How To Prevent Stamps From Sticking To Drying Medium

Title pretty well says it all. I've been soaking a lot of stamps recently, and am having trouble with them sticking to the drying surface (I'm presently using index cards). Any suggestions?

Desert Magic drying books

http://www.amazon.com/Showgard-Dese...p/B002ERCPRI

Note that I only used the above link as an example. The link above shows a high price that you can find cheaper by searching ebay.

ebay dot com search for 'sesert magic'

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...60&_from=R40

Hi to all

Good old fashioned newspaper, or butchers paper works fantastic.
Horamakhet

Whatever you use place them gum side up and cover lightly with clean cotton cloth or paper. Do not press at this stage. I put mine face down on a clean piece of glass (toughened with edges polished smooth for safety).

Terry

Note that with the Desert Magic books you place the stamps face touching the rough paper and the gum touching the shiny paper. The gum will not stick.

Just flex gentlely the pages and it will release, even if there is some gum remaining.

OR

Sometimes, with a lot of stamps, I use the white blank side of printer paper and folded place it in telepnone books, so that even if by chance the stamps do stick I can soak again and flatten again.

After soaking, I place the stamps face down on a paper towel and use another paper towel to blot the little puddles of water and shiny wet spots on the back. After that, I carefully move the damp stamps to a cloth towel that covers a heating blanket set on its lowest setting. Within 30 minutes or so the stamps are dry, ready to join the hoard.

If any stamps have a curl I put them in a glassine when they are nearly dry, then place the glassine under a book until the next morning (Scott catalogs work well for this).

I don't soak self-adhesive stamps because they are a lot more susceptible to damage when trying to remove. I just trim the excess envelope paper with a mount cutter.

Robert

When you remove the paper from the stamp...if you notice any gum for shiny surface replace in the lukewarm water to get rid of gum residue.

Rick

I just put mine gum side up on paper towels. Never had a problem.

Further to this, I have soaked stamps off using warmish water, just warm and no more, mainly to protect my fingers from the cold at my age. The ones that came from envelopes are not too bad, but some that came from parcels are a bit bent and battered. Any suggestions for the equivalent to "ironing"?

Don't hesitate to get Desert Magic drying book(s). They are worth the money spent.

Desert Magic drying books with extra loose pages of blotting paper is the go for me.

Just got 4 Desert Magic Drying books, total cost mailed from Canada $80.

The drying books make for a very tidy work place.

My work place for soaking is the kitchen.

Using drying books has been excellent, as I have a happy wife because of them.

Hello AndyMac, welcome.


There is a Thor press, a plastic screw down type of affair.

Also, use multiple soakings and more heavy books over sheets of typing paper (once the gum is off of course).

Some people actually use an iron, mentioned in a previous thread on here somewhere.

I have used the iron with some success.
Tom

I use Desert Magic. After a soaking marathon years ago the pages became a bit 'woobley', warping the shiny pages as it dried out. So now I make sure to stick a catalogue on top to press the book while stamps are drying.

My local stamp store recommends APAK STAMP DRYING BOOKS - "Heavy Duty Quality better than any you have used before,
with non-stick interleaving, Re-useable, over & over again. No other brands compare."
I haven't tried them yet.