Non-Soakable - Unsoakable USA Stamp Image List

I'd like to start a thread to compile a visual list onsite of Non-soakable USA stamps. I'm a very visual thinker and as I sort US stamps it would be nice to browse a list quickly and visually to easily ID stamp piles I should avoid throwing in the water and possibly damaging them.

I would like to keep the thread straight forward, clean, and simple
A year, Scott # or Micheal # if available and a clear stamp image.

I know there are a few sites out there that have some similar soak don't soak lists but they require a lot of clicking to browse each stamp by name.

Issue Type: Definitive
Issue Date: January 16, 2009
Issue Series: Priority Mail

Scott #4378

Note: entire stamp thinned back peeled off when I soaked it and tried to remove it.

That's a great idea Edwin and it will be very useful.

Why don't catalogues start listing these Unsoakables?

A lot of the catalogue publishers state the type of gums used for the different issues and I think that is simply to make you, the reader aware and that you be the judge so to speak. Having said this though, I have to agree with lithograving and say that it would be nice if the catalogue publishers did start at least listing 'risk factors' for the newer issues when it comes to soaking. It would surely make life a lot easier <G>.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I never soak the self adhesive stamps. I use Ronsonol (naptha). Apply it to the back of the paper and it will loosen the stamp. Remove the stamp, apply more Ronsonol and gently wipe with a paper towel to remove the adhesive. I place the stamp on a small piece of plexiglass while wiping to keep from wrinkling the stamp.

I find this link quite useful, as they identify known stamps that cannot be soaked off paper (red light); may need special treatment to soak off (yellow paper) or can be soaked off without diffiuclty (green light).

http://www.virtualstampclub.com/2010usnew.html

yes but involves a lot of clicking to expand each area. I wanted a thread where I could scroll thru, like here.
I suppose I have better things to do then reinvent the wheel. but I may come back to this idea.

I am soaking the self-adhesive stamps to get most of the paper off. Then drying thoroughly (overnight or longer).

Then I am using Ronsonol, soaking the stamps in it for a couple of minutes, and then using a ruler to scrape the back gently (as shown in the You Tube video). White residue of glue with sometimes a bit of remnant paper is rolling off the back, but most of the stamps are still sticky after the Ronsonol evaporates.

I've gone over some of them twice/three times, and there is minimal improvement, if any, with the subsequent repetitions.

I've also tried using paper towel instead of the ruler, but since most of them are definitives, the paper towel is rather bulky on such a tiny area.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to why this isn't working?

Us stamps are the worst. What I do is afetr they have dried I sprinke talcum power all over the backs. Keeps them from stining to them selves. Works pretty good.

I regularly use mineral spirits (paint thinner) to remove the modern self-adhesives from paper. It's a good all-around solvent, costs maybe $20 a gallon at the hardware store. Some collectors probably already have some sitting in their garage. And then yes, with a putty knife, scrape off the goopy glue, and for good measure, immerse the stamp alone in the mineral spirits, and then rub lightly on some white paper to remove the last residue of gum. Then let dry for 15-30 minutes, as you work your way through the rest of the pile of stubborn stamps. Ventilate the room well, and use some plastic gloves (also available at your hardware store), to keep the mineral spirits from soaking into your skin. I use a pair of tongs to handle the stamp as I'm pulling the paper off the back of the stamp. Experiment with it, and ruined self-adhesives will be a thing of the past.

I use Citrus Orange on my us stamps. I spray the back of the paper and let soak for a minute then I use my stamp tongs to gentle slide under the stamp. Then I give the gum side another light spray. I lay the stamp face sown on a smooth surface and gently scrape of the gum with an old credit card or something with a nice sharp edge. I let dry for a few minutes the lift the stamp off the surface and let it dry on an old dish towel. This system works very well except the cancel ink sometimes bleeds through to the back of the stamp. I have done many hundreds of stamps this way and have only ruined 2 or 3. Using Citrus Orange smells a whole lot better than mineral spirts, but you do need to ventilate the area you are working in.

I do agree that using latex gloves is a must. The citrus Orange will dry out your hands greatly. I but my Citrus Orange in the grocery store, in the air freshener section.