I suggest you swap the metal ruler for a plastic card like a credit card you no longer use. It does the same job, however it is more flexible and chances of damaging the stamp are less.
Oh I like that idea! Done!! Im going to use an old credit card moving forward. Thank you for that suggestion Erik, a flexible credit card works way better.
I've been using that orange air freshener for a few years now, and it works really well. And, as you say, it makes the room smell great! I may also try Bestine (naptha) but its fumes can make you dizzy and are not good to breathe. So if anyone uses that product be sure to allow for good ventilation. Don't want anyone keeping over from the fumes! It's also very flammable so keep the bottle or can tightly closed as you did both to prevent it from evaporating which it can do fairly quickly and to avoid the fumes. Also, using a metal edge like a ruler to scrape off the adhesive ("gum" to a collector) is inevitably going to tear a few stamps. The sharp metal edge will catch on something. Try using an old credit card, as already suggested here. Its edge is sharp enough to scrape with, but not so sharp that it's likely to tear the stamp paper. It 's also good for removing adhesive residue from windows, bumper stickers, and so on. I'd avoid razor blades for the same reason. You will eventually tear a stamp with anything metal or really sharp-edged. A wet stamp is fragile and it can tear pretty easily, so I'd look for something else to use to remove a stamp from paper besides stamp tongs, though I have no idea what. I find I can lift stamps off paper without using any tool just by being very slow and careful as I peel -- but that will also probably rip a few stamps eventually. Maybe invent a new stamp tool? Great video as always!
Thanks for the video and suggested products for separating self-adhesives. I absolutely detest self adhesive stamps and believe they have pretty much ruined the art of philately. Sadly, Australian self adhesives are near impossible to work with. I think our country must use the nastiest adhesive in the world! I believe the SA's have been in production mainly since 1990. Fortunately Australia Post still produces gum backed stamps as well as SA's but unfortunately the chances of collecting a nicely cancelled gum backed stamp that has been through the mail system are very slim as most consumers opt for the quicker and easier method of applying SA's to their outgoing mail. Personally, I think using chemicals or natural solvents for separation purposes is really too much bother for a used stamp collector but I'm not a huge fan of leaving stamps on their envelope backing either. I just don't know what to do in terms of storing/ displaying these nasty SA stamps! Maybe I'll just focus on collecting up to 1990 for now....because, let's face it, our wonderful Post Offices have ruined it for us used stamp collectors in the modern age! PS: Sorry to sound so negative...I'm just a very frustrated collector!
Thanks for doing this experiment on behalf of all of us! I have a big stash of self-adhesives waiting to be separated and I'm dreading the thought. I just know it's going to be such an effort. I've read that some countries add a water-based layer between the stamp and the chemical adhesive to help us collectors out, but I suspect that's a courtesy that the postal accountants will soon put to the sword. I personally hate self-adhesives for the unnecessary landfill caused by the plastinated backing paper, but your video opened my eyes to why it would be much more practical in some climates. Thanks Graham!
You were right. At one point the water soluble layer was required by the USPS. It was cheaper for stamp printing companies to omit this step, so they did, the government let it slide, and here we are.
I have commented on another video of yours about being a millennial stamp collector, the fact that you took the time to respond meant a lot to me. I genuinely appreciate your work for those us Millennials who don't have anyone else to reach out to for education in the field of Philaltely. I am curious to know if you have a Facebook page or group or the like I can follow to learn more from you. I have officially watch each of your videos, multiple times, even taking several pages of notes. But, I would like to learn more my collection has grown significantly, to nearly 1000 stamps. Including 2 original "Jenny's" and a pane of 2013 inverted "Jenny's" I definitely would say your an authority in Philatley for Millennials and would love to be able to learn more from you and ask questions/seek education directly. Either way, thank you so much for all your hard work and keeping the, "Hobby of Kings", alive for us in 2018. I recently went to what I thought was a local club of collectors that meets at our library monthly, I was literally told, the club has dismantled because most of the members have died off. Very sad, and so much knowledge was lost and the locals in my small town in Ohio, U.S.A don't even realize it. Thank you again, and I'm I'm looking forward hearing from you again. Your videos and how hard you have worked on them is defiantly an inspiration.
Thank you Robert, it is definitely an interesting time for philately as we are both getting into the hobby. You just hit a very true and painful point about the loss of knowledge as clubs dismantle, at the same time there is a growing presence in social media and I am enjoying the different personalities and expertise online that almost has a club like feel to it. I am not on Facebook yet, although I have heard it is the lesser active of platforms in philately (I could be wrong). I have a strong presence on Instagram, and enjoy that platform the most… feel free to follow me and anyone else that I follow, twitter is my other online presence but it’s not the easiest to use. I have a group on Snupps that lets different users share their stamps and stories behind them. Also consider joining the APS since you are in Ohio, I love receiving their monthly journal and having access to their resources. I love that you are building a flight of Jennys, not an easy stamp to get in my little experience, and great to hear that your collection is growing. Thanks again Robert, comments like this keep me going :)
For Canadian stamps, even though these are self adhesive, you can still soak most of them off. Between the self adhesive and the stamp itself is a water activated layer, so the self adhesive glue stays on the paper and your stamp comes off fairly easily. Though you may want to watch the temperature of the water you use, it does behave a bit differently than normal glue stamps
An "acetone dispenser" works really well to store solvents. This is what ladies use to store fingernail polish remover. It is airtight, comes with a pump that brings a few drops of solvent up to a depression in the lid. WAY faster than using an eyedropper
Product I've used for many years now is called SuperSafe Stamp Lifter Fluid. 4 oz bottle runs about $4.00. (some giant online sellers have it at a 'very' premium price - check around) Just picked up several more in the last couple weeks. Does not harm the stamps, doesn't leave a flammable residue (lighter fluid), no hazmat suit required, and works very quickly. Each bottle comes with a small brush for applying the fluid to the back of the paper the stamp is attached to. Very little is required to release a stamp. I pour a small amount into the cap from the bottle (about a 1/2 tsp at most) and this will release 8-10 stamps. The paper the stamp is attached to needs to only be slightly moistened to release the stamp. There may still be a bit of stickiness on the back of the stamp. Used a tiny amount of talc powder. I use mounts rather than hinges and don't want to harm a stamp with scraping. So works well for me. For a comparison, an amount the size of a single drop from the eyedropper in this video is enough for 2-3 stamps. Thanks for covering this 'sticky' topic of current day stamp collecting. Unfortunately, gone are the days of putting a number of stamps on paper in a bowl of warm water and watching the stamps release from the paper and fall to the bottom of the bowl.
I am going to try that. Thanks for giving your review of SuperSafe Lifter Fluid. I like your "no hazmat suit required". I just saw that you wrote this 4 years ago but I think I will try it. Just getting my stamps out that I have been taking off envelopes to eventually put in stamp books.
Excellent video. I have done this same method with the bestine for years. I do however use a craft razor and have had excellent result with no mishaps, but realize many will be reluctant to use something this sharp but again as you suggest its technique and a steady approach. The razor gives a thinner profile and lifting the stamps is done in one pass. Using the tongs as you show can create creases and tears. I also work on a large glass surface, this allows me to layout a dozen or so stamps at a time for each of the different steps. The first being to remove the stamp from the envelope, the second to clean the back of glue, doing this allows the product time to work and keeps you moving in an efficient manner. I suggest using an old lighter fluid can with the flip tip, you can dispense right from the can again making the process much faster processing more stamps. Working with this it's easy to control the amount of thinner, typically 5 drops...one on each corner and one on the middle is sufficient to loosen the stamp. After the stamp is removed another drop or so on the back will soften the glue and you can gently glide the razor along the stamps removing the glue. Finally, using a bit of soft (tp = toilet paper) slightly moistened wipe the stamp and allow to dry. Also use the moistened paper to keep the razor and work surface clean as glue residue can build up on everything. About the costs. Bestine can be purchased cheaper than suggested but careful shopping is required and I would strongly suggest when transferring from one container to the next that large aluminum pans and funnels be used to minimize any spills and capture them. Looking at the costs my ruff calculation is approximately .10 per stamp...not counting the time. This method is not suggested for simply creating a bunch of stamps for a stock book but those chosen to be added directly into one's collection as the time required can add up quickly....choose the nicest stamps and enjoy the results.
Nice video and great topic. Let me throw you a slight curveball pertaining to your statement at the end of the video. I am a Purest/naturalist when it comes to removing stamps from paper. The reason for me doing it naturally is that I recycle all the paper left after the removing process is complete. As you may or may not know (i can't remember if I told you) I am a worm farmer. I also grow lots of organinic fruit and veggies. So after I removed the stamps I feed the paper to the worms. If I use oil/petroleum based products the paper is toxic to the worms. if I use limonene as you did in the aerosol example, then the paper is not toxic to the worms. Needless to say, I do remove a lot of stamps from paper and luckily not too many are of the self-adhesive type. :) Full disclosure though I must agree on your findings as far as the cancelation ink goes. The limonene does seem to make it run ever so slightly. thanx for another great and interesting video.
This is a fascinating and excellent comment, thank you Johan! The first two products will of course be toxic versus the limonene, I didnt really think of it from that perspective. (also didnt know that you are a worm farmer, very cool!) Unfortunately I think these self-adhesive stamps are going to become more and more popular, so stock up on Limonene! :) thank you as always for watching!!
This video was amazing! I never would ever thought a natural air freshener could break down adhesive. I have a ton of uncancelled stamps on paper, so I wasn't concerned about the cancellation ink bleeding. I'm in the US and my Wal-Mart had the Pure Citrus for $4.88! I went a little heavy handed with the spray, so I let the stamps dry out overnight and they're perfect! Not oily, and delightfully citrusy 😊
Thanks for the post. I have also tried many different solvents but found Naphtha (lighter fluid) to be an excellent solvent for removing SA stamps. It quickly absorbs into the paper, instantly releasing the stamp and has no effect on the cancellations at all. I use the lab grade Naphtha so I don't run the risk of contaminating the stamp. Scraping the stamp of the gum I believe is a very bad idea. It is best to rub the gum off with a solvent-moistened rag starting from the middle and working out towards the edges. I also have stuck stamps to a clear piece of plastic, like that used for hingeless mounts, and then trim the plastic close to the perforations with a precision pair of scissors like those used in embroidery work. Hope this helps
Pure Heptane works very well, but does evaporate quite quickly so requires “ soaking “ a few times and speed of removal needs to be quick, start at the security seal end a few millimetres at a time around the tabs, re-soak with heptane if required. ISO-propyl alcohol also works and does not evaporate as quick , both work on plastic envelopes too when applied from front of stamp, I also found it easier to remove the stamps by hand.
One thing to point out. All of these stamps were removed by the ability of the solvent to access the adhesive through the material the stamp was attached to. From behind.... If a self-adhesive stamp has been placed on a material that will not let the solvent pass through to attack the adhesive, you're mostly out of luck removing that stamp. Examples are the plastic shipping bags from USPS, if a stamp has been applied on top of label stock (address label). The solvent can not reach the adhesive, so those you'll need to cut out. Generally, applying these solvents to the front of the stamp does not work and in many cases will cause the stamp to separate from its backing. Talking USPS stamps here. There are three layers to these stamps. The printed design layer, the stamp backing material layer, and the adhesive layer applied to the backing layer. The printed design layer is less than tissue paper thin. Applying the solvent from behind releases the adhesive between the stamp backing layer and the paper/material the stamp was applied to. The backing layer limits the solvent access to the stamp's printed layer (why you want to apply from behind the stamp. As shown in the video, if an excess amount of solvent reaches the printed layer, the least it can do is mess with the cancellation. Worst case, the solvent will work on the bond between the stamp's printed layer and the backing material. This can cause the printed surface of the stamp to release from that backing layer. You're left with a very limp (even when dry) very very thin piece of printed matter. It will not survive being hinged (the edges would just flop around) and to display it hinged or in a mount, you'd need to put it on some kind of backing to stiffen it. Kind of all defeats the purpose. This is why these stamps need to be loosened from the back side. By the time you've applied enough solvent to the front of a stamp to penetrate the printed and backing layers to get to the adhesive layer, you've started to dissolve the connection between the printed and backing layers. Have noticed that some of the self-adhesive stamps will have the printed surface separate very easily from the backing layer. The Bob Hope stamp is one. Very easy to just end up with that whisker thin top printed layer. Many of the USPS stamps over the last 4 or 5 years have also had a fairly hard finish on the printed layer. Making this yet another barrier to trying to remove these stamps from the front. I've received packages of corrugated cardboard with adhesive stamps. I've soaked the stamp on the cardboard just to be able to remove the corrugated portion and leave just the surface the stamp is attached to. After letting this dry, the solvent can be applied to the cardboard side and it will penetrate to release the stamp adhesive. Still working on a good reliable method for removing from material like the hard-coated USPS Priority & Express boxes. Thick dense cardboard with a hard printed finish. Tough so far to get a solvent to penetrate the material, and water soaking not as effective as with corrugated cardboard.
That's a very good point, plastic bags and corrugated cardboard pose additional challenges. Definitely reading through the other comments, I realize now that the U.S. stamps seem to be especially difficult to remove versus other countries, probably due to the finish on the printed layer and whatever mystery ingredients they have in the adhesive. Priority and Express boxes are my enemy when it comes to soaking or removing the stamps... very helpful information, thank you Tom!!
I am hypersensitive to chemicals, so oil solvents are a non-starter. I've been getting good results soaking in water with a goose-neck lamp shining down to warm the water. The stamps mostly seem to take overnight to loosen, but it does work and, so far, they've come off with clean backs, leaving the adhesive behind. I'm still experimenting with drying and flattening for best results. My latest attempt was the best so far. I the stamps, face down, on a clean paper towel and covered them with a piece of glass. I left some of the towel sticking out from under the glass to allow the moisture to wick out and perched my handy dandy lamp above for warmth. They came out flat, not rumply, but curled, so I put them on paper and under weights for another night. Obviously, this is far from a speedy process; however, I am disabled and do this for a hobby, so time is not a problem.
This is a good demonstration, since this was made, Covid arrived, and since then hand sanitiser has come on the market and this is relatively cheap,. and a few drops of this will also make this job very easy. However, with Canadian, US and Dutch and German self adhesives, you should just be able to use warm water to get the paper off, I have never had any trouble this way. With British and Australian self adhesives, some will come off with water, but some don't, Italian and Frensh self adhesives also require a solvent. Self adhesives from other countries I have no experience with, so it is trial and error, but if in doubt? Then go get your hand sanitiser... :)
Great Video. I found a version of the "pure citrus" with vanilla "flavor," but the big hardware box store has not had it on the shelf for a while. I set up my "spray sessions' to do batches at a time, and once sprayed and separated, I shake talc powder on the back side and gently rub off extra adhesive with a paper towel on my finger, being sure to move from the center of the stamp outwards to avoid damage the "perforations."
Bestine is unavailable in Canada due to labeling requirement. (things need to be labeled Bilingually, English and French) I found a product called "un-du" in the scrapbooking section of Michael's craft store. Its not as good as bestine, but I use it the same way and it is available!
Something else I found that worked, if you put the stamps in a freezer overnight and then carefully peel them off, the stamps should be fine but you may need to press them. This is important though: the stamps must have been recently applied to the paper (within about a week) otherwise the adhesive is too well binded to the paper.
A big heads-up on the Bestine [I have no experience with the Gamsol]; yes, it dissolves glues like nobody's business, that's what it was designed to do. However, the product can make you sick if you don't adhere to the safety tip given here, keep it away from fire, use gloves and eye wear. Also, you really need to work with this product in a well ventilated environment and keep your usage to a minimum, i.e., avoid chronic use. Even consider a good breathing mask with P100 filtering rate. No stamp is worth your overall health. Play safely and have fun out there.
Bestine, I think it banned in many areas. I've been unable to locate it where I live, and beginning to think I don't want to. Lighter Fluid works for me, but I want to try the dawn dishwashing soap. That sounds intriguing. I just think of seeing videos where fowl that get caught in oil spills are cleaned up with dish washing soap, so I really want to try that. I figure it's gotta be safer than all the chemical solvents.
adhesive tape remover pads work well on these too. it's commonly found in clinics and hospitals so if you know someone in health care, you can probably ask for one. it's meant to be used on skin so the ingredients are generally safer too.
I enjoyed watching your video. I discovered the pure citrus a number of years ago and use it but I do find it a bit strong while I am working with it. I use an old credit card to scrape off the glue and most of the time it works well. My biggest complaint is that nearly all the USA stamps that I get are self adhesive and need the extra care. Also Great Britain has a little oval in their stamps that does not come off the paper so it really ruins the stamp if you remove it from the paper. I've pretty well given up on GB for that reason.
Thank you for this video! I was really agitated with the self adhesive stamps, but thanks to you I now have a solution and can experiment with different products to find the best solution for me. Awesome videos!
One thing I sometimes use is hand sanitizer. You put a few drops on the back of the stamp and it comes right off. You do have to watch out because it will remove the cancelation as well so just use very little and try and keep it off the front I put them on a paper towel when doing it. Also do not use this if the envelopes are colored the color of the envelope may bleed on to the stamp depending on he paper.
Another interesting videos from you, thanks! My 2 cents: if the collector is a newbie or doesn't want to experiment which is the best solution for his sellf-adhesive stamps, better to cut the paper as close as possible to the perforation and keep the stamps on paper. Sorry for my English, it is not really good!
i find the US self adhesive stamps the hardest to get unstuck with normal warm water. zippo lighter fluid may also work. I usually simply leave the adhesive stamps on paper and cut the excess paper around so that it doesn't show that much , before placing them in an album and that's it.
I have also heard that zippo works... I have only used zippo to remove old hinges but havent tried to remove paper with it. Cutting and leaving the paper on is perfectly fine, no damage done to the stamp :) Thanks for watching.
Graham, Thanks for taking on this chore many are hesitant to attempt, I been collecting since I was knee high to a grass hopper, YES that makes me an antique like the 1p Black !!!! for yrs and yrs I bought, traded, sold, US used, mint, plate blocks as well as world issues !! then long about 89 or so I looked at my "office" and asked what "H" was I doing/thinking and turned my collecting to something MUCH less expensive overall and easier to obtain, but support materials, albums, Cats ( altho Cats are doing better) and other info is a bit a chore finding. I am speaking of US and or Canadian Precancels. Canadian Precancels have higher prices and a Cat is available I believe Annually. The Precancel Stamp Society handles Cats for the US and with the absence of anyone or group to maintain what info had been published previously, playing catch up has been a serious task for the committee. I must compliment them on their successes, such as a 2 vol set of cats for precanceled Washington - Franklin issues, circa 1908 to 1922 or so, loads of good info. ( I myself this evening forwarded a scan to one of the main committee members of those cats with a NEW FIND, Yes there are NEW/old precancels still to find and report, in this case it was a locally precanceled 20c Parcel Post from Techny, ILL, it got an initial value of $25, not bad but I think it should be higher and I will make my case for that with the member) Currently if you browse www.pss.org you will see the variety of Cats currently available. Bureau Precancels are so common but also so much fun to collect !!!! Grand total of recognized "Buro" precancels is currently over 9500 but I think will change with the new Cat due out this year. Would love to chat about them one day with you but for personal reasons I stay off social media. back in 04 when FB was all the rage I saw ZERO gain in my life for it so that was that !! Loved the video and again good work on finding decent solvents for releasing adhesive. "T"
I used nail polish remover once. Worked so well on some stamps that the color came off too. Since that fiasco I simply keep the stamps on the paper. It doesn't look that good in an album, but at least my precious stamps are safe. Thanks for the video.
Nail polish contains a solvant like butyl acetate or ethyl acetate, very different from heptane. It could account for the result you got? Maybe stick with something like heptane?
I use Ronson lighter fluid to remove the stamp from the paper. Then with abhesive still on the stamp and put back on clear cellophane. Then trim the cellophane close the stamp edges. They look good. Saves scraping the glue off and potentially damaging the stamp. Just my method.
Thank you so much. I just started collecting stamps and the self adhesive stamps have been so frustrating. I’ll need to find some bestine; it seems the USA switched to self adhesive stamps in the mid 2000’s.
There was one self-adhesive in 1974 and then a few in between before they became more prevalent. I would like the old stamps back. I like that he explained why it started in some countries.
I've had good luck with Un-Du (Sticker, Tape & Label Remover). comes in it's own dropper bottle with a clever little scrapper that helps direct the drops and "scoop" the stamp off the paper. "Chemically" smell can be annoying.
Excellent, I looked it up and see that it contains petroleum distillates... which could be Heptane or Hexane. So this is just like using the Bestine or Gamsol, glad to hear it works.
I recently started collecting again but oddly for the cards and letters. The stamps are a bonus. I have some letters that are stampless and the oldest from 1811. After watching your videos I pulled out my collection I had from the 70s. One stamp I had about 50 of them all removed from letters with the same line cancel. No date. No location. All the postal history lost. Upon looking at all my other stamps pretty much the same. Wish I never removed them from the letters. Thinking now it's like buying a comic book and cutting off the cover and tossing the rest of the book. Imagine all the stamps in collections still with their letters and full post marks and postal history
True. In a short time I already filled a large binder with letters. At this point in my life it's time to start downsizing not filling books. Or become more discerning.
I am using something called 'sticky stuff remover'. It is a bit slow but gets there. It comes in a 250ml container with a droplet spout so no need for another bottle. By applying the solvent to the envelope you are separating the glue from the envelope. If you soak the face of the stamp then you separate the glue from the stamp. So if the solvent does not damage the stamp it would appear sensible to apply it to the face of the stamp. This stuff also removes sail numbers from dacron sails where we soak the sail as we want the glue to come off the sail and we throw the number away. As with all these things try it out on a stamp that you do not wish to keep!
One VERY important thing you failed to mention is you must have good ventilation when using Bestine, Heptane-N or other volatile chemicals (lighter fluid, etc). You can have a fire/ explosion hazard from the fumes as well as possibly causing serious health problems.
you can use Kingsford charcoal lighter fluid, its cheaper and its quick evaporating. if you get another brand be sure that the fluid does not contain added oil some of these fluids do but kingsford does not.
Good to know, I have used lighter fluid to remove some old hinges off the back of stamps. Some others in the comments here have also mentioned lighter fluid, glad to hear it’s working 🙂. Thanks for sharing!!
I forgot about Sierra Leone. I have a few of those map stamps, as well as the Tonga banana stamps. As for separating self-adhesives from the paper, I just don't bother. I cut the paper around the stamp. But then I stopped bothering with stamps years ago. Since most of my mail is from buying covers and postcards, most of the envelopes I get in the mail have many interesting stamps and cancels on them. So I have stacks of those.
Nice video for a very important topic in the hobby. Once I have used Vaseline to take off some self adhesive stamp. It came out well but the cancellation ink was visible from the back.
Interesting, I never thought of using vaseline...I would think it would be too thick to soak through the paper, but then I can imagine it would be great for clearing the adhesive off the stamp once its been separated.
As an old school (pre-computer) graphic designer, Bestine was always a staple, since all paste-ups or mechanicals were made with rubber cement. I still have a gallon in my garage. However, I'm not sure if they still make this, but every designer had a small blue metal cone-shape can that had a brass spout ( like a small oil can) that we kept on our desk to dispense the Bestine by the drop. Perhaps art supply stores still have this. That way, you use it very sparingly and don't breathe the fumes. From reading the comments, and Graham's responses, it seems that there is no great way to display individual mint self adhesives. I save and display all my stamps in Stockbooks, and currently only collect mint stamps, so I I don't know how to insert them behind the clear pockets. If anyone has a good idea, I'd love to hear it.
I remember that very well. My little cone-shaped can was bright red. I still have a quarter gallon can of Bestine and a couple of those gummy rubber cement erasers. I got here because I put a stamp on the wrong envelope and I want to reuse it. psst. don't tell the Post Office.
This was great! I’m going for the citrus spray. I don’t mind the ink running. I’m trying to see what I can find and not too concerned with creating a “pretty” looking collection.
Glad it was helpful! I continue to use the citrus spray for removing other labels off bottles as well now, and it makes for a good air freshner, lol. :)
@@ExploringStamps Holy crap! The air freshener works beautifully! Yes, the stamps are oily and the ink runs but it matters not. And yes, it does smell lovely.
Now you have shown us how to remove stamps from covers, you might do a video on why it is worth not removing a stamp from its cover but save it as postal history in your collection.
Erik Mulder Valid point. Sometimes the mailing piece as a whole is worth more than the value of the stamp, from a historical perspective. I came across some postcards with very nice stamps. But then noticed something interesting about the cards. There were several in the box that were pairs. Person A was writing postcards to Business B. And Business B was replying to Person A’s request for product pricing. A little Google work and found info on history of the business and also about Person A and why they were requesting information. The cards and the story found were much more valuable than the stamps themselves.
I’ve tried using Pure Scent, but I’m having trouble with the cancellation bleeding and smearing on the front of the stamp (and, yes, I’m applying the Pure Scent on the reverse/ adhesive side). Anyone else have this problem? It hasn’t happened with all of the ones I’ve tried, but it has happened with quite a few. I’ve even taken to applying a small amount of Pure Scent with a q-tip to see if that helps. No luck. It’s still a toss up as to which stamps’ cancellations smear and which ones don’t. I might try the other methods too. Keep up the great work on your channel!
I definitely experience similar results. I am finding the Pure Scent great for quick stamp separation when there is minimal to no cancellation... but it bleeds ink when the cancellation ink is dominant... if you are going to try something else, look for Bestine first, it has been giving me the best results so far.
You wanna be very careful with heptane based solvents in jars. It can compression ignite so if you drop that jar it can burst into flames if it hits hard enough completely absent of sparks
I have never had a problem removing self-adhesive stamps. I soak in near boiling water with a drop of anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid. Never had to resort to chemicals. Another option I have seen used is to simply trim the paper a few mm from the edge of the stamp. Trimming with wavy scissors from a scrapbooking supplier can produce a good result if done uniformly.
I know this is a 5 years old video but I finally grab the bull by the horns and tried to separate some US adhesive stamps. There's only one winner: n-Heptane. Quick and clean.
I was looking for other adhesive removers and found Elmer's Sticky Out. It contains D-limonene (30 to 50% by weight), like the citrus spray in your video, but mostly contains mid range petroleum distillates (C11 - C25 or so). The third ingredient is a mixture of high molecular weight ethers. I think this reagent might behave a bit like your Gamsol, since it is mostly petroleum hydrocarbons, albeit a different mixture of hydrocarbons.
For a long period, Australian self-adhesive stamps could just be soaked off in warm to hottish water - an innovation that Australia Post was very proud of, but more recent issues are not soakable. This change was made as Australia Post believed that too many unfranked but postally used stamps were being reused. Just how common that practice was is probably debatable, but now all Aussie self-adhesive also have micro-cuts (as do British and Swedish self-adhesive stamps) and this has made them very difficult to remove from backing paper.
Oh, what a pain Australian stamps are! Please please please bring back the old water based glue!! Aussie postal authorities are trying valiantly to push stamp collectors into oblivion! Not only is the removal of stamps from their self-adhesive glue next to impossible, but now the corners come away if you’re not careful! Reusing stamps-I just don’t believe this is a major problem, I think their nit-picking. Thanks for the information regarding Heptane! Stamps forever!!
Excellent video full of very useful tips! I hate self-adhesive stamps. I sometimes do philately activities with the kids at the school where I work, and those stamps are no fun to work with. Plus I'm not a fan of modern stamps to begin with. With all the variety of solutions you propose, I guess the citrus spray would be the only one I could use safely with kids.
As a Philatelist, I would never use chemicals to remove a self-adhesive stamp. Apart from the archival risks (simply seeing little or no effect in short periods of time, does not guarantee no ill effects as yet unseen that may present themselves in the longer term), I feel it's a compulsion. Why insist on removing it at all? I suggest the best practice is leaving the stamp on cover or neatly trimming it, taking the opportunity to leave enough margin for pencilled details.
@@ExploringStamps There are times when 2 self-adhesive stamps overlap. Also, some US stamps have writing on the back. It both of these cases you almost have to try to remove the backing.
Even for self adhesive stamps, I still use water. I have a pet parrot at home so have to be really careful about using certain kinds of chemicals in the house because even small amounts in the air can damage her airways. It’s just not worth the risk. My solution is to boil the kettle and leave the stamps to soak longer. It doesn’t dissolve the adhesive, but I usually find that the hot water softens it and the paper enough to separate the stamp off. It’s not ideal in terms of keeping the stamps in perfect condition, but it’s safe, especially in a small apartment. And at the end of the day, no one sees my collection except me, so if the back of the stamp still has a thin layer of paper attached, it doesn’t really matter. Curling can be an issue, but press a stamp long enough and it will get flat eventually. And the more I do it, the better I get at removing them without accidentally tearing them.
I make it simple and I don't collect them. I stopped collecting U.S. stamps in 1993 primarily because things were headed toward self-adhesives, but also because it was becoming absurdly clear that they were just releasing stamps by the ton to make money off of collectors.
Awesome video. Very well done, excellent way to communicate this information. May I suggest a topic for a future video? Please do a video or two on stamp forgeries. I wanted to collect Transvaal Republic stamps.... there are so many fake ones!
I had some US stamps that I just didn't know what to do with. We had some orange oil cleaner and it worked ok - except that it seemed to disintegrate the paper sometimes. Not sure if the paper was already damaged because of previous soaking attempts but at least I have some kind of strategy that I can work with going forward. Edit: Nix that, it seems to have stripped off some of the color from one of the stamps. Oh well. I'm not into US stamps as much so it isn't a problem, so they remain as test subjects. Perhaps diluting it will be better.
It should be noted that heptane needs to be used with lots of ventillation. Sometimes that's hard to do when working with stamps because you don't want them to fly around in the air--but breathing in the chemical can be harmful.
In soaking heavily-hinged (two or more!) early Norwegian stamps I encountered the phenomenon that the gun softened, but didn't wash off, so scraping it off (with the rounded edge of the TONGS blade ("tweezers" are for eyebrows) was necessary.
GooGone available in the USA and Canada works, but be warned. With some stamps it may destroy the original ink of the stamp itself and all you will have is a sticky paper with no design on it.
Untill recently (2-3 years ago), the stamps made in Denmark with selfadhesive, had a waterbase layer inbetween the stamp and the SA, so you can still soak them in luke water.
I had a bottle of Orange Power sticky spot and goo remover in the cupboard, so I thought I'd give it a try because others had mentioned goo removers and citrus based products in quite a number of other posts. This was before I came across your post I might add. Unfortunately I didn't trial it on a couple of stamps first and instead did about 50 which, other than being able to remove the stamps, turned out to be mostly a failure. Anything with a predominant white background changed in colour to look pink. I presume there is also discolouration of the fully coloured stamps, but it just too noticeable. Back to the drawing board for me.
After several attempts at these methods, I've come to the conclusion, leave the stamp on the envelope, cut it as closely as you like without damaging it, and then hinging it with a cheap hinge. The damage rate/success rate, and cost, means it is not worth using chemicals. I think we should all protest these self adhesives that clearly are done to make it much tougher to remove, by not buying them. Countries get money every year from stamp collectors, but if they insist on making it too tough to collect them, vote with your wallet.
Loved your explanation! I have struggled for years to take off self-adhesive stamps from envelopes using warm water... never knew about the old based gum used on these. The recent UK stamps are most stubborn to take off... will try to use Bestine. One quick question - would any thinner/solvent do the job as an alternative to Bestine?
I'd just keep them attached to the paper, as I'm worried about long-term effects of the chemicals. Also note that, at least in germany, some of these stamps still come off in water, as the main concern here is not tropical climate but convenience 😉
I've got a stockbook full of stamps that was stored improperly and now the stamps are stuck to the stockbook and to each other. Any thoughts on dealing with them without destroying the stockbook and soaking them all?
Apply hand sanitizer to the paper from the back. Let it soak in for a few seconds. The stamp peels off easily, leaving the adhesive on the stamp. Obviously no dangerous chemicals. Let the sanitizer evaporate.
I just discovered your RU-vid Chanel and I’m loving it. From what I’ve seen your videos are story driven and well paced. Great job! I have a question? How do you suggest mounting a mint self adhesive stamp into an album? Self adhesives usually com in panes and I don’t want to damage the serrations by cutting the stamps apart.
In the US, the backing paper the stamps are on is usually perforated, so I carefully bend the paper *away* from the stamps and slowly tear it. But if the paper isn't perforated (such as booklets or souvenir sheets) I'll use the stamps around the one I want to keep, and cut the backing paper around the stamp as close as I can and leave it as-is.
If anyone would like to know which are self-adhesive you can buy the Scott 2024 United States Pocket Stamp Catalogue and it will tell if stamps are self-adhesive (in bold lettering). I just got that a few days ago and couldn't believe how easy it could be to find out which type of stamp it was.
Just plain white spirit, Evaporates and doesn't effect either the print or cancel. But if any has any other idea, share. Plaine white spirit is also super cheap. The odour lasts a little longer but does go
I have hoarding stamps since 1986, but it is lately that I am collecting them. Your videos are amazing as you put humour on them, making the experience more enjoyable. On the sample you showed with the adhesive stamps, wouldn't be better just to keep the stamp on its backing? What are your thoughts?
