Effects On Stamp Using Watermarking Fluid

A MNH VF classical stamp that has been soaked/wet by using watermarking fluid is still a MNH VF version after the drenching??
The fluid has no adverse effects on the stamp??
Should you mention the use of the fluid or is the buyer none the wiser??

Lindner sells a watermark fluid called "Clarity". They state that it does not affect inks or gums. I never tried it myself but maybe someone else has. Hope this helps. DD

Yes, it has no effect on the gum.

Mentioning the use of WM fluid to a buyer is irrelevant, as it has (to my knowledge) no effect on the stamp.

I agree with ART,no effect on thousands of stamps that I put in WM fluid.

Thanks guys. Feel a lot more confident that its use will not damage the stamp.

I would still think if copletely saturated in a tray ,that moving and poking with tongs may effect the gum and leave minor disturbances. The gum stays in tack because of the evaporation but I would still be ultra careful with rarities.

This is something I always wondered about myself. I have never owned a stamp worth checking on, so I have not tried the fluid personally.

But if the watermark fluid is FLUID, how can it be at all safe for mint stamps? Does it cause wrinkles or curling? Do you simply float a stamp face down on the fluid?

This would depend on whether the gum was soluble in the watermark fluid or not. There are many substances easily dissolved in water that won't dissolve in other liquids like alcohol - sugar is a good example there. You can soak sugar in alcohol for as long as you like but it won't ever dissolve. Put sugar in a glass of water and the crystals disappear and the water gets sweet. From a question / answer website, asking why this was so:


Whether all gums act the same or not is another question. Modern gums are usually synthetic, polyvinyl acetate and so on. Older gums might be plant-based, like dextrin. Very old gums can even be animal based - I know a couple of ancient British North America stamps (Canadian provinces) had fish gum, apparently applied with a brush or something since it's very streaky.

Whether all of these substances are equally insoluble in watermark fluid is something I don't know. Common sense tells me that since watermark fluid is made for stamps, it won't dissolve the gum. I'd have no concern at all with common gums like PVA or dextrin. But old, exotic gums like the fish gum might still be something I'd be careful with. Note also that not all watermark fluids are the same, and some substances are soluble in some types of watermark fluids that are left alone in other types. For example, some stamp mount can dissolve in some types of watermark fluid. Some fugitive inks might dissolve too.

Ryan

Interesting info! I didnt' know that sugar won't dissolve in alcohol! (what does that mean with those sweet alcoholic drinks?) Also, the idea of FISH gum is icky! I wonder if those stamps tasted like haddock when you licked them?

;-)