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General Philatelic/Newcomer Cnr : Removing stamps from paper

 

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shantige
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14 Jan 2019
10:25:39am
I am having a hard time with the newer stamps issued in Canada and the US. I am trying to soak them off and it is not working like the older stamps where they just float off on their own or can be removed rather easily. Is there a better method for these newer stamps?

Shannon
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sheepshanks
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14 Jan 2019
10:55:26am
re: Removing stamps from paper

Hi Shannon, if you use the search link on the home page (keyword) there are a number of previous articles. Such as this one:-
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=19616#144957
This is probably where your answer lies.

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shantige
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14 Jan 2019
12:53:07pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

Thanks. Much appreciated.

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doomboy
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14 Jan 2019
06:26:39pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

Newer Canadian self-adhesives shouldn't be too much of a problem. The gum is water-soluble, and if they don't float off, they'll usually slide off.


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Bobstamp
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14 Jan 2019
07:57:54pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

I recently tried to soak four copies of a recent U.S. stamp with zero success. They came off the paper, but a thin layer of sticky adhesive still coated them. I found that I could gently roll the adhesive off the back of one of them with some gentle work with my thumb. Yay! But...wait! When I thought I had removed all of it, the back was still sticky. I rolled more off, and still more, and it stayed sticky until I realized that what I was rolling off wasn't gum, but the paper the stamp was printed on. I had four stamps to start with, and ended up with just one that was more or less intact but on paper that was thinner than one ply of cheap two-ply facial tissue.

More and more, the older I get, and today I'm older than I ever figured I'd be, I'm noticing more and more the changes that are taking place in society. Not many of them are positive. I began collecting when most countries had conservative stamp issuing policies, and the stamps could be soaked off paper! Today, many stamps seem to present insurmountable soaking challenges, and if you manage to obtain used copies of all the stamps that most any country issues annually, you're a harder-working collector than I am!

I gave up on most new issues years ago, and now concentrate on stamps issued in the first half of the 20th Century. And I don't often have to soak them, because I collect them mainly in mint condition (as well as used if they are nicely cancelled), or on cover. I don't think that self-adhesive stamps are going away anytime soon, so collectors are either going to have to accept them, sometimes keeping them on paper, or decide to avoid them in the interest of maintaining their sanity!

Bob

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pigdoc

15 Jan 2019
01:57:35pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

Simple solution: collect covers.
;-)

I have experimented with a product called Goo-Gone for many applications. Not always successful, but gentler than acetone, the king of hydrocarbon solvents (except for ether, maybe).

Disclaimer: Although I have used it for many self-adhesive challenges, I have never tried Goo-Gone on stamps.

Factoid: In nutrition circles, the official name for fat is...ether extract, often abbreviated as "EE".

-The pigdoc

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ikeyPikey
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16 Jan 2019
12:34:33am
re: Removing stamps from paper

.
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=21495#156509

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
Dakota
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17 Jan 2019
04:17:04pm

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re: Removing stamps from paper

I am stumped. I have some 2018 stamps from Denmark. I have never had any problems soaking Denmark before. Does anyone have an idea on how to remove these from paper. Maybe I should just dry these and leave on piece.

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www.hipstamp.com/store/dakota-stamps
jbaxter5256
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17 Jan 2019
07:18:51pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

I think that cutting the piece around the stamp and simply keeping the used stamp on piece is the best solution for modern self-adhesive issues due to the difficulties which are increasing in removing them from paper cleanly.

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ikeyPikey
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17 Jan 2019
09:56:06pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

.
I once felt the same way: trim it, and hinge it.

But all the fuss about archival /acid-free paper for our albums reminds me that we have no idea what sort of paper to which we are 'committing' those stamps.

Moreover, we have no idea how the PSAs (Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives) will age, how they will interact with the stamp or the paper over time, etc.

I am much more comfortable with Pure Citrus and, with Home Depot stores in both Minto & Fargo ...

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey


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ccndd
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20 Jan 2019
06:11:47pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

Last response has it right. The air freshener Pure Citrus works great. Spray on the paper side and peal off. Then spray onto the backside and scrape off the self adhesive with a plastic card, like a grocery card or casino card. The result is perfection. Just be careful not to get self adhesive on the front of the stamp. ccndd

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Dakota
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02 Apr 2019
08:50:11pm

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re: Removing stamps from paper

Does anyone know of a method for removing self-adhesive stamps from Tyvek envelopes or paper with bubble wrap on it?

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snowy12
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03 Apr 2019
07:08:40am

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re: Removing stamps from paper

Australia Post now put four triangle cuts one in each corner of the stamp only on the S/A stamps though,you have to be very careful trying to remove these .I have even damaged stamps removing them from the original backing paper to use on envelopes.
Brian

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ikeyPikey
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03 Apr 2019
10:42:44am
re: Removing stamps from paper

"... Does anyone know of a method for removing self-adhesive stamps from Tyvek envelopes or paper with bubble wrap on it? ..."



With a sigh, and a long breath out.

As you suspect (or have learned the hard way), the solvent (Pure Citrus, or other) will penetrate the paper of the stamp, but will not penetrate the solvent, so you are 1) weakening the stamp, and 2) peeling the stamp away from the adhesive ... which often does not end well.

I have not yet tried ... the microwave. This might warm/weaken the adhesive without compromising the strength of the stamp. Remember to put a glass of water, or another microwave sink, in with your test subject.

Similarly, anything that would warm the substrate (the Tyvek, or the bubble wrap) and the adhesive might let you peel the stamp+adhesive away from that substrate ... got a candle? or a hot plate?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey (who is now eager to give these new thoughts a try, and to be the first on his eBlock)
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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
vinman
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03 Apr 2019
01:38:04pm
re: Removing stamps from paper

I have two approaches to remove U.S. self adhesive stamps from envelopes with bubble wrap.

First I remove the bubble wrap by holding the envelope down on my desk and pulling the bubble wrap away from the paper. The bubble wrap adhesive that I have encountered is "not" water soluble.
My next step is to spray Pure Citrus on one edge of the stamp. As soon as the envelope starts to soak up the Citrus I start to peel the stamp off the envelope. I then spray a little Citrus under the lifted edge and slowly pull the stamp off the envelope with my fingers while holding the envelope securely down on my desk. Once the stamp is lifted I clean off any remaining glue with an old credit card.
This may work on Tyvek but I have not tried it yet.

My second and also effective way although a bit more time consuming is to remove the bubble wrap then soak the stamps in warm water. After 20-30 minutes I can pull the stamps from the envelope but there will be paper sticking to the stamp so I dry in my drying book. When dry, I remove the paper with the Citrus as above.

I hope I was clear in my explanation. Let us know how you make out.

Vince

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Author/Postings
Members Picture
shantige

14 Jan 2019
10:25:39am

I am having a hard time with the newer stamps issued in Canada and the US. I am trying to soak them off and it is not working like the older stamps where they just float off on their own or can be removed rather easily. Is there a better method for these newer stamps?

Shannon

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this post
Members Picture
sheepshanks

14 Jan 2019
10:55:26am

re: Removing stamps from paper

Hi Shannon, if you use the search link on the home page (keyword) there are a number of previous articles. Such as this one:-
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=19616#144957
This is probably where your answer lies.

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this post
Members Picture
shantige

14 Jan 2019
12:53:07pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

Thanks. Much appreciated.

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this post
Members Picture
doomboy

14 Jan 2019
06:26:39pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

Newer Canadian self-adhesives shouldn't be too much of a problem. The gum is water-soluble, and if they don't float off, they'll usually slide off.


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this post
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Bobstamp

14 Jan 2019
07:57:54pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

I recently tried to soak four copies of a recent U.S. stamp with zero success. They came off the paper, but a thin layer of sticky adhesive still coated them. I found that I could gently roll the adhesive off the back of one of them with some gentle work with my thumb. Yay! But...wait! When I thought I had removed all of it, the back was still sticky. I rolled more off, and still more, and it stayed sticky until I realized that what I was rolling off wasn't gum, but the paper the stamp was printed on. I had four stamps to start with, and ended up with just one that was more or less intact but on paper that was thinner than one ply of cheap two-ply facial tissue.

More and more, the older I get, and today I'm older than I ever figured I'd be, I'm noticing more and more the changes that are taking place in society. Not many of them are positive. I began collecting when most countries had conservative stamp issuing policies, and the stamps could be soaked off paper! Today, many stamps seem to present insurmountable soaking challenges, and if you manage to obtain used copies of all the stamps that most any country issues annually, you're a harder-working collector than I am!

I gave up on most new issues years ago, and now concentrate on stamps issued in the first half of the 20th Century. And I don't often have to soak them, because I collect them mainly in mint condition (as well as used if they are nicely cancelled), or on cover. I don't think that self-adhesive stamps are going away anytime soon, so collectors are either going to have to accept them, sometimes keeping them on paper, or decide to avoid them in the interest of maintaining their sanity!

Bob

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like this post.
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www.ephemeraltreasur ...
pigdoc

15 Jan 2019
01:57:35pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

Simple solution: collect covers.
;-)

I have experimented with a product called Goo-Gone for many applications. Not always successful, but gentler than acetone, the king of hydrocarbon solvents (except for ether, maybe).

Disclaimer: Although I have used it for many self-adhesive challenges, I have never tried Goo-Gone on stamps.

Factoid: In nutrition circles, the official name for fat is...ether extract, often abbreviated as "EE".

-The pigdoc

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ikeyPikey

16 Jan 2019
12:34:33am

re: Removing stamps from paper

.
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=21495#156509

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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this post

"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
Members Picture
Dakota

17 Jan 2019
04:17:04pm

Auctions

re: Removing stamps from paper

I am stumped. I have some 2018 stamps from Denmark. I have never had any problems soaking Denmark before. Does anyone have an idea on how to remove these from paper. Maybe I should just dry these and leave on piece.

Like
Login to Like
this post

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...
Members Picture
jbaxter5256

17 Jan 2019
07:18:51pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

I think that cutting the piece around the stamp and simply keeping the used stamp on piece is the best solution for modern self-adhesive issues due to the difficulties which are increasing in removing them from paper cleanly.

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
ikeyPikey

17 Jan 2019
09:56:06pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

.
I once felt the same way: trim it, and hinge it.

But all the fuss about archival /acid-free paper for our albums reminds me that we have no idea what sort of paper to which we are 'committing' those stamps.

Moreover, we have no idea how the PSAs (Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives) will age, how they will interact with the stamp or the paper over time, etc.

I am much more comfortable with Pure Citrus and, with Home Depot stores in both Minto & Fargo ...

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey


Like 
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.

"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
Members Picture
ccndd

20 Jan 2019
06:11:47pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

Last response has it right. The air freshener Pure Citrus works great. Spray on the paper side and peal off. Then spray onto the backside and scrape off the self adhesive with a plastic card, like a grocery card or casino card. The result is perfection. Just be careful not to get self adhesive on the front of the stamp. ccndd

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Dakota

02 Apr 2019
08:50:11pm

Auctions

re: Removing stamps from paper

Does anyone know of a method for removing self-adhesive stamps from Tyvek envelopes or paper with bubble wrap on it?

Like
Login to Like
this post

www.hipstamp.com/sto ...
Members Picture
snowy12

03 Apr 2019
07:08:40am

Auctions

re: Removing stamps from paper

Australia Post now put four triangle cuts one in each corner of the stamp only on the S/A stamps though,you have to be very careful trying to remove these .I have even damaged stamps removing them from the original backing paper to use on envelopes.
Brian

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
ikeyPikey

03 Apr 2019
10:42:44am

re: Removing stamps from paper

"... Does anyone know of a method for removing self-adhesive stamps from Tyvek envelopes or paper with bubble wrap on it? ..."



With a sigh, and a long breath out.

As you suspect (or have learned the hard way), the solvent (Pure Citrus, or other) will penetrate the paper of the stamp, but will not penetrate the solvent, so you are 1) weakening the stamp, and 2) peeling the stamp away from the adhesive ... which often does not end well.

I have not yet tried ... the microwave. This might warm/weaken the adhesive without compromising the strength of the stamp. Remember to put a glass of water, or another microwave sink, in with your test subject.

Similarly, anything that would warm the substrate (the Tyvek, or the bubble wrap) and the adhesive might let you peel the stamp+adhesive away from that substrate ... got a candle? or a hot plate?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey (who is now eager to give these new thoughts a try, and to be the first on his eBlock)
Like
Login to Like
this post

"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
Members Picture
vinman

03 Apr 2019
01:38:04pm

re: Removing stamps from paper

I have two approaches to remove U.S. self adhesive stamps from envelopes with bubble wrap.

First I remove the bubble wrap by holding the envelope down on my desk and pulling the bubble wrap away from the paper. The bubble wrap adhesive that I have encountered is "not" water soluble.
My next step is to spray Pure Citrus on one edge of the stamp. As soon as the envelope starts to soak up the Citrus I start to peel the stamp off the envelope. I then spray a little Citrus under the lifted edge and slowly pull the stamp off the envelope with my fingers while holding the envelope securely down on my desk. Once the stamp is lifted I clean off any remaining glue with an old credit card.
This may work on Tyvek but I have not tried it yet.

My second and also effective way although a bit more time consuming is to remove the bubble wrap then soak the stamps in warm water. After 20-30 minutes I can pull the stamps from the envelope but there will be paper sticking to the stamp so I dry in my drying book. When dry, I remove the paper with the Citrus as above.

I hope I was clear in my explanation. Let us know how you make out.

Vince

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likes this post.
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