you want to!!!!! why not, just use a bigger piece of tape is my recommendation for nice flat sticking to the page. Now removable double sided tape seems an ideal use here!!
Jim: how does the double sided tape work if you want to move the stamp around on a page? To me one of the benefits of the removable tape is this ability to reposition the stamp at will. For moving the stamps around, I peel stamp and hinge off the page (rather than the stamp)...or hinge and mount... and you just move it where you want as is, hinge and all and re-stick it.
The key technique advice as you pointed to is to keep the size small (for hinges, I now use widths of 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and to fold the part adhering to the stamp small as well for hinges, to less than 1/4 inch. It works fine even with the really small hinges!
I have found, using a technique described by "penny" Kim some time ago that pre-cutting the tape on a support sheet and peeling them off to use as you need, insures better control of the "hinge" size, and seems to alleviate the occasional residue issue.
I also have a roll in a 3M dispenser and just cut a small piece off the roll as I need..this is fast and painless!
Occasional residue: when you pull the hinge off the stamp, it occasionally leaves minute residue deposits, which rub off instantly with the fingers and thus has no permanent impact, but is an occasional annoyance. (It could have been an older formulation, as the more recent tape I have used does seem to be less problematic).
Less deposits today does not mean none, and it could be due the small size I now use, or the age of the tape, or a reformulated adhesive?. But it always rubs off and leaves no mark.
I am also guessing that by using the "kim technique" the small loose adhesive stay on the first substrate and thus impact the stamps less or none at all. Again, I am waiting for a final technical decision for long term philatelic use, and consider all current use I have (some are 5-10 years now) as temporary.
Note also that I can reuse my hinges as they still work well, and have less or no related deposits after their first use..just pull them off the stamp and stick them on your support sheet for future use.
I am curious if anyone else has experimented with anything else. Hinges are truly a horrible technology (even the old style removable ones are problematic) as they do impact the back of the stamp! Why should you degrade a stamp, or risk a thin!
Rrr...
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07:43:44pm
re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
rrraphy: Thanks for the post. You asked, "how does the double sided tape work if you want to move the stamp around on a page? To me one of the benefits of the removable tape is this ability to reposition the stamp at will."
In terms of moving the stamp from one spot to another:
If you use a small piece of the removable tape to put the stamp in the book, just grab your tongs, and pull up the stamp. Sometimes, the tape will remain on the stamp, while other times the tape will remain on the page.
- If it remains on the stamp, you just place the stamps into its new location (if you wish to remove the still adhered tape, you can simply pull it off the stamp)
- If the tape remains on the album page when you remove the stamp, you can easily peel up the tape from the page and re-use it.
Again, I cannot emphasize enough how useful this tape it in my collection.
I will add one thing: Once I order this specific tape from Amazon, and the supplier sent me the incorrect type of tape. I felt it immediately upon touching the tape. I realized it was neither removable nor acid free. Thank goodness I caught the erroneous tape!
Here is the tape to order: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2YVZ2W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
04 Jun 2017
01:11:27pm
re: Some Hinges are a Waste of Money
Let me add one more trick I have learned. If I am not mounting the stamps in mounts, I will put the whole page in a sheet protector. I use Avery premium heavyweight Sheet protectors that I buy in boxes of 250, for virtually less per page than you would pay for one mount (at Costco!)! They are acid free, and "archival safe", although here again, I do monitor my old albums to be extra safe.
This forces me to print my own (thank you Mr Steiner) 8 1/2 x 11 pages, as many album pages are oversized (or I cut the pages to size). Again, a more cost effective method.
Having the pages in sheet protectors minimises any problem of loose stamps, page handling etc... and you can hand your album to neophytes and see them enjoy looking at them without worrying! (great with the younger generation of collectors as they learn about handling and collecting).
rrr...
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