What Makes A Hinge Good

I've done a bit of reading about hinges on this forum, as I use them for my collection of US used stamps. The question comes to mind, what makes a hinge good or bad?

I haven't found any particular discussions on this subject, but I've not performed an exhaustive search either.

just curious.

iowaplayer

There seems to be a view that, because of the chemical composition of their gum, modern hinges are inferior to the better older varieties, particularly in terms of removing them from stamps. I use Gibbons or Prinz hinges, which seem pretty similar, although Prinz are a fair bit cheaper. I bisect them and moisten them as little as possible. I haven't tried Lighthouse's Fasto hinges, and would be interested in others' experience of those.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD HINGE ????------answer------The person who knows how to apply it .

If the package says Dennison on it but beware of fakes...yes their are fake Dennison hinges even on ebay. I have had good luck using "Supersafe" pre-folded stamp hinges. I moisten them and then blot off the hinge with my wrist before applying to the stamp. It seems to remove excess gum so they don't cause thins when removing them. so far good luck.

Regarding the Dennison hinges (which in my opinion are/were the best), look for hinge packages labeled "Dennison", with an "o" instead of "Dennisen" with an "e". They are not the same manufacturer.

In answer to the original question, a good hinge holds the stamp in place reliably without becoming a permanent part of the stamp--that is, it peels off the album page and off the stamp completely and easily without thinning the stamp and without leaving remnants behind. The hinge's ability to do this is mostly based on its manufacture, although the application technique plays a limited role. Nothing beats the original Dennison brand, IMO.

cool answers! thank you.

the reason I asked the question was that it occurred to me that perhaps a few emails to the makers of hinges might spur the manufacturers to change their adhesive formula a bit, or perhaps modify their handling of hinges during the manufacturing process.

my only two negative thoughts about hinges are:

1. the substrate is moisture-permeable, so that the hinge tends to glue itself to itself.

2. so many hinges in their envelopes are bent such that its hard to get them to flatten out for use. I'm not talking about the intentional fold, but the additional creases and bends that seem to happen to a lot of the hinges.

would a thicker or less permeable substrate be useful? perhaps a change in material from paper to some type of plastic? would firmer packaging like a box instead of an envelope help prevent mangled hinges?

hinges are very inexpensive, and I appreciate that, but I would certainly be happy to pay a bit more for a "premium" hinge with better attributes.

iowaplayer

A good hinge? Hmmm, ok, one that doesn't stick on your tongue, the roof of your mouth, or one that doesn't curl while trying to mount your stamp. Just last week, I finished an old bag of Unitrade hinges. They were terrible to use. I don't know what the newer ones are like?

Chimo

Bujutsu

I used Stanley Gibbons hinges for many years. The gum was quite gentle (almost too weak?) so re-hinging was easy on mint or used stamps alike. The new gum, however, is very strong and only requires a very, very gentle moistening or you are living with something like superglue on both the album and the stamp. I used Dennison for a couple of years after this. These were much better, but for a number of reasons I moved to hinge-less.

I used Dennison, Prinz and also Gimbels way back when. I stopped using hinges years ago and prefer mounts, even for my used stamps. Safe to use and no damage to the stamps.

I do not hinge any of my stamps except in my "Big Blue" stamp album. I only use Dennison hinges in that collection. They hold well and peel off easily.

Modern hinges aren't all that horrible if one moistens them as lightly as possible. They ARE peelable if used just right. However, the margin for error is slim - too much moisture and they're permanently attached, too little and they'll fall off the hinge. I do use modern hinges for my general worldwide used collection, but I also keep a pack of Dennison hinges around for stamps that may be a little more valuable or more fragile. I use clear mounts for mint stamps and for higher value used stamps.

A really good article on hinges and their history (with an emphasis on Dennison) entitled 'It All Hinges on One Thing....' was penned by Wayne Youngblood and published in the December 2012 edition of APS' 'American Philatelist.' If not available on line, a copy could easily be gotten by contacting the APRL directly.

A link to the article mentioned:

http://digital.ipcprintservices.com...p?id=1231193

Great article thank you for the nice read.

Yes I agree Dennison are the best. I do see packs with the Dennisen name on them. Be careful not to buy fakes.