30 Second C1 Peroxide Soak

khj, thanks for your comments. I will no longer say that I don't know anyone who considers it an alteration :-) I generally agree with everything you posted (including being "detectable" - my definition of "detectable" was from a philatelic frame of reference, i.e. using common tools of the philatelic trade, the "reversal" is "undetectable.") I recognize that virtually ANY change is detectable at some level using some technique (my background is chemical engineering/polymer science - I worked in research and development for 10 years so I'm actually familiar with many of those analytic tests.)

I guess the takeaway is that it's not considered an "alteration" in the commonly-accepted definition of that philatelic term (e.g. regums, reperfs, added perfs, filled thins, etc.,) and is a good example of a process/restoration/conservation technique that (according to commonly-accepted practices in the philatelic community, at least as of today...) doesn't require subsequent disclosure.

Mint stamp came out great and didn't touch the stamp with anything. Just the peroxide in the air around it took care of it.

The gum did a slight distubance though

Thanks for the tip Don

Since the color change occurred by natural chemical actions, returning the color to it's original shade using a reversal chemical is not an alteration. It's not an "unnatural change" which adds something that was not originally there such as a repair, a reperf, or a regum.

Nice results, Mike33! Great comparison pic, too!

Yeah, it's hard to leave the gum completely undisturbed using the vapor method since it usually involves an extended period of time. Even though it looks flat, given enough time, vapor finds a way through the microgaps between the back of the stamp and whatever it was resting on. Also, the water vapor or even water (peroxide breaks down into water) is simply locally absorbed through to the back of the stamp. If you keep the time shorter, most of the time the gum disturbance is not visible to the naked eye.

"Since the color change occurred by natural chemical actions, returning the color to it's original shade using a reversal chemical is not an alteration. It's not an "unnatural change" which adds something that was not originally there such as a repair, a reperf, or a regum."

I have heard the chemical reaction creates a new chemical compound that is not the same as the orignal ik - it is said to be transparent which allows the color of the underlying pigment to show through. Thus adds something, not a reveral.

Having siad that, it is the one altheration I think I can live with (and more or less have to since I don't own any of the sophisticated chemical analysis equipment already aluded to (although I have used some in the semi-recent past).

What stamps should you not use the peroxide on? Are there specific colors or countries this should not be used on? Thanks!

Quite a difference for just a 30 second dip! Would soaking this American bank Note brighten as well?

Yes I believe it would help but maybe just try a warm soapy water bath first before going postal on it -lol

I would not put a stamp in peroxide unless I had to. That 15c stamp does not look like a sulfite problem to me, so hitting it with peroxide would not be my first choice. Do you have any idea what kind of agent caused that paper discoloration?

I have no idea as to what may have caused the discoloration, other than maybe as ILS suggests, dirt? Now about that warm soapy bath.. How warm? Body temp? and what kind of soap? Liquid dish soap? A drop or two?

I finally got around to trying this. I filled a small bowl with 1/2 inch of peroxide. I floated my plastic watermark tray in the peroxide, placed the mint stamp in the dry tray and placed a plate over the bigger bowl.

The change just overnight was astounding.

As a side note, best to place mint stamps gum side up on whatever surface you rest it in. Mine ended up sticking to the watermark tray a bit, but it was an easy matter to sweat it off. It was already mh with disturbed gum so no loss there.

I would show you before and after pictures but I didn't think to take a before picture. I will post an after picture when I have more time.

If you want to do this with a mint stamp and don't want to disturb the gum, you can use the q-tip method and it will work. Just be sure to press the q-tip out so it's nearly dry, and then brush it over the affected parts of the stamp design.

Matt

So, if you did the Q tip trick on a mint stamp wouldn't you have to rinse the stamp as well with some water on another Q tip? Seems like you wouldn't want to leave the perioxide on the stamp would you? I have some mint stamps that could use some type of a lite cleaning. I may try some on the used stamps though

Next time I might try it with two chopsticks between the plate and bowl to give the stamp some room to breathe.

That is not the best way.....

One the bowl is filled with the desired amount
of peroxide....
You should place the stamp FACE DOWN....
in a hand held strainer ($1 @ the Dollar store, from the
kitchen aisle)...over the bowl.
This was the light evaporation will get
on the face of the stamp. It is ok to check
it a few times....wipe it clean....put back it.
This way the gum will not become disturbed.