Modern Glue And Future Collecting Direction?

I decided finally to get caught up on putting the 2011 issues onto my Scott pages. Which brought me face to face with a corner of my dining room table I've been ignoring (hence the delay in doing the 2011 issues in the first place). In that corner there lies a tea towel with a bunch of stamps I soaked off last Fall(Hayes, GW 20c, etc.), that are so sticky on the back that I don't know what to do.

Now ... can anyone suggest a way to get the glue off these things? I have tried REALLY hot water in my soaking, and I only got 3 of my Hayes off successfully (about a dozen went in the garbage, ripped to shreds). But the three are still too sticky to use (and for some odd reason, sitting them on a dry tea towel for 8 months hasn't made any difference to the degree of stickiness! ).

For the future, I am contemplating buying the new issues from the USPS and franking them myself at the PO in order to keep them on backing (I don't collect "mint" - too much of a stressor worrying about whether they might get minutely non-pristine). I did the buy-and-frank thing last year for the Go Green sheet, Messenger Mission, Am Scientists, and a few others.

I know we all collect "the way we want", but I really don't want to shift to mint ..... yet it seems the only option is to buy and frank them myself, as above. And *that* seems somehow foolish/wasteful/ crazy?

Any advice on the current glue issue -- and thoughts for the future? Is there anyone out there who collects used and has come up with a solution to this?

Thanks.

You're right that the adhesive can be a challenge. You're also right that people collect these in various ways, so there's no right or wrong answer. Having said that, if you're specifically concerned about the tackiness of the adhesive on stamps removed from backing paper, these are often the choices collectors are faced with:

1. Collect and mount the used stamps on paper. You can even buy those fancy cut scissors at craft stores that would allow you to trim the stamps with a fancier edge that may provide a rather nice look than just using a straight edge scissors. Even if you converted your collection to just mint stamps, the self adhesive ones all have a backing paper of some sort that makes the stamps thicker than the old water activated gum varieties. Therefore, is there really all that much difference in collecting them mint (with backing paper) or used (on paper)? Only you can decide, as it has to be to your liking.

2. Try talcum powder, which could help to counteract the sticky surface of the stamps.

3. There are a number of after-market products specifically made for removing the sticky surfaces of self adhesive paper (just be sure to check using it on a common stamp, as some may work better than others).

4. A good white or pink eraser rubbed very gently on the sticky surface may help to remove the sticky surface, too.

Bottom line is that there are all kinds of "tricks" we stamp collectors play on getting the stamps to the condition we most like, so it really comes down to personal preference and how much time you're willing to devote in tending to this issue.

To deal with the issue I decided to collect up to the self adhesive and stop right there. They are a pain in the #*#@ if you know what I mean and something I'm just not going to deal with. The modern stamps have no value other than face value anyway so I don't feel I'm losing anything. By the way to confirm my theory that the Post Office is killing the Stamp Collectors and this great Hobby. The P.O. just put out their 2012 Philanthropist catalog and they are slated to release 94 stamps in 2012. Next year they will probably release over 100.

There is also the method of using Shellite or Fuelite (white spirits) or Ronsonol or alcohol. Use with caution of course.

https://goscf.com/t/14596

Use shown on YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWMcVYgIZjM


Unsoakable US stamps:
https://goscf.com/t/11359

Second thought, water is much more available to most and also less flammable and possibly toxic (harmful).

I remember KGV_Collector talking about soaking newer Australian stamps (self-adhesives) with a soak then dry completely, then soak again and the paper comes off.

Maybe we just need to exercise some patience in our soaking endeavors.

I have left self adhesives in the water for an hour and the glue still won't come off some of them. So that's why I quit collecting them. Oh I still pick up a few on paper that I just trim close and leave the paper on. Somebody higher up listening must come up with a way to deal with this problem and Mint Adhesives. Even with the Mint eventually they will get to where they won't stick as some of mine have that are sheet and plate Block. Mint Adhesives are a real problem.

That video is very impressive. I've been looking at the chemical composition of Fuelite and Ronsonol -- I don't know chemistry, but the chemicals seem quite a bit different, so I wonder if R works as well. I had no luck even finding lighter fuel around here last year, but I might try again -- cancerous fumes 'n' all. I'd need a steel rule too, of course.

TinMan: are you saying that eventually your older SA mint are peeling off their backing? That would be a concern. I hear you on the soaking forever front. I've also tried double- and even triple-boiling them (i.e. use near-boling water, peel the edges, use more near-boiling water, etc.). Then I've tried peeling the residue, rolling, rubbing, re-heating, steaming .... no luck. Once I get this figured out, I have a lot of sticky stamps going into the recycling.

I spent some time on ebay yesterday trying to find a few used that had been soaked by someone else. There are some -- but for example, the Skyway auction I found which looked good in the pic was still running and was already up to about $5.85 (+ ship) for the $5.15 stamp. Might as well buy the Mint and call it good. *If* the Mint don't deteriorate with time???

I have had the misfortune to use some 1995 Canada peel and stick stamps last year (2011). The stamps were stuck in to the booklet OK but when peeled off and placed on the envelope they started to curl up and would not stick completely.

At the time I rubbed and pressed and they seemed to be sticking so I mailed it but 3 weeks later the envelope came back with those stamps missing and me being charged for postage due to mail the cover again (an ebay sale).


Another thing is that with some adhesives they are designed so that over time the adhesive flows (called cold flow) out from underneath whatever it is on plus the two pieces of paper (stamp and envelope) start to become one thus making the stamp unremovable almost.

I haven't encountered this myself yet. Just read about it in the US National Archives preservation section I think it was.

It is also possible to use orange air freshener but this leaves a slightly oily residue. (Thread on SCF somewhere). I wonder if Ronsonol would change the oiliness?

Ronsonol (light fluid) should be available in smoke shops or perhaps corner stores? In Canada they have smoke shops attached to the grocery stores but separated now.

I just cut the backing paper close to the used stamp. It makes the stamp more protected, too, I suppose.

I collect mint only (I like the clean fresh look), but I can relate to the concept of collecting what has actually gone through the mail, i.e. "authentic" postage.

I have often wondered why collectors of used stamps don't just trim the cover close to the stamp on ALL used items (like coinsearcher83 suggested for SA's)and forego the soaking, drying, and pressing process. As an afterthought: one might even trim to capture the entire cancel or even the postmark too -- less bulky than keeping the entire cover but would document some details of the stamp's "journey." As another afterthought: I guess that could turn into "cancel collecting", and there would be no end to it!

Munroe,




There is a whole sub-group of us collectors that do just that, collect postmarks. http://www.postmarks.org/ It's a fun way to collect the more common issues and learn postal history to boot. It's amazing how many different postmarks there are.

As for the new self-adhesives, I prefer to remove the glue (on used copies) by using a solvent, Bestine, scraping the glue off with an old credit card and then soaking. I have collected long enough to watch my carefully mounted 1974 Christmas stamp, SC 1552, discolor from the adhesive. That's not supposed to happen anymore but self-adhesives haven't been around long enough to know what the long term effects are. Having said that, I don't know the long term effects of my Bestine procedure either. (damage to tagging, etc.) Any time one of my "soaked" stamps leaves my possession, I always inform the new owner of the process I used. If they have any reservations about the chemical or its effect on the stamp, they can act accordingly.

Keeping a stamp on cover or "on piece" runs the risk of the chemicals from the envelope damaging the stamp. The same thing might happen to the self-adhesives left on their backing in the next 50 years. No one really knows. It's a gamble either way. Time will tell.

Dan