Getting Back Into It

I have been an avid collector since I was 8 years old (just turned 50). This past weekend I was in a small town in New York and purchased a "Bag of old Stamps" for $8 had some great finds in it. It peeked my interest in collecting again. That's how I came upon this great site.

Some questions that I have:

Is water still the preferred method for removing stamps from paper?
(i.e. What's the latest technique?)

Need a good source for buying collector items tongs, mounts etc...

I also see that there are scopes that you can get which connect your computer, any one which stands out?

Just need a little insight to the latest for this old timer. Thanks in advance. Looking forward to this forum and all the great contributions.

Welcome back! :-)

Yes, water is still the best way to remove paper.
The Internet has changed philately for the better. Tons of resources.
Check out www.stampalbums.com for example. Very affordable albums

Welcome back Joe S.
I was just like you (in this respect anyway). Collected as a kid until girls etc. got in the way. Returned to it almost two years ago when I turned 50. Now I'm addicted, and SCF helps feed that addiction.
Like Classic S. (are you two related?) says the internet is a great new resource. And water is still the way to go, except for those pesky new self adhesives.
I stay away from those, but others here can tell you how to deal with that mess.

Hey Joe, welcome to SCF. One site you may want to visit is Amos Press, the parent of Linn's Stamp News. If a member of the Amos Advantage Plan, you can get some decent discounts on supplies.

https://www.amosadvantage.com/scott...part%5Fdesc=

Art

Water it is! So for drying is there a blotter type paper that everyone uses? I can't remember what I used a long time ago.

@Art Thanks great site I started buying items already.

@CS thanks for the info.

@James its kinda bringing me back to my child hood lol

Thor blotting papers are what I've always used. You can use a stamp press or just anything with weight such as a couple old phone books.

@klange where can I get those?

Years ago, I bought several packs at my local brick and mortar store (one of the few ones still around!). But if you search for Thor Blotters I'm sure there are still a few online places that sell them.

I'm not sure that they're manufactured anymore but there are still places that have them in stock. The ones I use are roughly playing card size but I think some company also makes a full page version of a Blotter Book (or called something similar) which is a thick reusable book with pages of blotter paper.

Welcome back! I have to second the fact that you'll probably get the best price on stuff from Amos Press. I pretty much exclusively use Scott mounts now.

One of the big things I found when I re-entered the hobby was that Crystal Mounts were gone (Thank God!) and everyone was using split back Showguard or Scott mounts.

This is my third entry into the hobby. I did it when I was a kid, and then got back into it in my mid 20s. Then I got married at 29 and had kids. Now my kids are 9 and 11, and I once again have time to deal with a hobby.

For 'soaking' the self-adhesives (peel and stick) type of stamps out now, use white spirits cautiously and a steel rule to scrape the gum residue off. It goes by different names in different countries. Wal-Mart or hardware store.

There is a video on U-Tube (don't even know how to spell it, don't use it much) by a fellow in New Zealand that is good, showing how to do it.

Search on SCF here for soak or float in the title only and lots of discussions will come up.

Depending on which country you are soaking, water can still be used.

The drying book called Desert Magic is the best book to use. It has opposite pages of non stickable stuff so even stamps with a bit of gum still on will not stick. Check ebay or your current stamp source. Other books do not work very well.

Thank you all for the help. Its nice to see that a great hobby is still going strong.