Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
1. Do you just remove the loose part of the hinge with a knife?
2. Or do you use a wet cotton bud to lift the hinge of the gum carefully?
3. Or do you leave as it is?
I should add or do you soak the back of the stamp to remove both hinge and gum? I should add this latter one is the most logical for protecting the stamp from ageing although the least likely to be acceptable to buyers.
I'm getting to that point where I have to decide on some early Siam material.
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I have always taken hold of the hinge and gently pulled. Some come right off, others, well... sometimes I tug them off, and then others, I cut it off at the bend or even just just leave it. All depends I suppose on its value. Every stamp is different!
Of course CTO's are all soaked to get rind of the hinge and the gum. But that's a whole other can of worms!
Peter
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The modern hinges can be difficult to remove and may thin the stamp in the process. If you want to remove the hinge without soaking you can use Stamp Lift Fluid. In many cases for common stamps I just remove what I can and then put in a mount. I do not care if there is some residual hinge. I do not use hinges any more.
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09:34:52am
I usually try to remove hinges by hand if it's a cheaper stamp. Any stamp with significant value usually gets put in a mount as is. I only use hinges for really cheap and common stuff, everything else goes in a mount.
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Often with an older hinge if you place the stamp face down and rub the back of the hinge with the blunt end of your tongs it breaks the glue bond and it can be peeled off. Make sure you are not allowing the stamp to move or it will end up creased.
I would try this on an old worthless stamp before trying it on anything you wish to keep.
The fact that it still leaves a mark where the hinge was means that the stamp is of less value than a never hinged one.
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Thanks to all.
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11:45:10am
I am sure that "Mint" means just as it came from the printer.
Once hinged it is no longer "Mint."
But then, that seems to be just a technicality these days.
Wikipediahttps:Mint stamp
In philately, a mint stamp is one which is in its original state of issue, is unused, has never been mounted and has full gum, if issued with gum.
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I usually have good luck with sheepshanks method - just need to be careful.
For used stamps - unless I suspect chalky paper or fugitive ink, I just soak the hinges off and flatten in a drying book (to me improves the appearance of old stamps).
I may be in a minority, but I do not like hinges at all.
Josh
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I use the method Sheepshanks described also. It works most of the time, but not always (and, if you're not careful when it doesn't appear to be working, it can result in a thin).
A refinement I've found is that what you have under the stamp you're about the rub is important. Too hard a surface (like a glass desktop that I used to have) often does not work. There's just not enough give to help break the bond.
But too soft a surface underneath is also a problem (like with a desktop blotter), because then you'll rub an indentation into the stamp.
For me, I've found what seems to work best is 1 or 2 pieces of cover stock paper. Heavier than regular paper. Gives just a little, but not too much. I would imagine, though, with a little trial and error you could figure out how many sheets of regular printer paper would work just as well.
Also, I've found that it's the tongs with the spade tip that works best, because they're flat at the end and they apply the pressure evenly. The rounded tips don't do that, and, of course, the pointed tips will just lead to heartbreak ...
Hope this is helpful!!
(a stock image)
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Dave, I use the handle end of the tongs not the tip end. I also usually use a few cover stock pages beneath the stamp.
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Vic, on the particular tongs I have (all Showgard: flat/spade, rounded, & pointed (plus some angled ones that could probably be called a shovel - lol)), I found the other end of the tongs was still too rounded. Perhaps that's a "signature" look for them. So that flat blade seems to work best for me, but I certainly understand that everyone's mileage might be different.
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What do you do with mint hinged stamps (MH)(MM) for either selling or placing in your album?
1. Do you just remove the loose part of the hinge with a knife?
2. Or do you use a wet cotton bud to lift the hinge of the gum carefully?
3. Or do you leave as it is?
I should add or do you soak the back of the stamp to remove both hinge and gum? I should add this latter one is the most logical for protecting the stamp from ageing although the least likely to be acceptable to buyers.
I'm getting to that point where I have to decide on some early Siam material.
Login to Like
this post
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
I have always taken hold of the hinge and gently pulled. Some come right off, others, well... sometimes I tug them off, and then others, I cut it off at the bend or even just just leave it. All depends I suppose on its value. Every stamp is different!
Of course CTO's are all soaked to get rind of the hinge and the gum. But that's a whole other can of worms!
Peter
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
The modern hinges can be difficult to remove and may thin the stamp in the process. If you want to remove the hinge without soaking you can use Stamp Lift Fluid. In many cases for common stamps I just remove what I can and then put in a mount. I do not care if there is some residual hinge. I do not use hinges any more.
Login to Like
this post
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16 Jul 2021
09:34:52am
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
I usually try to remove hinges by hand if it's a cheaper stamp. Any stamp with significant value usually gets put in a mount as is. I only use hinges for really cheap and common stuff, everything else goes in a mount.
Login to Like
this post
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
Often with an older hinge if you place the stamp face down and rub the back of the hinge with the blunt end of your tongs it breaks the glue bond and it can be peeled off. Make sure you are not allowing the stamp to move or it will end up creased.
I would try this on an old worthless stamp before trying it on anything you wish to keep.
The fact that it still leaves a mark where the hinge was means that the stamp is of less value than a never hinged one.
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re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
Thanks to all.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
16 Jul 2021
11:45:10am
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
I am sure that "Mint" means just as it came from the printer.
Once hinged it is no longer "Mint."
But then, that seems to be just a technicality these days.
Wikipediahttps:Mint stamp
In philately, a mint stamp is one which is in its original state of issue, is unused, has never been mounted and has full gum, if issued with gum.
Login to Like
this post
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
I usually have good luck with sheepshanks method - just need to be careful.
For used stamps - unless I suspect chalky paper or fugitive ink, I just soak the hinges off and flatten in a drying book (to me improves the appearance of old stamps).
I may be in a minority, but I do not like hinges at all.
Josh
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
I use the method Sheepshanks described also. It works most of the time, but not always (and, if you're not careful when it doesn't appear to be working, it can result in a thin).
A refinement I've found is that what you have under the stamp you're about the rub is important. Too hard a surface (like a glass desktop that I used to have) often does not work. There's just not enough give to help break the bond.
But too soft a surface underneath is also a problem (like with a desktop blotter), because then you'll rub an indentation into the stamp.
For me, I've found what seems to work best is 1 or 2 pieces of cover stock paper. Heavier than regular paper. Gives just a little, but not too much. I would imagine, though, with a little trial and error you could figure out how many sheets of regular printer paper would work just as well.
Also, I've found that it's the tongs with the spade tip that works best, because they're flat at the end and they apply the pressure evenly. The rounded tips don't do that, and, of course, the pointed tips will just lead to heartbreak ...
Hope this is helpful!!
(a stock image)
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re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
Dave, I use the handle end of the tongs not the tip end. I also usually use a few cover stock pages beneath the stamp.
1 Member
likes this post.
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re: How do you prepare mint hinged stamps?
Vic, on the particular tongs I have (all Showgard: flat/spade, rounded, & pointed (plus some angled ones that could probably be called a shovel - lol)), I found the other end of the tongs was still too rounded. Perhaps that's a "signature" look for them. So that flat blade seems to work best for me, but I certainly understand that everyone's mileage might be different.
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