I have heard of people putting stamps in boiling water. This should soften the glue on older stamps.
I would experiment with some low value stamp first to see if it works.
" ... I have heard of people putting stamps in boiling water. This should soften the glue on older stamps. ..."
'I'd lower the heat to just below the boiling point, were I to try doing that. Vigorous bubbling might tear the flimsy stamps apart..
Warm water and patience definitely help getting the stamps off the paper. You could try to scrape the gum off with the back of a knife or the edge of a phone card. Put the soaked stamps with their picture side on blotting paper and put a piece of plastic foil over the gum side. The gum residue does not stick well to the smooth material.
-jmh
Thanks for all your responses...time and patience was rewarded, and luckily the casualties were light, but I did suffer a couple of fatalities. Hope I don't run into any more of these again soon.
...capetown
These will probably be organic ( i.e.plant-based) gum, rather than the modern PVA type.
A problem with these gums is that they often either soak into, or react with the acids in old papers, which is why the aper often becomes like it has foxing but not the same thing at all. The longer these stamps stay on paper the more difficult it becomes to deal with them, so unless the item has some postmark or cover merit get the stamp off as early as possible.
If you don't want to risk very hot water you can use a sweatbox. Use a plastic box with a close fitting lid - a small (clean) Tupperware box is ideal. Cover the bottom with blotting paper,soak the paper with warm to hot water then pour it away. Put the stamps and paper face up on the blotting paper and fit the lid.
The warm humid atmosphere should soften the gum,and make it easy to remove the backing. Always remember when removing the paper to put the stamp face down and remove the paper from the stamp, never the stamp from the paper. The latter almost always results in damage to the stamp. You may have to carry out this process more than once as thick paper often delaminates leaving the top layer of the paper still attached to the stamp.
Extreme care and patience is required and the process should never be carried out after imbibing the amber nectar !!
Does anyone have a solution to soak old stamps from Austria, Hungary, sometimes Romania? They are extremely stubborn and easy to damage and just don't come off the paper. Maybe there is a trick way of removing these stamps...I'd be grateful for any solutions anyone may have. Thanks, capetown
re: SOAKING AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA
I have heard of people putting stamps in boiling water. This should soften the glue on older stamps.
I would experiment with some low value stamp first to see if it works.
re: SOAKING AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA
" ... I have heard of people putting stamps in boiling water. This should soften the glue on older stamps. ..."
'I'd lower the heat to just below the boiling point, were I to try doing that. Vigorous bubbling might tear the flimsy stamps apart..
re: SOAKING AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA
Warm water and patience definitely help getting the stamps off the paper. You could try to scrape the gum off with the back of a knife or the edge of a phone card. Put the soaked stamps with their picture side on blotting paper and put a piece of plastic foil over the gum side. The gum residue does not stick well to the smooth material.
-jmh
re: SOAKING AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA
Thanks for all your responses...time and patience was rewarded, and luckily the casualties were light, but I did suffer a couple of fatalities. Hope I don't run into any more of these again soon.
...capetown
re: SOAKING AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA
These will probably be organic ( i.e.plant-based) gum, rather than the modern PVA type.
A problem with these gums is that they often either soak into, or react with the acids in old papers, which is why the aper often becomes like it has foxing but not the same thing at all. The longer these stamps stay on paper the more difficult it becomes to deal with them, so unless the item has some postmark or cover merit get the stamp off as early as possible.
If you don't want to risk very hot water you can use a sweatbox. Use a plastic box with a close fitting lid - a small (clean) Tupperware box is ideal. Cover the bottom with blotting paper,soak the paper with warm to hot water then pour it away. Put the stamps and paper face up on the blotting paper and fit the lid.
The warm humid atmosphere should soften the gum,and make it easy to remove the backing. Always remember when removing the paper to put the stamp face down and remove the paper from the stamp, never the stamp from the paper. The latter almost always results in damage to the stamp. You may have to carry out this process more than once as thick paper often delaminates leaving the top layer of the paper still attached to the stamp.
Extreme care and patience is required and the process should never be carried out after imbibing the amber nectar !!