To Soak Or Not To Soak

Being new here, I suggest topic new to me, but probably already gone over many times, namely what criteria do you use in deciding whether or not to soak.
Today I looked at this stamp and said no way am I going to soak it. The cancel presentation would be destroyed and secondly the blue background looks nice and would likely stain the backs of the stamps.

What other situations would stop you from soaking?

...fugitive inks...chalky paper...

Hope I don't learn the hard way which stamps have those inks and paper. I found out the hard way that the stamps below pretty much self destruct on soaking.

Yep those are famous for not succumbing to water,
keep on piece.

Anything generally of a magenta hue, I avoid.

Never! soak early Netherlands Indies, the image disappears.

Russian litho examples of the 1960's the images will partly lift off
leaving a dull vague and worthless stamp.

If, in your philatelic wanderings, you should ever come across Bhor



or Jammu and Kashmir



or Poonch



do not even think of soaking. If you do,
(a) You will be shooting yourself in the foot financially, and
(b) As these are printed in watercolour, you will end up with a nicely tinted bowl of water and a blank piece of paper.

More generally, before doing anything irreparable, like soaking, or tearing off margins, or separating multiples, do remember that you can never undo it, once done.

There are two schools of thought on our stamps. One school says that, we own them, and we can do what we like with them. The other school says that we are just temporary custodians. They once belonged to someone else, and after we're gone, they'll belong to someone else again. Our duty is to do our duty while the stamps are in our possession, and pass them on as we have found them. No prizes for guessing I'm of the second school

couldn't put it better myself.
Excellent.

I wholeheartedly agree with Tonymacgs' sentiments that we have an obligation to very careful in handling our stamp collections so future generations can enjoy the hobby.

Hmmm ... This puts me in mind of the (possibly apocryphal) story about Alfred P. Sloan, Chairman of General Motors in its heyday, that we were told when I studied Business Administration.

It's said that Sloan said that, if ever a proposition came before the Board that no Board member spoke against, he'd refuse to accept it on principle. He always wanted to hear a contrary argument.

The written record once destroyed is never more,
where may we have been had the Library of
Alexandria not been burned?
Perhaps we would have the secrets of the pyramids,
didn't herodotus have the earth as round? (500bc)

If records had not been destroyed, I'd know how much
money I've wasted on mortgage interest.