French Stamps Soaking (Self-Adhesive?)

Hello everyone,

I have got some French stamps.
They are very nice, but I want to soak them off the envelope.

I am talking about this kind of stamps:


I strongly think these are self-adhesive.
Am I right?

And if so, how can I get them off the paper?
With some WD-40 spray?
Because I saw that WD-40 "trick" on YouTube...
Or is there a more convenient way of soaking this stamp??

Kind Regards,

Rik

Rik, whatever you do, do NOT use WD-40. That is the best way to not only ruin the stamp but also the album you put it in. There are plenty of posts here explaining how to soak these, but my preferable way of keeping them is on piece. Not necessarily on the whole envelope, but trim the stamp closely and leave the paper. Anything else may be harmful since we do not know what all these other methods will do in the long run.

Peter

My experience is that modern French self-adhesive stamps cannot be soaked off paper. There does not appear to be a water soluble layer of gum between the stamp paper and the self-adhesive material. So, soaking these stamps will only result in a slight buckling of the front of the stamp with probable damage to the printed design.

You should use a solvent to remove the stamps from the paper/envelope, and then more solvent to remove the remaining self-adhesive gum. There are various threads/topics on Stamp Community Forum which describe the removal and cleaning process.

Some self-adhesive gums are tougher to remove than others. Also, the older the stamp/cover, the more difficult it is to safely clean the stamps. This is generally true. The self-adhesive material changes (stabilizes) over time and tends to weld the stamp to the envelope paper. Less often, the stamp will fall off the envelope, because the gum absorbs into the stamp paper, turning it a mottled brown color.

Okay, thank you both for your replies and handy information.
I am not going to use WD-40, that is not an option.

I am going to trim these stamps, and keep them on their paper.
One little question:
Are these stamps "on paper", something worth?

Many thanks for the help.
Happy Easter,

Rik

EDIT: There isn't any way to remove them from their paper?

Rik, if you read both of the threads above really careful, yes there are ways to remove the stamps. Several are posted on this forum, just search for "soaking adhesive stamps". But again, we are not yet sure what these methods will do in the long run, so the safest way as far as I am concerned is the trim method and just leave them on the paper.
By the way, 'on paper' the stamps should be worth the same as 'off paper'.

Peter

Peter, are you talking in general about stamps on paper? I have to admit that I am frequently tempted to leave well enough alone and not try to remove stamps. It's a chore and I'm always afraid of botching the job. Still, one finds stamps on paper so infrequently in collections.

We are talking about self adhesive stamps. It says that in the title also!

Peter

Thank you for your forbearance, Peter. It must be very difficult putting up with novices such as myself.

Here is an untested idea. Only try it on something extra, not of much value. To remove labels on wood, metal, or plastic surfaces without damaging the label, the solution is heat. I used to repair laptops, When we replaced the bottom case, we used heat to remove the labels to affix to the new base without damaging the labels with a heat gun. Do not get it too hot or it will burn. Your issue will still be removing the glue. It will make the glue sticky again. The paper will come off but the glue will be wet and activated again. Something to play with.....

This works wonders for me, follow removal with some unscented powder.

redwoodennickel, rik is from the Netherlands. Hard to find that stuff over there!

Peter

Thanks all for the information.
I think I leave them on the paper.

But I am also going to search on "soaking adhesive stamps".
If my mind changes, you'll hear it from me .

I remember ketchup was a premium item over there too. We do take things like availability in other countries for granted.

rwoodennickel. I am from Holland originally, and we never used ketchup on anything! Not really because it was expensive, but mainly habit. For instance, on French fries I still put mayo, fifty years later!

Peter

The Pure Citrus can be found at Home Depot stores. I don't know if they have an international presence. I would guess it is available through other channels as well.

I have a friend in Germany who was using a product that you would use to remove sticky residue from bandages. I believe he may have picked it up from a local pharmacy. There may be a product like that available in Holland. His results were even better than my results with the orange citrus.

Matt