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Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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On the left hand side of this page you will find 'Search' under Utilities.
If you search for 'Soaking self adhesive stamps' you will find various discussions in the Stamporama archives regarding soaking self adhesive stamps.
Liz
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I wrote this some years ago, maybe it is of use to you:
The best way to soak those stamps is to use something like lighter fluid, or naphta, or even clean gasoline. In this case you should put the stamp in the liquid for not more than about 20-30 seconds, and then peel off the paper gently from the back of the stamps. In this procedure the stamps will remain with some glue on the back, but once the solvent evaporated, you can spray some talc on it to neutralize the stickissness.
Warning: the vapors of these fluids are not very healthy, so try not to be exposed to them for longer times. I soak in this way about 10 stamps at a time, and only the stamps that I will use in my collection! Duplicates stay on paper!
Hope this is useful !
Miguel
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I tried "Hand Sanitizer" gel and put it on both sides of stamp and paper. In about 1 min. the stamp comes off very easyly.
Try it and please let me know if it works for you.
Thank you!
Jerry
BOTTOM_FISH_2006
jerry_korlaske@yahoo.com
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Wow Jerry - at the price of Hand Sanitizer gel I wouldn't want to try this method on too many stamps. Isn't hand sanitizer's main ingredient ethanol? I know that hand sanitizer is highly flammable and one should avoid getting near their eyes.
Was there any staining to the paper from the gel? Is there any sticky residue left on the stamp from the gum?
I would try it myself but I do not use hand sanitizer products, other than soap and water.
Liz
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Hi Liz!
I do not know how much hand sanitizer cost in Canada, but U.S it is about $2.00 or a 1/2 pint. It only takes about 2 drops on each side less then you would use on your hands. and so far I have now stain and gum as on the stamps I used was gone. I think it is the gel that suspense the ethanol from evaorating and desloves the gum.
I know I did not beleive it eather until I seen it on one of those youtube vedios.
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I just tried it here with 3 different SA's and they came right off. Waiting to see about the residual stikiness when it dries.
Pat
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There are a couple of videos and several articles on soaking self adhesive stamps on the web site of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada---www.rpsc.org
The link is highlited in green on thier home page.
The author is Peter Butler a Director of RPSC and a columnist with Canadian Stamp News.Peter is also a frequent speaker at stamp clubs in the greater Toronto.Ontario area
One of the articles is a piece prepared by Peter that was published in the Oct.2010 American Philatelist--I know members in the three area clubs I belong to have had success with the techniques suggested in these articles
Hope this is of value to those struggling with self adhesives
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So the stamps are still sticky, but then I can use the Baby Powder trick to nulify that. I actually liked how "intact" the stamps came off the paper using the hand sanitizer.
Tried this method with success on the following:
Earlier 2000ish U.S. models
The newest 2011 U.S. model
A couple of 52c and 51c Canada models
A batch of 2010 Australian models
(Message edited by pdougherty999 on February 11, 2011)
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There have been a series of letters/articles in the American Philatelist over the last several months on removing self-adhesives from paper. The Feb 2011 issue has a link to a youtube video from New Zealand that is very good. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWMcVYgIZjM
I haven't had a chance to try this yet but it also shows how to remove the adhesive from the stamps.
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This is one area that I just don't understand. I know the old school is to soak the paper off the stamp. However, as technology and stamp printing changes, it is obvious that it takes hours to remove the paper off a stamp that usually isn't worth much of anything other than minimum value. I just cut the paper as close as is safely possible without damaging the stamp, put it in a mount and put it in my album. I don't have the expense of buying all those chemicals, and the enormous amount of time taken to work on just one stamp. I have heard the argument that the paper from the envelope adds thickness to the stamp in the mount. Well, so does the backing paper of the unused stamp, so that is not a valid argument.
People have tried to explain this compulsion (and in some cases a manic need) to remove the paper from these stamps. As I said, it doesn't make sense to me. But, it's your collection, time and money. I'd rather buy more stamps with the money and spend the time adding those stamps to my albums. Personal choice to be sure, but it just baffles me the unwillingness to change and adapt, and sit there frustrated over the futility of the effort expended. All I can say is enjoy your work!? I'll just continue to shake my head in wonder over this....
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As a person who is working with kids, the idea of using any kind of lighter fluid just was not going to cut it. I certainly am not going to recomend to parents of budding stamp collectors to use that stuff either. This hand sanitizer idea is both cheap and in my opinion safe enough that I will let my kids and other kids use it.
Pat
(Message edited by pdougherty999 on February 11, 2011)
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As a follow-up to my earlier post, I did a search of the "American Philatelist" and the issue with the original article by Peter Butler was Oct 2010. Further input & responses are in the Dec 2010 and Feb 2011 issues. If you are an APS member you can get access to the digital issues & get the information there.
Roger
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To get the gum off the stamp, you add more hand sanitizer to the gum and take you stamp in between the thumb and finger and rub the gum off with your thumb.(powder and all).
I have not used gel for watermarks. If some one would try a bad watermark stamp and use gel on it and let me know if it works.
Thanks
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How well do these methods work if the stamps are not on normal envelope paper, but on thin or thick cardboards, or those plastic-like priority mail envelopes?
Thanks,
Josh
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Peter Butler's (no known relation) technique of using "Pure Citrus" Orange air freshener and talcum powder for the residual stickiness works quite well.
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01:59:15pm
I recently "lost" a bunch of stamps that I was trying to soak off paper because they were self adhesives and I didn't realize it before I put them in water. Does anyone know a way to remove the paper from self adhesive stamps without destroying the stamp? Or is there a standard for trimming the paper? Please let know. It would also help if there was a trick for identifying self adhesive stamps before trying to remove them from paper
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02:41:00pm
Auctions - Approvals
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
On the left hand side of this page you will find 'Search' under Utilities.
If you search for 'Soaking self adhesive stamps' you will find various discussions in the Stamporama archives regarding soaking self adhesive stamps.
Liz
Login to Like
this post
05:07:21pm
Approvals
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
I wrote this some years ago, maybe it is of use to you:
The best way to soak those stamps is to use something like lighter fluid, or naphta, or even clean gasoline. In this case you should put the stamp in the liquid for not more than about 20-30 seconds, and then peel off the paper gently from the back of the stamps. In this procedure the stamps will remain with some glue on the back, but once the solvent evaporated, you can spray some talc on it to neutralize the stickissness.
Warning: the vapors of these fluids are not very healthy, so try not to be exposed to them for longer times. I soak in this way about 10 stamps at a time, and only the stamps that I will use in my collection! Duplicates stay on paper!
Hope this is useful !
Miguel
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
I tried "Hand Sanitizer" gel and put it on both sides of stamp and paper. In about 1 min. the stamp comes off very easyly.
Try it and please let me know if it works for you.
Thank you!
Jerry
BOTTOM_FISH_2006
jerry_korlaske@yahoo.com
Login to Like
this post
01:59:18am
Auctions - Approvals
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
Wow Jerry - at the price of Hand Sanitizer gel I wouldn't want to try this method on too many stamps. Isn't hand sanitizer's main ingredient ethanol? I know that hand sanitizer is highly flammable and one should avoid getting near their eyes.
Was there any staining to the paper from the gel? Is there any sticky residue left on the stamp from the gum?
I would try it myself but I do not use hand sanitizer products, other than soap and water.
Liz
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
Hi Liz!
I do not know how much hand sanitizer cost in Canada, but U.S it is about $2.00 or a 1/2 pint. It only takes about 2 drops on each side less then you would use on your hands. and so far I have now stain and gum as on the stamps I used was gone. I think it is the gel that suspense the ethanol from evaorating and desloves the gum.
I know I did not beleive it eather until I seen it on one of those youtube vedios.
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
I just tried it here with 3 different SA's and they came right off. Waiting to see about the residual stikiness when it dries.
Pat
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this post
09:18:10am
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
There are a couple of videos and several articles on soaking self adhesive stamps on the web site of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada---www.rpsc.org
The link is highlited in green on thier home page.
The author is Peter Butler a Director of RPSC and a columnist with Canadian Stamp News.Peter is also a frequent speaker at stamp clubs in the greater Toronto.Ontario area
One of the articles is a piece prepared by Peter that was published in the Oct.2010 American Philatelist--I know members in the three area clubs I belong to have had success with the techniques suggested in these articles
Hope this is of value to those struggling with self adhesives
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
So the stamps are still sticky, but then I can use the Baby Powder trick to nulify that. I actually liked how "intact" the stamps came off the paper using the hand sanitizer.
Tried this method with success on the following:
Earlier 2000ish U.S. models
The newest 2011 U.S. model
A couple of 52c and 51c Canada models
A batch of 2010 Australian models
(Message edited by pdougherty999 on February 11, 2011)
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
There have been a series of letters/articles in the American Philatelist over the last several months on removing self-adhesives from paper. The Feb 2011 issue has a link to a youtube video from New Zealand that is very good. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWMcVYgIZjM
I haven't had a chance to try this yet but it also shows how to remove the adhesive from the stamps.
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
This is one area that I just don't understand. I know the old school is to soak the paper off the stamp. However, as technology and stamp printing changes, it is obvious that it takes hours to remove the paper off a stamp that usually isn't worth much of anything other than minimum value. I just cut the paper as close as is safely possible without damaging the stamp, put it in a mount and put it in my album. I don't have the expense of buying all those chemicals, and the enormous amount of time taken to work on just one stamp. I have heard the argument that the paper from the envelope adds thickness to the stamp in the mount. Well, so does the backing paper of the unused stamp, so that is not a valid argument.
People have tried to explain this compulsion (and in some cases a manic need) to remove the paper from these stamps. As I said, it doesn't make sense to me. But, it's your collection, time and money. I'd rather buy more stamps with the money and spend the time adding those stamps to my albums. Personal choice to be sure, but it just baffles me the unwillingness to change and adapt, and sit there frustrated over the futility of the effort expended. All I can say is enjoy your work!? I'll just continue to shake my head in wonder over this....
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
As a person who is working with kids, the idea of using any kind of lighter fluid just was not going to cut it. I certainly am not going to recomend to parents of budding stamp collectors to use that stuff either. This hand sanitizer idea is both cheap and in my opinion safe enough that I will let my kids and other kids use it.
Pat
(Message edited by pdougherty999 on February 11, 2011)
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
As a follow-up to my earlier post, I did a search of the "American Philatelist" and the issue with the original article by Peter Butler was Oct 2010. Further input & responses are in the Dec 2010 and Feb 2011 issues. If you are an APS member you can get access to the digital issues & get the information there.
Roger
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
To get the gum off the stamp, you add more hand sanitizer to the gum and take you stamp in between the thumb and finger and rub the gum off with your thumb.(powder and all).
I have not used gel for watermarks. If some one would try a bad watermark stamp and use gel on it and let me know if it works.
Thanks
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
How well do these methods work if the stamps are not on normal envelope paper, but on thin or thick cardboards, or those plastic-like priority mail envelopes?
Thanks,
Josh
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Soak Those Pesky Self Adhesive Stamps
Peter Butler's (no known relation) technique of using "Pure Citrus" Orange air freshener and talcum powder for the residual stickiness works quite well.
Login to Like
this post