Fox Mark Remover

We've had a few discussions here about FOXING, but I don't think I've seen this mentioned before.

http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanl...8027/SG34733

Any experiences? Feedback?

KirkS

I haven't tried it yet. You know the damage won't be repaired and wonder what it will look like after being treated. I've been thinking of using nitrogen as a gas to store some covers. I was in the "Texas Room" at the Houston Public Library a while back. They have a huge collection of early documents and ephemera. I was appalled at the condition of some of the items. I realized that mine will turn that way sometime in the future. Treating them to get rid of the foxing may not actually keep the bacteria from coming back. A long term solution is needed.

Most spots referred to as foxing and sometimes as rust, are spots of mold. Growth of the mold can be halted by controlling the environment, ie. temperature and humidity. Traditional treatment of foxing is the application of a bleach to the spots. The bleach will discolor the paper and if left on too long will thin the paper even causing holes. Unfortunately, foxing is easily spread from the contaminated item to other items in your collection. I have had no experience with some of the modern chemical treatments, some of which require the use of additional neutralizer chemicals and other chemical treatments which have been removed from the market as cancer causing items.

edited to fix spelling error

Chloramine T is antiseptic. It is fungicidal,Bactericidal and kills
Parasites. USe in Hospital,Laboratories etc has been documented.
Has Chlorine and sulfonyl group.Chlorine bleaches. It does kill fungi
and spores. Looks like have to control bleaching and discoloration.
Have no experience in using it on stamps.

This is not the first, nor will it be the last method or chemical solution to remove those types of stains.

Bottom line -- ALL of these methods will leave a tell-tale sign that can be recognized by expertizers. So if you do treat your stamps, best to document it, rather than be accused (or someone else later down the line gets falsely accused) of selling an altered stamp. Also, keep in mind the treatment affects other parts of the stamp.

Chlorine gassing will provide a temporary improvement to the appearance of the stamp but it will return to its former condition in 12 months. This quote from Glen Stephens:

"Chlorine "Gassing" was a big game in the 1980s locally, to magically clean up mint toned stamps. You were in nappies then I suppose, but trust me that was the case.

But the toning always came back when the gas in the paper dissipated, so the attraction of it faded away, as dealers had angry customers complaining a year later when their "fresh mint" stamp was now toned again."


J