Adventures In Soaking...

Noted Kirk, I do not collect any US post 1940 so you very well could be correct as used and new are the same value. I only soak if the postmark is common and it's on piece and never have I soaked a cover.

Another thing about soaking stamps is that the
stamps look soooooo good in the water but when
you get them out.....well.

I actually had to soak last night. Got some items in from an ebay purchase. The perfins needed the old concreated hinges removed. In a week or so,after they dry and press, I will have nice flat cleaned perfin holes.

I have a few bags of international stamps from the 1970s and before that my Dad got and kept while doing business in NYC. He never "soaked" them just piled them up with the intent to do it one day.

How does one start "soaking"? Is there a basic process you can recommend or a place I could go online to find out how?

I remember trying this about 10 years ago for something, and did not have much success.

Would a humidifier work? (hold the stamp over it?)

Newbie trying to figure out my dad's collection.

ALAN, sounds like my first wife

Well I don`t know about that Kirk, I haven`t tried
a wife yet.
Today I was soaking 29 Flag-over-Rushmore coils and oh that
horrible gum you Yankees used on some stamps!
When the stamp comes off the gum is still on the back
and it is like stringy chewing gum.
Do you guys know of any way to get these off clean?
I soaked this lot in cold water.

Search for 'soak' in subject only on Stamp Community and you get 4 pages of topics. Al kinds of hints and tricks and ways and means.

This is a good one with links:
https://goscf.com/t/15545&SearchTerms=spirits

The Youtube video on using 'fuelite' or 'shelite' in New Zealand, 'white spirits' in Australia, ?? in US / Canada to soak modern self adhesives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWMcVYgIZjM

I do like 'KGV Collector' 's idea of double soaking. Haven't tried it yet though, lazy. You soak first, completely dry the results and then soak again. If that works on the modern non-Australian stamps then would be great.

Thanks Puzzler. Some of these stamps with the funny
gum dont like to be re-soaked. After the first soak
they seem to harden.

Ah, good to know, thanks.

Must be different for each country and gum make up.

good to learn some new tricks. Was wondering will steam vapor destroy stamp if used for
loosening gum ?

Only if the stamp's ink is water-based or aniline (check catalogue or ask here) Some old stamps use this type of ink and it will run or fade away in water or steam.

Steam vapor can scald you or burn you . It was used (and maybe still is0 to remove stamps without ruining / ripping apart envelopes, possibly so as to steal the stamp and sell it (years ago) without opening the mail.

Steam can remove a stamp but will wilt the paper envelope, leave gum still on the stamp and/or envelope/paper, be dangerous to work with, and be totally unnecessary really.

If you want the stamp for collecting purposes then just snip around the stamp and soak the paper in warm water or use the modern chemical methods (also dangerous for the unwary by the way).

I think that it would release the stamp from teh paper for sure, the combination of heat and moisture doing the trick, but possibly the heat would damage new ink and printings, and, as mentioned before, still not remove the gum or adhesive.

Lose/lose situation I think.

Patience is the key. See also fishing without electronics.

Rant and rave over.