Tutorial - Modern Used Self Adhesive Stamp Removal

I have, yes. I'm not using the citrus air freshener, I was using a citrus cleaner (same effective ingredient, d-limonene). There are some issues which were quite stubborn with the citrus cleaner, so I left them soaking for a good long time, and a couple of types badly faded on the red colour. Since then, I've switched away from citrus products - I'm using paint thinner instead (active ingredient there is mineral spirits). It works for almost all types of self-adhesive, including things that the citrus won't budge like the French Marianne definitives, Brazil self-adhesives, etc. There are still a couple of types of self-adhesives that can't be removed with paint thinner, but I'm having far more success with that than I did with the citrus products.

I'm in the process of collecting info on the various self-adhesives that I come across and will eventually come up with a list on my blog of the removal methods needed for all of them. I'm continuing to learn - I try to soak everything in water after using the paint thinner just in case the chemicals cause a long-term problem, but I keep running into US issues that can't be soaked in water because of the way the stamp paper curls, causing design cracking (22 different US issues so far, including some that can be removed from the paper just by soaking in water). So far I'm up to almost 500 different US stamps as well as a pile of foreign issues. First I want to film a video showing my methods - probably won't happen for a couple of months, though.

Ryan

This is really helpfull. I just don´t soak recent American stamps anymore, to much chance for demage.But I like my stamps of paper. I will go and try to find some of these products in the Netherlands, I probably can´t find the same brands, but I hope American stamps like dutch citrus air freshener too :)

If you dont like the baby powder...

I went to a billiards store and was able to buy a block of pure Talc for 5 bucks.. I use the lighter fluid method but it still leaves the back a bit tacky. The pure talc works exactly the same as baby powder without smelling like a baby. The only draw back is, every now and again one must put a chunk to sandpaper to pulverize the talc to powder, or try to stick the stamp to the block. Both ways work.

Hello Maartje, welcome!
It will probably work, it is along the same idea.

guykickinit


Great idea, thanks.

I read an article about a guy using a product from ZEP in Canada. His major point was making sure it was pure citrus.

Maybe Mike can post a pic off the active ingredients.

Ryan, You may wanna try naphtha, or Ronsonol lighter fluid. Be sure to keep away from flames. I think you will find it is gentler on your stamps than mineral spirits, (which is also flammable) I have done a couple experiments which requires longer exposure to the fluid, but gently rubbing the adhesive on the back of the stamp will cause it to come off. I have not perfected the technique but it does work. naphtha will also help remove tape. :)

Here are my comments on naphtha versus mineral spirits, from another SCF thread. I'll reserve the possibility of trying naphtha for the stamps that won't come off with paint thinner, but it's definitely a "use only as required" chemical for me.


Ryan

Some think that using mineral spirits (or paint thinner) is safer than using naphtha but a serious heat source will easily start either one of them burning. Camp stove fuel is naphtha...and can be used as a substitute for Ronsonol. Coleman brand camp fuel has no additives in it, but I can't speak for any other brand. The Material Data Safety Sheet for both Ronsonol and Coleman Camp Fuel both say they are 100% naphtha with no additives.

I have experimented with corn starch and with baking soda in place of talcum powder. Either seems to work, but talcum seems easier to clean up if/when there is a small mess. I guess I'll just stick with baby powder/talcum.

Thanks, Mike. I appreciate it.

A serious heat source will easily start paper burning! When it comes to flammable chemicals, naphtha is far more dangerous than paint thinner. The Recochem paint thinner I use doesn't even have a flammability warning on the front label - there's a skull and crossbones for poison, but fire warnings are only in the small print on the back (you're not supposed to pour it into your eyes either, imagine that ...).

Ryan

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Scraping?

Seriously? Are y'all nuts?

Apparently not. My initial reactions (above) have now been informed by experience and, yeah, really, no kidding, scraping does the trick.

Yes, stamps removed (via Pure Citrus air freshener) from paper envelopes were still sticky, while stamps removed from plastic wrappers were positively gummy.

But after scraping with a razor blade, and giving a second shpritz of Pure Citrus, and scraping again ... presto!

And that is without taking great care, as I don't have the requisite patience ... just a few old single-edge razor blades lying around the toolbox, and an itch to find out if the scraping thing made any sense at all.

It does!

And double scraping makes even more sense: no talc, no chalk, no nothing.

My apologies to my forum brothers & sisters for doubting.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Not to be a fuddyduddy, but has anyone thought of the ramifications as far as the future of collecting goes, with regards to children? It's safe to assume that self-adhesive stamps are here to stay, at least as long as stamps are needed. So what do future collectors, who start as kids, do with these? Are we going to introduce our 5 year olds to chemicals and razor blades just for removing stamps from envelopes? Are there any child-safe ways of doing this?

Just thinking outside the box. They sure aren't making it easy for children to start p the hobby.

I also use the Pure Citrus and do something like scraping, but no razor blades - I personally spray both sides of the stamp on piece, let it sit for about 30 seconds or so, and then peel the backing paper off the stamp - not the other way around, as this way keeps the stamp itself flat so it doesn't curl. I them spray the gooey back of the stamp again, let it sit for about 15 seconds, and then scrape the goo off with the edge of a credit card in 2 strokes - once from the center of the stamp towards the top, and the next time from the center to the bottom. I wipe the goo off the credit card edge between scrapes.

This results in a stamp with no sticky residue at all, that quickly dries clean, and is ready for mounting.

I've been doing this for a few years - no ill effects to report.

Matt

Welcome to the box. I've wondered aloud: if it had always been this hard to get stamps off covers and into albums, would we ever have got started?

OTOH, if we survived the watermark chemicals & tongs, why should the kids be put off by adhesives solvents & credit cards?

The messier, the better.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I don't collect this sort of material, but why not just cut squares? Just don't run with the scissors

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Proper Collectors look at a cut square ... and see a butchered cover.

Remove the stamp, toss the cover, and your sins are out of sight, out of mind.

Some folks trim the paper around the stamp, and hinge what's left.

I had thought that this was a pretty good solution, until I heard the objections:

- the stamp-on-paper is thicker than other stamps, distorting the album pages, and

- the paper is going to age, perhaps badly, and

- the adhesive is going to age, perhaps badly.

Pick your poison.

Or, don't: keep two of each stamp: one carefully trimmed, and one carefully de-gummed.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey