Removing Stamp Hinges

Hello,

I am a new stamp collector who has inherited my collection recently. I have noticed that a lot of stamps have parts of hinges on the back. What would be the recommended way of taking off these hinges that? I have been soaking them off but I was curious if there was a better way of removing them.

Soaking is the only safe way - carry on!

Cold or Room temp water only,
Do not soak early Netherlands Indies ever.
and early English revenue stamps.

Thanks for the advice. I also had some difficulty drying stamps because whenever I dry them in between 2 pieces of paper towel they always get stuck to the paper towel and I have to use my tongs to get them up. Also after drying them up they seem to curl up.

XC Runner 18: welcome to the Forum. I haven't soaked stamps for while, but recall placing the stamps face down on one paper towel. Yes, they do curl, but I've never had them stick. What I've done then is place the dried stamps on another paper towel and place a clean zip lock bag(s) on top; very gently. I then place a magazine on top, as a light weight item to flatten them. Takes a day or two to flatten, but they generally stay flat. Others may have a different method.

The information below relates to soaking stamps off paper, not to hinge removal. So, if you have on-paper/kiloware stamps, this may be helpful.

Many modern, soakable stamps are gummed with PVA glue. This is a stubborn glue that will stay on the back of a stamp when you think it is clean.

When soaking modern stamps, it is a good idea to lightly rub the back of each stamp and then dip it in the soaking pan. If you see a milky cloud in the water, then you know you have PVA to rub off each stamp. Usually, I repeat the rubbing process to completely remove the gum/glue.

If you do not clean the stamps thoroughly, then a worse problem can happen. Stamps with PVA remains will stick together if stored in a glassine envelope. The PVA can damage the print on the stamps.

I like the drying books that are available from philatelic supply dealers ("Desert Magic" is my preferred). The leaves alternate between blotting paper and a non-stick surface. Soak the stamp, make sure all residue is washed off, place it face up on the nonstick page and close the book. Put a weight on top and after a day the stamp is dry with never a curl.

When I do soak stamps ( which is not often at all ) I use hot water after it boiled in the kettle.

Mainly I soak off modern pressure sensitive stamps from Canada, the States and Australia
but also from NZ and a few other places that use the same technology.
Never had an issue with it. I lay them face down and pour the boiling water on them. They do need to sit for about 20 minutes or so. The same procedure applies to stamps that have been applied to vinyl envelopes as well.

The hot water will keep the layer of glue on the envelope ( As seen in the photo )
The stamps were in the water for about 20 minutes. As seen, the water hasn't penetrated to the middle of the stamps yet.

Photo 1. Paper envelope method
Photo 2. Vinyl envelope

modern issues are adhesives for most part.. so hinge cleanup is unlikely. I use heptane to remove from paper or vinyl; then set on silicone sheets, or clear vinyl sheets.

adhesive residue is enough for replacement. otherwise, rubber cement precludes water-immersion as hinge cleanup.

Bestine is sold in art supplies ... it does not damage album papers, as water does. commercial artists use both poducts for artwork.

Can hinges be removed using the Stamp Lift? That doesn't soak the stamp

My self I 'm using a small piece of normal paper, and I go between the hinge and the stamp. Never had any accidents.Going carefully to righ and right ip and left up.I working and normally is no traces of the hinge at all.

I'll have to try that, patrasf. I've always been a soaker, myself.

Jack Kelley

DrGG, StampLift can be used to remove hinges, but I've never been thrilled with it. Hinges on used stamps can easily be soaked off, and hinges can be removed from stamps with OG using water, an artists paintbrush and some patience (with minimal gum disturbance).

Stamp Lift worked perfectly

"When soaking modern stamps, it is a good idea to lightly rub the back of each stamp and then dip it in the soaking pan. If you see a milky cloud in the water, then you know you have PVA to rub off each stamp. Usually, I repeat the rubbing process to completely remove the gum/glue."

yes, you do need to remove all the gum, or they can get stuck again - just be carefully not to rub too hard or you will damage the paper

I soak off hinges. A slight miscalculation as to the 'stuckedness' of a hinge can easily result in a thinned stamp.

I soak in cool water (I must admit, I don't collect modern stamps so the issue of the modern gum is not an issue for me) and then go through the bunch to remove all the paper/hinges/whatever that I was soaking off. I have another pan of new/clean water and as I am running them between my fingers one-by-one to FEEL that they are free of stuff on their backs, I toss them into the new water, just to make sure everything is cleared off the back - this is optional, but works for me. I dry in an old phone book (white pages only) - like 10 years old, so the 'newsprint' doesn't mar the stamps. Place a weight on the phone book, and let it all dry for a couple days. I live near a large city, so the phone book is huge - I have torn strips of paper which I use as 'bookmarks' and slip one in each page that has stamps. the process is time consuming, but I find it to be very therapeutic.