Do You "Soak" Before Rehinging?

Hi,
I'm in the middle of a large project, removing stamps from various older albums. My next step will be to install these stamps in a newer album.

Many of the stamps I'm removing have nicely peelable hinges, which of course leaves the stamp ready for immediate re-hinging into the new album.

Some of the stamps have paper on their backings, and of course these will be soaked.

But my question is about the 40 percent or so the stamps that retain a portion of the hinge when I attempt to peel them off. Would you normally soak these to get the small remnants off? Or would you apply a hinge over the remnant and remount?

Your comments on this will be greatly appreciated!

Mobilman44

Hi mobilman44,

If the stamp has been previously soaked and is clean I wouldn't soak it again. I use stuff called 'Stamplift', which I get from Stanley Gibbons in the UK, but which should be obtainable in the US. Or something like it. Apply just enough to wet the hinge, do not saturate the stamp. Wait a moment or two and the hinge remnant should easily scrape away by carefully using the blunt edge of a pair of stamp tongs. The liquid will evaporate without leaving a trace saving you a tedious soaking experience.

Terry

PS. Applied carefully this stuff can also be used to remove hinge remnants from previously hinged mint stamps. TC.

Mobilman,

As a general rule, I soak the hinge remnants off used stamps. I've found that occasionally an old hinge covered a thin or a tear. That's something I want to know about.

Besides, an old stamp frequently looks fresher after a quick bath.

Dan

What I should do...
Soak all stamps with a hinge remnant that is difficult to remove.
Remount

What I actually do...
Remove all hinges that come off easily. Leave stubborn hinge remnant on.
Remount

Hi mobilman44

Like danstamps54 I always soak a used stamp. I do not even try to peel off any hinge or hinge remnant. As Dan stated, I want to know what I actually have. In addition, It is easier to see any watermarks, if there is one, and to see any other damage. In a couple of instances I have had the stamp fall apart. Whoever previously owned the stamp(s) did an excellent job of "restoring" the stamp with hinges (fortunately not expensive stamps).

Jerry B

I used to. I have almost given up on soaking.

It depends on the stamps and condition. I got a lot of stamps in from Europe last week that smelled like an ashtray. These are German Colony stamps and they all had hinge remnants or paper on the back. They got a nice soaking. Those Turkish officials from 1960 I worked with today just got rehinged.

I guess I got into the habit of not soaking hinges off of stamps in my early days of building a worldwide collection when I would frequently be transferring hundreds if not thousands of stamps from one album to another. Then and now I remove what part of the hinge I can quickly extract without risking damage to the stamp and then ignore any hinge remnants. But unlike many collectors, I have zero interest in the condition of the backs of my stamps, so feel free to discount my opinion.

I prefer to keep light hinge remnants on the stamp when I re-hinge. Todays hinges can do a ton of damage to stamp paper and it's safer to hinge onto an existing remnant. If the existing hinge is real heavy or crinkley, I soak it off.

"I prefer to keep light hinge remnants on the stamp when I re-hinge. Todays hinges can do a ton of damage to stamp paper and it's safer to hinge onto an existing remnant. If the existing hinge is real heavy or crinkley, I soak it off."

I agree. Modern hinges are too "sticky", so I just look for an old hinge remnant to mount them on.

I either soak the hinges, if I have a bunch and am not worried soaking will do damage, or I use a damp cue-tip (dampened with saliva) to patiently wet and them remove the remnant. Once removed, I will never inflict a hinge upon the stamp no matter how worthless it is. I even remove hinges and remnants from mint stamps using the cue-tip technique. As you can guess I abhor hinges and feel pleased I can contribute to unhinging the hobby to some degree.