Making A Silk Purse Out Of A Sow's Ear...

Well... not exactly. I saw the part perforate pair below on ebay. It's a moderately tough item, cataloging $250 for a single stamp and $600 for a pair. This one definitely fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Stained and toned throughout.

I figured I'd gamble and put in a bid, thinking that I might possibly be able to improve it somewhat. I won the pair for 10% of Scott. Not exactly a steal given its current state.

Composite of seller's pics:




When I got the pair I decided to soak it. When I soak revenues, I use extremely hot water, just shy of boiling. I find that the heat is as important to cleansing as the water itself.

3 days in a Desert Magic drying book later, and while there are still a few minor residual toning spots, overall I'm quite pleased with the result...

That's actually fairly amazing. I don't think I've ever soaked a revenue. I'm going to look for likely candidates tomorrow!

Would you ever consider evening out the top and bottom margins? Is that considered a heinous thing to do?

I'm surprised the ink in the pen cancellation doesn't run or smear during the process. Does this ever occur, depending on the type of ink?

That's amazing! Well done! Beautiful and indisputable imperforate pair!

Yeek! I would never do that. I leave imperf edges as is. I see no advantage to tidying up the edges/margins.

The only time I would even remotely consider it is if there is an oversized margin that contains a tear that might grow if not removed, or something else horribly unsightly that drags the item down from an aesthetic perspective. I do not put these natural separations in that category.

My question arises from my admittedly obsessive desire for neatness and symmetry (and the thought occurred to me only because it is a pair that will always be imperforate between).

I used to have the obsessive tendency to be neat, like rustyc. But I have grown out of that, realizing that "Improving" a stamp that way does not do any good! It is great to show just a little bit of the next stamp, no matter how ragged. That being said, you do have a pretty silk purse now!

Peter

Be careful, stamps can sometimes shrink significantly in very hot water.

Revenue, could you elaborate on that?

http://www.amazon.com/Showgard-Dese...p/B002ERCPRI

I blot the stamp with a paper towel to remove excess water, place the stamp(s) in the drying book, stack about 40 pounds on top to press the stamp(s) and leave it for about 3 days.

There's something about the alternate paper and vinyl/plastic layers that does a really god job compared to some of the old-school drying books.

Thank you

I just picked up a drying book last week. Can't believe I've gone this long without one. It's not a desert magic book but I'm very pleased with how it works.

Also regarding hot water, I too use hot water. Not near to the point of boiling (from the tap, so maybe 130 at the hottest), and I have not had any trouble.