Ways Of Removing Foxing (Brown Spots)?

I didn't know it was possible, but in a recent stock book that I bought the seller warned about it and stated that it is manageable. How?

I am not sure what sort of stamps you have but if they are modern (I guess 1950's onwards) you can use this method. For older stamps, I would hesitate to say anything unless someone experienced than myself tells you, but I guess step 4 would be helpful to manage it.

The gum and anything else will be removed so be warned if they are mint.

These are the steps:

1) You'll have to boil some water but don't boil the stamps as the water is boiling. You'll need to boil the water first.
2) Take a bowl or a dish of some sort and pour the water in there and give the stamps a bath for about 3 minutes.
3) Take the stamps out and dry them as usual, as if you soaked them.
4) For additional protection when the stamps are completely dry, and I do mean completely the must be dry, pop them into a freezer set at -20 for a couple of hours.

This should be able to stave off Foxing. Now whether the colour runs, the stamps dissolve, or some error happens will depend on the type of stamp it is, how it was produced, etc.

The latest fungi foxing removal involves the use of laser light. Also note that the term 'foxing' covers multiple, diverse conditions and remediation used for fungi is NOT the same for foxing caused by metallic compounds in inks, cancels, and paper. Without knowing what is causing the 'foxing', you would be throwing darts in the dark.

https://cool.culturalheritage.org/c...3_foxing.pdf

https://mhnsw.au/guides/conservatio...g-explained/
(about half way down the page)

Don


Edit:
Fungi-based foxing cannot spread, this is a common misconception. Foxing caused by metallic compounds also cannot spread. Foxing caused by mold spores can spread.

GeoffHa wrote this yesterday in another post regarding foxing. I haven't tried, and I don't think he has either:

Thank you both for your advice.
As a child, I remember using boiled water to Haisten stamp removing, and it caused some color loss on some Soviet stamps I was trying to remove from paper.
I did a search in the forum before posting, saw some options to use rather dangerous chemicals, and the article from your first link, Don.
I guess I better wait till the stock book I bought will arrive, and share a picture of those stamps to see if it's fongi or rust or McDonald's Hamburger.

If someone from the UK could try this and let us know. I would be interested in seeing how it works.

I haven't read any reviews of this product and google indicates that no one has used it since I can't find it talked about anywhere else.

I have never tried this, but I have been told twice that a toothpick with a very, very small amount of peroxide can remove foxing, e.g. on perf tips. Certainly would not attempt this without practice or on MNH stamps, but perhaps it can be employed on mint hinged stamps? Should not be a problem to try on a used stamp.

I can't access that page. Is it only me?

https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/fox-ma...106640-p.asp

I am not sure what happened when I copied it but it is bad in my posting. It worked in GeoffHa's original message. This link work's.

Thank you Chesham85.
I'm usually suspicious of products that don't list their content.
Logically, to deal with fungi we might try any fungicide product and see how it works.

It lists its ingredients as 100ml Choromine T which is identified as, by google as Chloramine-T which is a mild disinfectant used main in aquariums to fight diseases in fish.

Whether or not its entirely safe, how it works, or if it is effective is entirely up to speculation as I have not heard of this product before, nor has anyone else which is why the product it seems does not have any reviews.

Edit: Apparently, Stanley Gibbons is now selling it! Google never showed me this result before https://www.stanleygibbons.com/prod...ver-stamps-3

Edit 2: This was discussed before as well! In 2012 haha will wonders not cease. I wonder where all these results were? https://goscf.com/t/28940

I think that one of the reasons that there is not much information about 'home chemical treatments of stamps or covers' is that it can be harmful to your reputation. Ask yourself, would YOU want to unknowingly buy stamps and covers that someone else has 'treated' with various chemicals?

I think that a case can be made that if a stamp or cover is worth enough to considerer dealing with a very challenging ID and remediation of generic 'brown spots' (foxing), it is worth sending it to an experience paper conservationist.
Don