Stamp Collecting The Essentials

This is a pretty good link about fluids and watermarks. While the main fluid they are reviewing is nontoxic they also cover lighter fluid. In any event you might find it interesting.

http://www.usstamps.org/clarity.html

Dianne:

I use proper, safe, watermark fluid; with an proper, black watermark tray, and an eye-dropper. The tray cost me $3, the eye-dropper, 2 for $3, and I just bought a new bottle of watermark fluid for $13. The last bottle lasted me 10 years.

David

Has anyone ever used the MORLEY-BRIGHT INSTA-TECTOR to find water marks?

Yes, The good old Morley-Bright Watermark Detector Mark 2. Have one right here in my stamp tool box. Last used in 1988 +/- a year or so. I was hoping it would do the job and eliminate the use of Hexane for watermarks. I never even used the contents of one kit before the mark solution dried up.

The nice thing...no fluid on your stamp, no smell, no toxicity. There was a thin baggy ( sachet since it was made in England) containing a colored paste. You would have a white plastic background you would place on a piece of glass, then your stamp face down, then the baggy ,then another piece of glass and press together firmly with your thumbs, and you could see the watermark as the color of the paste in the baggy as the paper is compressed on the watermark and more of the colored ink can "fit " there. Took about 10 or more minutes to do each stamp, and some stamps with a heavy postmark was difficult. Decided I would risk my kidneys and went with the Hexane. Still have half of the 12 oz. bottle. Ronson is on the shelf as a backup.

The kit also had a device like a fingerprint roller to make permanent ink copies of the watermark....yukky mess as I recall.

The Clarity sounds good, but I really like to know what is in something that claims to be non-toxic.

Jim

Silly Putty, of course!

My problem isn't that I don't want to buy watermark fluid. There are no stamp shops anywhere near here. I'll keep checking

Dianne

Hmmm I think of the hazardous things I ingested and survived..in the Air Force we literally bathed in carbon tet..cleanning gun parts..not to mention eating in the Chinese takeout places where the guy would sneeze in the wok..some guys refused to eat it after that...i do not think a little ronsonal will harm anyone...

I agree with you Phil I've been exposed to weird stuff as well, pesticides, PCB to name a couple I'm going to give the rhonsonal a try

Dianne

Ok guys here's the scoop

I found some Zippo lighter fluid in hubby's garage. It was naphtha so I assumed it was the same.

Anyhow being the brave soul that I am I tried it. It worked beautifully and it didn't even smell that bad.

Anyhow I came to the conclusion that my king Leopold 1 imperf is a Scott # 6 (Belgium)
as it has two L's not framed as a watermark. And is printed on thin paper not ribbed.

Thanks for all your help everyone

Dianne

Diane thanks for reminding me about the pesticides..when I grew up they were spraying the apple orchards with real bad stuff..in some places they have to scrape the ground before they can build a house...who knew ????

"Better Philately Through Chemistry "

Since we are telling tales, When I was in graduate school, working on
a Genetics degree ( 1966), I had to use so much ether to make the fruit
flies snooze, I can barely smell it and it doesn't affect me as much . Saying this as everyone falls asleep in the lab. OSHA, MSDS ???

Jim

No one seems to be addressing the issue of MNH stamps and soaking them in a liquid. What does that do to the gum?

Nothing. The water-activated gum on stamps is not soluble in petroleum-based solvents such as lighter fluid (you need water for that). The gum is entirely unaffected in any way by lighter fluid or other watermark fluids.

To get back to the original question about beginners needs, I suggest that every collector should find and read a book FOUNDATIONS OF PHILATELY by WINTHROP S. BOGGS. The book was originally published in 1955 so some of the content is badly outdated but.....the essential information is correct and continues to be valid. In my opinion, this book should be essential reading for anyone in the hobby. For collectors in the Toronto area, multiple copies are available in the library at the Greene Foundation.

GJP