How Easy Is It To See US Watermarks (1890-S Wf)

I have a pile of 1890s WFs here, and I can't see a watermark on a single one of them. I have ample experience at spotting GB watermarks ... but surely not ALL of them are unwatermarked?? It seems rather too coincidental. So:

Is it really hard to see US watermarks?
Is there a preferred / better method for viewing them?

I am using an electric colored light-filtering w/mk detector. In the past I have also used lighter fuel on my GB but there doesn't seem to be any in the house right now ... and is that safe on US stamps (i.e. does it make the ink or cancel run?).

Thanks.

It is safe and has been my way of detecting watermarks for 30 years. Be sure to use Ronsonol.

Great -- with the lighter fluid, will the watermark be easy to see or are they still a challenge? Does the letter pretty much fill the stamp (or a large part of it) or is it small? I have yet to successfully find one, so I still don't really know what I am looking for.

Hi Jan,

I like the WF series and am still on the hunt for a bunch.

Sometimes the watermark on the USA WFs can be very difficult to see. They are not always centered on the back of the stamp. Quite the opposite. Bits of the watermark can be in different places on the back of the stamp. To make matters worse, some colors of WF stamps, like yellow or orange make it even more difficult to see the watermark. You could try to identify a WF stamp that is "supposed" to have a watermark by identifying the stamp in other ways like design, denomination, and perf combination, then try to find the watermark once you know it is supposed to be there. Oh, and the single line watermarks are harder to see than the double line watermarks.
Here's a link... http://www.findyourstampsvalue.com/...termarks.htm

In addition to lighter fluid, I have used regular rubbing alcohol on mine to help see the watermark. It works, but not as good as lighter fluid and it evaporates more slowly so you have to let the stamp dry longer after you're done checking the watermark. I have not had any problems with the alcohol making the ink run on the WF series, but I have had alcohol make ink run on other stamps like postage dues and others. Sometime the alcohol can make the ink of a cancel run or lighten up too.

Dave N.
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Also for the ease of identifying watermarks, along with the lighter fluid also make sure you have a Black tray or something Black as it makes it that much more visible.

I think they are a real pain to find. Particularly the "U" right on the edge. Although, even when there is a full watermark, they can be hard to see sometimes.

Hey!~ it just so-happens that I am doing mine right now also and thought I'd post some super fantastic links on the subject!

http://www.1847usa.com/washfrankmain.htm

http://www.askphil.org/W-F/Index.htm