Suitable Safe Solvent For Special Stamp?

Good day,

So, I recently bought this stamp, US Scott # 242, with the hope of soaking it off the paper and having it display a little bit better. While it may be the cheapest example to sell in ages, it was at the very top of my budget, and one that I want to display as well as possible.





When I tried to soak it, I found that the adhesive used was *not* water-soluble.

I know that this is a long shot, but does anyone see any clues here that might suggest what sort of glue was used, and what sort of solvent might reverse it?

Thank you in advance
-Christopher

Christopher - frankly, this stamp is worthless in this condition, and I suspect that removing it wouldn't add much to its appearance.

Christopher,

If the glue isn't water soluble, you might want to try what is used on self-adhesive stamps. I use "Bestine" It can be found in most art supply stores.

There are a lot of threads here on how to remove self-adhesive stamps. A search here with the keyword "bestine" will give you a lot of hits.

Dan

Christopher: considering the damage it already has, I would leave it on the paper. It's possible any sort of liquid could cause it to break apart.

Climber Steve may be right. I took the line down the middle of the stamp to be a fold and not a tear. It could just come apart. How lucky do you feel?

Dan

Climber Steve and Dan,
I so had not thought about that. While I have done a bit of work with paper repair, none of it has been on this small of a scale, and the outcome you suggest seems not unlikely. I really appreciate this advice.

Dan,
I hadn't thought about that - the cut-off date for my personal collection is 1971, and while I have dealt with self-adhesive stamps a little, I have not delved into that issue, nor would it have ever crossed my mind. I'm going to keep that in mind for future reference - and I know I will use it for non-stamp projects - because I am always looking for good stuff with questionable repairs, and a solvent that I know is safe is so valuable.

- Christopher

I agree with Steve/Dan, the paper is probably stabilizing the stamp. I'd trim the top paper fibers a bit and leave it alone.
Don

Christopher,
I had the identical problem, last week with a modern New Zealand Stamp.
Cool water had no effect, tried Bestine, no go.

I think, perhaps, sometimes people use other glues, perhaps a wood glue on a re-used stamp who knows?

I scanned and kept a copy for my sorting database, but it was in similar condition to yours.

Are we sure that this is 242 and not the $2 single, Scott 2628c, from the 1992 souvenir sheet?

Don,
That gives me an idea that I'll have to try tonight. Will report back!

Rod222,
Noted.

Rodgcam,
I am quite sure that it is not 2628c. I was using 2628c as a placeholder for 242, and the differences are clear. (Color, line quality, margins, paper feel, etc.) (While I am admittedly not an expert on the specific details of stamps, I know printmaking quite well and can say this with confidence.)

Doesn't the 1992 version say "1992"?

Geoff - Yes, it does say 1992 but 1992 is where the piece is missing on this stamp and what you can see of the second number could easily be the 9 in 1992. Perf rate would be different however, 10.5 vs 12.

Ah - still looks like an "8" to me. If you were going to play with the 1992 stamp, you could probably create less wreckage!

Judging from the back, the paper it's stuck to was already cut square when the sticking took place - it doesn't look like the paper was cut around the stuck stamp. My hunch is, someone used glue to fix it to a paper backing, maybe to try and strengthen it.

If so, it could be that it's not stuck to the edges - a dab of glue in the centre region might be holding it together, so one suggestion if you can't get it safely apart, would be to carefully trim back the edges of the backing paper so they dont protrude, and therefore won't show from the front.

I raised the issue of which issue it may be because it is so rare to see a dollar value Columbian end up like this!

Like others, I would suspect the paper backing is there for a reason - it is adding stability. Also, do we know what adhesive was used to affix the stamp to the backing? If not, you would be taking a chance using any kind of solvent. If you know what the adhesive is, still I would leave it alone.

If you are careful, I don't see anything wrong with trimming some of the paper outside of the stamp. I would NOT trim any of the stamp paper, even if you think it would add to the appearance.