I make a habit of soaking my penny stamps,yet I mount all my Romanian CTO with gum. I was curious if anyone had ever found a solvent for Romanian gum? I find it the most persistent, tacky, gluey mucilage ever invented by man, in fact the stamp image disappears before the gum, I surrendered in the end.
I soak all the CTO's I put in my collection. On any stamp soaking doesn't take the gum off I use the brush that came with my bottle of Stamp Lift Fluid to brush off the gum while it is still soaking. I soak using hot water then put them in cold water to rinse.
Depending on the size/volume of water you are using, I find it very helpful to use 1-2 drops of dishwashing liquid per gallon. Dishwashing liquid generally contains a 'wetting agent' which disrupts the surface tension allowing better penetration. Brand-wise, I personally use "Cascade" liquid only because I am familiar with their traditional formulation.
Thanks for the input guys, I am a bulk postage soaker and have tried the above, that's what has me curious, I don't believe there exists any solvent for that stamp cement. Personally, I do not soak in anything but cold water, and yes perhaps a drop of detergent, then rinse afterwards. I make a point of separating die-cuts, coloured envelopes, and fugitive inks, (generally the violets and purples) It appears to me that the Romanian gum, allows a certain amount of water solubility, to adhere the stamp, but has a base of something else that is completely unsoluble and resistant to most weak chemicals.
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