Soaked Stamps Stuck To Blotting Paper

Hello all,

I used to collect stamps when I was younger and therefore ended up with a lot of stamps that needed to be soaked. I'm getting back into collecting and thought I'd try soaking a few stamps. I found two nice Canadian bird stamps (half of a lower left block; I think that's the correct term), soaked them, put them on the blotting paper to dry... and now they are stuck to the blotting paper! Some of the gum must have been stuck to the back of the stamps.

I feel like this has an obvious solution, but can I soak the stamps and blotting paper to remove them (again), and how can I prevent this from happening again?

Thanks!

Hi theospray,

Welcome to the group. Yes, you can soak the stamps/blotting paper again. When a stamp floats off, carefully and gently rub the back of the stamp with a finger while it is submerged to release any residual gum. Place the stamps face down on clean blotting paper. Cover lightly with a clean cotton cloth or napkin. Do not press or weight down. When dry place the stamps between white paper and press between the pages of a book. Personally I don't use blotting paper, I use a sheet of 12" x 10" toughened glass with the edges polished and place the stamps face down on this. I also soak first in hot water with a small squirt of wash liquid added to remove dirt, then soak in cold water to harden the paper fibres. Be careful with some early stamps though, as the printing inks used on them will soak off in water.

Terry

One drop of dawn liquid should do the trick. I place mine face down on paper towels and later transfer to 8&1/2x11 sheets of card stock for final drying. I pull them while damp and put them in the pile ready for sorting.

Hi,
Welcome to the group, and back to the Hobby. I returned last year after a 40 something year absence myself.

For soaking/drying stamps, I bought a "stamp drying book" which was pretty inexpensive. I confess I did not read the instructions and put the stamps down (glue side) on a page of blotting paper. Of course the "glue side" is supposed to face the shiny surface on the pages opposing the blotter side. Yes, I ended up tearing out a couple of the pages and soaking them to remove the stamps.

I've used the book many, many times and highly recommend them. They beat the heck out of the blotters and phone books I used as a kid.

I've dried stamps face down on paper towels for 40 years. The longer you use a towel, the better it works, due to the emerging microscopic "thirsty" paper fibers that soak up moisture quickly. I also use 3 changes of water to solve the glue problem. And you NEVER soak red or green Christmas-card envelope corners!

I personally don't like drying books, as they trap sediment and gum over time.

For residual gum I occasionally use a soft bristle artists paint brush. I just trap the stamp, face down, in the bottom of the soaking vessel with a finger and gently brush the back of the stamp with the paint brush. Just remember to brush from the center of the stamp towards the edge.

Hi to all

A well known stamp dealer in Melbourne advised me never to use a drying book, as over time they become mouldy and eventually the stamps will stick to the pages.
I have always used newspaper, and then when dry I put them between a folded sheet of white paper and put books on them to straighten them out.
If you have a copy of the World Encyclopedia of stamps, it shows a step by step coloured illustration of how to soak stamps of paper and dry them.

Rergards
Horamakhet

Thank you for the tips, everyone! I will bookmark this page for the next time I soak more stamps!