Stamp Hinges

great advice from all thank you just one question though what do mounts look like? The stamps that im keping for my collection are in stock books,this way they are easily viewed.could someone show me what a mounted stamp looks like and also what you do with it after its mounted PLEASE

The hinges you are using are the exact ones I have been usin with my used stamps. They work great.

NEVER EVER use 3m tape for stamps. I did that years ago when I was very young. Later in life when I started collecting stamps again, I looked at the old album and threw it away in the trash. The tape soaked into the stamp itself and left an ugly hinge mark on the front of every stamp.

As far as "peelable" that is their dream that does not work well. Usually you get a hinge thin from removing them unless they were hinged for quite a while.

Also, when you hinge triangle and diamond shaped stamps, put the hinge even with the side that is the open edge of the page. If you put it normal, the stamp gets bent if you actually lift it to look under it. Very few people do this but it works so much better.

I guess I'm in the minority here. I have remounted ALL my U.S. stamps with Mystic's black background widows.

I know it cost money but a lot my early stamps are worth a lot of bucks and they sure look good mounted the way I have. Also easy to upgrade a stamp as they arrive.

As Colonel Potter on M.A.S.H would say "Bulldinky"

The beauty of stamp collecting is: you can collect anything any way you want

There are no rules to follow

Thank you Bob!

I don't use hinges at all. All my stamps - MNH, MH, you - are mounted with Showgard because I like the consistent look and I'm probably suffering from some form of mental illness. In a few cases, the mount is worth more than the stamp, but that's OK with me. I don't want to leave my kids anything anyway.

[EDIT: I want to qualify the remainder of my post by stating that, yes, I do tell people the same thing -- never use standard self-adhesive tapes for stamps, not even for packaging them for mail. The rest of this post is in reference to my current experimental use. After re-reading, it comes out a bit strong and combative, and that was honestly not my intention. Just trying to explain what I was doing.]

Your statement is no longer correct. 10 years ago and earlier, yes. Use of ANY self-adhesive was a very very bad idea because it would react with certain plastics/polymers and infiltrate the paper instead of just adhering. But not today. Most people are not familiar with the CURRENT technology. If you use the typical consumer tape that 3M sells, yes, you will still have the same problems. But...

I was involved in scientific research (not development) for many years, so we got to work with things that didn't start showing up until this decade. Scotch 811 is very different. That is why I am experimenting with it. Early 811 was not suitable. Now, like the old/new post-it note adhesives, it's definitely different. We are just trying this as an experiment. You can have your doubts, but please don't knock a new product unless you've actually tried it. Otherwise, we'd all still be pulling a cart.

I've started a "mini" collection to continue testing. One friend has been working with 811 for a couple of years now, and we see absolutely no adverse affects visually. He's actually converted his core collection to 811. Brave soul. I'll be monitoring my test collection and testing it with other equipment, such as filtered UV lamps... If I'm still around in a few years, I'll let you know some results of my tests. But so far, the results are quite good. Currently I have no qualms at all about using it on used stamps.

k

I've recently contracted the same illness. I'm consolidating my US into new albums and they all are getting mounts. I like the way it looks and as abutt1 says, it is easy to upgrade a stamp.

Dan

I definitely agree! I always say collect what you want, the way you want. I still occasionally run into collectors who encapsulate their stamps by taping over them! They are happy, then I'm happy. They don't care about the "financial value" of their collection, so why should I bother them?

That being said, many of us have invested more than just scissors and water in building up our collections. It is worth the time to consider the mistakes of others, as well as other potential ways of displaying our collections.

I know I've enjoyed thumbing through the wide variety of collections over the years!

k

Speaking of stamp mounting methods, I read somewhere that the pin holes one finds in early US stamps were caused by early collectors mounting their stamps like bugs, on pins.

Does anyone know if that is true??

Dan

There's nothing more fun than tearing apart an old collection where the previous owner used Crystal Mounts...the glue leeches right through the pages and makes them totally useless.

Yeah, but to their credit of the manufacturer, the mounts remained crystal clear. That way we can see all the damage the mounts caused.

k

Where can Scotch 811 be purchased?

As for lickable (new word) hinges I bought a packet of GK peelable 2 years ago. Absolutely the WORST peelable hinge I have ever bought. More than once when, even carefully, attempting to peel off the hinge, it made a terrible thin. Now I soak them off to change a stamp in my album but a hinge remnant usually remains stuck to page.

On the other hand Fold-O-Hinge has worked perfectly every time. It has been truly peelable in every sense of the word.

Marty

Please note that I don't recommend using it for your stamps (at least not currently). I want to re-emphasize that I am just experimenting with it.

In the US, it can be purchased from any of the major office supply stores, but not all the locations stock them. It's more expensive than normal tape. A single roll will run you ~$2.50-$4.

I use it to package the stamps I send out. One seller I buy from also uses it, and I love it because I never have to worry about accidentally damaging my stamps when "unpackaging" the shipment.

It's pretty easy to make a hinge from it. My friend just uses a normal tape dispenser. To make hinges with indiviual holders, I cut cardstock strips and put the tape halfway covering the edge (make sure some cardstock is NOT covered -- this will be the holder for the hinge). Stack 5 of these strips and use a paper cutter or scissors to make 1/4"-1/2" cuts. I can make several hundred ready-to-use hinges in under 10 minutes. Hold the cardstock to affix the tape to the stamp, and then fold the tape, the cardstock is easily removable, then affix the stamp to the album page. The stamp can be easily removed for at least half a dozen times with no reduction in adhesion; in fact, the hinge can be reused on another stamp at least half a dozen times.

I am currently using the filtered UV to examine any longer term residue or interaction that can't be seen by the unaided eye. The older 811 would visibly leave a residue, but that residue can be cleanly removed. The new 811 seems to separate cleanly, but I will be giving it additional prolonged pressure/heat/humidity tests to see how well it fares.