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General Philatelic/Supplies, Literature & Software : STAMPLIFT Box

 

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Bottom_fish_2006
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23 Jan 2011
12:35:51am
I read this stamplift box in a book and found one on Ebsy for $17.00. Can you tell how it works, if it does work and worth the price?

xyz
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Rgnpcs
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23 Jan 2011
01:16:32am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Yes it works fine. I have been using it for over 60 years. Put water in cover and in box, drain it out so it is wet. Place stamp with paper against holes & close cover. Let sit for about half hour, remove cover, remove stamp, and just peel paper from stamp. Original gum should be on back of stamp, Place gum side on plastic cover away from words STAMPLIFT, and in a few minutes stamps should just pop off, with full gum remaining. Stamps may curl, so flatten them out.
Never tried it with self-stick, so have no idea if it will work there.
Please contact me at rgnpcs@optonline.net
Richaard

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Cjd
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23 Jan 2011
08:10:31pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

If you haven't already pulled the trigger on this, take a look online for ideas on making your own sweat box. They work.

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Bottom_fish_2006
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24 Jan 2011
02:43:55am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Sweat Box


Build Your Own Stamp Sweat Box

Stamp Collecting with GS

Sometimes soaking isn't the solution. Sometimes it's best


to let humidity work on the glue before you try

to remove
a hinge remnant or separate a mint stamp stuck to

another
stamp or an album page. The same trick works for

getting
stamps off envelopes whose inks you know will

discolor the
stamp when placed in water.

If you live in a hot, humid area you could

experiment with
exposing your stamps to the elements, but for

most of us
the answer is a sweat box. It's simply an

airtight container
with a couple of sponges and a cradle to keep the

stamps
from coming into direct contact with the sponges.

The basic idea is to raise the humidity in the

sweat box so
that it dampens the stamp's gum just enough to

loosen the
stamp from whatever it's stuck on without

saturating the
stamp or the paper, or diluting the gum.

The basic parts of the sweat box are

1. A small air tight container. (picture #1) A

small, clear
plastic disposable air-tight food container works

well. The
smaller the container, the quicker the humidy

rises. If it's
clear you can check on the stamp's progress

without opening
the container, which would then also drop the

humidity.

2. A clean, never-used sponge or two to hold the

water
moisture. (picture #5) Two clean kitchen sponges

are fine.
You can try this out with what you have in the

kitchen, but
if you want to keep your sweat box working,

you'll want to
replace them with never-used sponges.

3. A screen on which the stamp on piece rests. I

used a plastic
basket that stores sell strawberries in. (picture

#1) I then
trimmed the sides down low enough to fit between

the two
sponges.

4. Spacers (picture #4) These raise the screen

above the bottom
sponge and must be non-porous, plastic, metal or

cork. I used
two bottle caps, but now use two pieces from a

backgammon set.

To put together a your own homemade sweat box

read the
following and refer to the pictures.

1. Soak the bottom sponge in water. Wring it out

so that it is
still heavy and wet with water but not dripping

and place it
on the bottom of your box.

2. Affix the top sponge to the center of your

box's top lid with
two push pins as shown in picture #2.

3. Soak the top sponge in water and wring it out

so that it is
still heavy and wet with water but not dripping.

4. Now trim your screen so that it will fit

between the upper
and lower sponge. See picture #3.

5. Place your two spacers on top of the bottom

sponge and
rest your screen on top of it. See picture #4

6. When finished and set up, it looks something

like this. See
picture #5. In a while, depending on the sponge

water, the
size of the box, ambient temperature, humidity

and sunlight
on the box, water droplets will form on the sides

of the box.

7. I cut a wine cork into ½" thicknesses and used

them to
cover the sharp ends of the push pins holding the

top sponge
in place on the cover.

The object of the sweat box is to have the

humidity in the
box seep through the paper and loosen the stamp's

gum, but
remember paper and gum interact in different ways
depending on the age of the paper, the age and

condition
of the gum and the humidity.

Self-adhesive stamps can be sweated off, but what

happens
with a SA stamp is that the binder layer

dissolves separating
the top paper layer from the bottom adhesive

layer so that
you can't save the stamp with its adhesive.

And if you think stronger measures are necessary,

just give
the sweat box more time to work. Remember "STEAM

is
EXTREME."

With a little experience and patience most glues

finally break
down under the humidity. Expect a gummed stamp to

take 30
minutes to loosen from paper, and gummed mint

stamps a bit
longer to release from each other.

posted by Audio Ebook Emporium | 4:51 PM

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Bottom_fish_2006
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24 Jan 2011
02:45:04am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

THANKX Cjd

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Larryc3a
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26 Jan 2011
11:50:14am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

I notice that Subway has a Stamplift box for $6.95 but don't know what the shipping charges would be.
Larry

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Cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

30 Jan 2011
07:45:07pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

" ... I notice that Subway has a Stamplift box for $6.95 but don't know what the shipping charges would be. ..."
I was just about to check Subway Stamp Store myself as I did not think $17.00 was a bargain.
However unless the eBay seller is down the street and Altoona,Pennsylvania is across the continent, or an ocean, the shipping charges should be comperable.

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mengel419

27 Feb 2013
01:17:14pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

A somewhat simpler do-it-yourself stamplift box:

Take a small plastic deli container and two lids. Place a hot-water soaked sponge (with some additional hot water) in the bottom. Poke lots of little holes in the lid and close the container with it. Take your stamps and place them on that lid (gum side down works better). Place the second lid on top. Place something heavy on that lid to make it airtight.

Then--wait a couple of hours. Check it occasionally, perhaps re-heat the water/sponge. You should then be able to CAREFULLY remove the stuck stamps from paper or from each other. You can flatten them after they dry.

Experiment first with some cheap stamps. I've done this several times and it works--and you save $15.

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cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

27 Feb 2013
03:17:26pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Mike's instructions should save you the money plus it shouldn't take more than an hour or so to have a neat sweat box working.
And then there is the pride of having created something yourself.

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amsd
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28 Feb 2013
07:01:06am

Auctions
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Not mention having recycled stamps AND a plastic container. One's first stuck stamps ought to be green to celebrate.

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lisagrant87
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05 Mar 2013
05:40:21pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

The very first picture on this thread is not opening for me. Could someone please post a picture of a home-made lift box? I get the idea but a picture is worth a thousand words!

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Terry
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05 Mar 2013
06:02:39pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Here's a picture from an on-line supply company:

Image Not Found

This device is made up of three pieces of plastic that form an airtight box with a perforated center tray (where you place the stamp) and two pieces of felt (inside top and bottom) that are soaked with water. Taken together when moistened, you have an airtight humidity chamber that allows you (if you have lots of patience) to carefully remove stamps from paper and at the same time retain most of the original gum. With this device you can remove unused stamps stuck on paper and turn them into almost mint. You can take stamps covered with hinge pieces and turn these also into almost mint. With a lot of practice, I have seen people make gum thins disappear (not paper thins) and the stamps appear almost mint. The drawbacks to this device are that lifted stamps are never really quite what they were when they were sold at the PO, and lifting stamps is very slow and time consuming. In addition, unless you are VERY careful, you can very easily ruin a lot of presentable stamps. In any event, the Stamp Lift is a good investment for almost any collector, except those in a hurry. I use my Stamp Lift to salvage stuck down mint stamps from collections that I buy. I also use it occasionally to remove hinge build up on old stamps. You MUST practice with this tool, and you cannot walk away and forget that there is something in it. Leaving stamps in the lift will cause the gum to run into the paper resulting in a terminal mess. It often takes almost an hour to loosen a stamp. In addition, you should pull only one stamp out of the tray at a time, and you need to work fast for the stamps dry a lot quicker than you would think. After you have separated the stamp from whatever, place it gum side down on the lid where there is no printing. It will pop free when it is dry.


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lisagrant87
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It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis

05 Mar 2013
06:08:34pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Thank you, Terry!

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Les
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08 Mar 2013
04:01:03pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Bought one from Subway. The sponge under the grid dissolved on the second day of use. I called Subway and they are sending me a replacement box. Apparently, the sponge dissolving is quite common. I don't think I would recommend it as purchase.

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Terry
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08 Mar 2013
08:24:13pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Yes.... I had that problem with a StampLift as well one time. But, I just went to the store and bought a real sponge (not man-made material) and glued it in place. That seemed to work much better.





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Les
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12 Mar 2013
05:44:06pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Unfortunately, this sponge that dissolved was under the grid. Do you know how to take the grid off and replace the dissolved sponge.

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Terry
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12 Mar 2013
07:47:42pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Yes, Les....

I took an Exacto knife and gently scored the joint between the grid and the case. Just a little bit at a time, slow short strokes evenly all the way around. And, eventually I could pop it off.

Takes a bit of patience, but heck, so does mounting a stamp, right!

I guess, if you you successfully perform this surgical operation, you can then claim to be a Doctor of Philately


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Poodle_Mum
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12 Mar 2013
09:01:58pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Terry -

You just gave me another doctorate to aim for! LOL

Kelly

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Terry
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20 Mar 2013
07:22:24pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

So....

If you don't like the "StampLift", then you can create your own sweatbox (I'm sure many of you have done this already, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right?)

You only need 3 things a box, a grid and a sponge.

Here I have purchased a nice Rubbermaid airtight storager container and a rubber-coated wire drawer divider at a total cost of $7.25 {I'll get to the sponge in a minute)

Image Not Found

Then we assemble the components, placing the drawer divider upside down in the storage container

Image Not Found

The working dimensions for this one are as follows:

Storage container inside height is 3" with an inside area of 13" by 9"
The drawer divder has a height of 2.25" and, upside down the bottom measures 6" by 9" with the top surface grid being 4.5" by 8" (the grid is of 1/2" squares)
This means that we have roughly a 3/4" height to lay the stamp pieces between the lid and the grid.

This makes room underneath the drawer divider for a good 1" by 5" sponge. However, I stole 4 old wash cloths from our linen closet (I pray my wife forgives me!), and positioned them about the drawer divider to soak up the water. This has the added advantage of keeping the drawer divider from sliding around in the storage container. And, the cloths can be laundered from time-to-time to keep them fresh (try that with a sponge!)

Image Not Found

Now just add water, some of the pretties you've recently received in the mail, secure the storage container lid and set the box in an out of the way place, so's not to get it bumped.

Image Not Found

Check the condition about every 10-15 minutes; don't let 'em over cook!

So, there you go. This one can handle 3-4 times the number of stamps at once, as compared to the StampLift, and you can adjust the pieces to your own liking.

Happy soaking


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DRYER
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The past is a foreign country, they do things different there.

21 Mar 2013
12:54:31am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Terry:

Formidable!

I'm constructing one as I write.

John Derry


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Terry
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21 Mar 2013
10:21:31am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

John....

Your skills at multi-tasking are legend

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Les
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21 Mar 2013
04:42:26pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Thanks Terry.

I will try to earn my doctorate. Subway sent me the new box, but so far I have been afraid to use it. Now that I know how to remove the grid, I am less hesitant to use it. I also have Super Safe Stamp Lift fluid which I primarily use to remove hinges.

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lisagrant87
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It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis

29 Mar 2013
09:08:51pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

I'm making my own stamp lift box thanks to all the awesome tips in this thread. Just one last question, how hot do you want the water? Boiling? Really hot but not boiling? Simmering?

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cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

30 Mar 2013
02:34:05am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Warm, but not hot. Just enough to create a humid climate similar to South Miami in August.

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BobbyBarnhart
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30 Mar 2013
09:40:49am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

"Just enough to create a humid climate similar to South Miami in August."


So, in other words, about 200ÌŠF, but not boiling hot.

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CapeStampMan
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Mike

30 Mar 2013
11:20:03am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Actually that would be 95 F., with a humidity of 99.9%. So as opposed to the "DRY" heat some brag about, this is definitely a "WET" heat, so wear Scuba gear.

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lisagrant87
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It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis

30 Mar 2013
07:17:35pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

So the goal is really to create humidity, not steam?

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cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

30 Mar 2013
08:25:10pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Oh yes, Lisa, humidity and a few minutes will "sweat" the stamps loose.

And thus the name of the game; "Sweatbox'.


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10 Jun 2013
01:59:34pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

I have used one of these in the past, and as everyone states, you can preserve the original gum when lifting from most materials. However there is one setback. When cured and dried, the gum is glossy looking and does not have the original mint appearance. You should not try to pass this off as a mint stamp as MOG, consider it as disturbed gum DG. Some even look at them as re-gummed RG, even though it is the original gum. From a collectors viewpoint, I don't think it is right to try to resolve the issue of a stamp being previously adhered to something. When this happens, soak it off and claim it as un-gummed or buy a glue stick and use it as postage. It is what it is, don't try to make something it is not.

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purrfin2
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APS #222602 and Internet Philatelic Dealers Association #439

11 Jun 2013
07:19:02am

Approvals
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Well this is my something new learn today! I will put my sweatbox together and give it a try. Don't have to worry about high humidity being in SE Fl. Now a days with rainy season active, just walk outside and you've taken a shower!

Thanks for the great suggestion, everybody.

Luree

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cocollectibles

11 Jun 2013
09:00:10am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

What a great set of homemade solutions! I love this!

Questions from someone who has never used this before:

What happens if you forget your stamps are in there and you leave them "sweating" for, say, several hours to overnight?

Are there some stamps for which this is NOT a good idea? I'm wondering, for example, of chalky paper stamps of the KEVII and KGV era British Empire definitives.

I sometimes get mail with unfranked postage; I think I know the answer to this, but if I soaked off these "mint" stamps can I use them for postage again? (My guess would be no, despite no franking, right?)

Thanks.
Peter

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lisagrant87
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It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis

11 Jun 2013
09:35:13am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

If you leave stamps in a box for a long time and the humidity inside the box does not diminish at all, they will be fine. If the humidity diminishes, the stamps will re-adhere and you'll have to start over.

As long as you use barely warm water and do not create a steamy, hot box, most stamps will be fine. It takes a LONG time for most stamps to come off in a humidity chamber so patience is needed! If you make the water too hot, I would think that inks may run and you could have other problems since that environment is similar to just soaking the stamps.

I don't know about the chalky stamps. Hopefully someone else can help with that. My thought is that they will be fine because nothing is actually touching them and the box is humid, not warm.

And you're correct, ethically, you can not reuse the postage. Legally, I don't know.

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BobbyBarnhart
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11 Jun 2013
10:54:10am
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Once a stamp has been through the mail stream, cancelled or not, it is illegal to reuse it. If you just stick it to an envelope then decide, for whatever reason, to discard the envelope, you can remove the stamp and reuse it.

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michael78651

11 Jun 2013
01:04:12pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Luree, since you're in Florida, you can wait for a Hurricane to come through. That'll soak your stamps and they'll easily come off the paper after the storm passes!

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purrfin2
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APS #222602 and Internet Philatelic Dealers Association #439

13 Jun 2013
05:05:47pm

Approvals
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Michael,

With all the blasted rain we've been having I can go outside with a tub of stamps and play in the rain! Used to be I played in puddle, now it's a tub with stamps.

Where is that rubber ducky stamp anyway? Raindrops keep falling on my head Rolling On The Floor Laughing

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14 Jun 2013
11:26:30pm
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Don't know where are puffin2, but at this location we got 2 3/4" rain early last week, followed by 1 3/4" last Friday and another 3" yesterday/last night. I think I'm beginning to mildew....
Roger

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15 Jun 2013
07:27:37am

Approvals
re: STAMPLIFT Box

Hey Roger, I'm in Boynton Beach. the rain has eased a bit, but we still get sprinkled upon. Can't wait for the 4 PM rains to begin. You're mildewing and I'm growing webs between my toes!

Luree

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Bottom_fish_2006

23 Jan 2011
12:35:51am

I read this stamplift box in a book and found one on Ebsy for $17.00. Can you tell how it works, if it does work and worth the price?

xyz

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Rgnpcs

23 Jan 2011
01:16:32am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Yes it works fine. I have been using it for over 60 years. Put water in cover and in box, drain it out so it is wet. Place stamp with paper against holes & close cover. Let sit for about half hour, remove cover, remove stamp, and just peel paper from stamp. Original gum should be on back of stamp, Place gum side on plastic cover away from words STAMPLIFT, and in a few minutes stamps should just pop off, with full gum remaining. Stamps may curl, so flatten them out.
Never tried it with self-stick, so have no idea if it will work there.
Please contact me at rgnpcs@optonline.net
Richaard

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Cjd

23 Jan 2011
08:10:31pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

If you haven't already pulled the trigger on this, take a look online for ideas on making your own sweat box. They work.

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Bottom_fish_2006

24 Jan 2011
02:43:55am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Sweat Box


Build Your Own Stamp Sweat Box

Stamp Collecting with GS

Sometimes soaking isn't the solution. Sometimes it's best


to let humidity work on the glue before you try

to remove
a hinge remnant or separate a mint stamp stuck to

another
stamp or an album page. The same trick works for

getting
stamps off envelopes whose inks you know will

discolor the
stamp when placed in water.

If you live in a hot, humid area you could

experiment with
exposing your stamps to the elements, but for

most of us
the answer is a sweat box. It's simply an

airtight container
with a couple of sponges and a cradle to keep the

stamps
from coming into direct contact with the sponges.

The basic idea is to raise the humidity in the

sweat box so
that it dampens the stamp's gum just enough to

loosen the
stamp from whatever it's stuck on without

saturating the
stamp or the paper, or diluting the gum.

The basic parts of the sweat box are

1. A small air tight container. (picture #1) A

small, clear
plastic disposable air-tight food container works

well. The
smaller the container, the quicker the humidy

rises. If it's
clear you can check on the stamp's progress

without opening
the container, which would then also drop the

humidity.

2. A clean, never-used sponge or two to hold the

water
moisture. (picture #5) Two clean kitchen sponges

are fine.
You can try this out with what you have in the

kitchen, but
if you want to keep your sweat box working,

you'll want to
replace them with never-used sponges.

3. A screen on which the stamp on piece rests. I

used a plastic
basket that stores sell strawberries in. (picture

#1) I then
trimmed the sides down low enough to fit between

the two
sponges.

4. Spacers (picture #4) These raise the screen

above the bottom
sponge and must be non-porous, plastic, metal or

cork. I used
two bottle caps, but now use two pieces from a

backgammon set.

To put together a your own homemade sweat box

read the
following and refer to the pictures.

1. Soak the bottom sponge in water. Wring it out

so that it is
still heavy and wet with water but not dripping

and place it
on the bottom of your box.

2. Affix the top sponge to the center of your

box's top lid with
two push pins as shown in picture #2.

3. Soak the top sponge in water and wring it out

so that it is
still heavy and wet with water but not dripping.

4. Now trim your screen so that it will fit

between the upper
and lower sponge. See picture #3.

5. Place your two spacers on top of the bottom

sponge and
rest your screen on top of it. See picture #4

6. When finished and set up, it looks something

like this. See
picture #5. In a while, depending on the sponge

water, the
size of the box, ambient temperature, humidity

and sunlight
on the box, water droplets will form on the sides

of the box.

7. I cut a wine cork into ½" thicknesses and used

them to
cover the sharp ends of the push pins holding the

top sponge
in place on the cover.

The object of the sweat box is to have the

humidity in the
box seep through the paper and loosen the stamp's

gum, but
remember paper and gum interact in different ways
depending on the age of the paper, the age and

condition
of the gum and the humidity.

Self-adhesive stamps can be sweated off, but what

happens
with a SA stamp is that the binder layer

dissolves separating
the top paper layer from the bottom adhesive

layer so that
you can't save the stamp with its adhesive.

And if you think stronger measures are necessary,

just give
the sweat box more time to work. Remember "STEAM

is
EXTREME."

With a little experience and patience most glues

finally break
down under the humidity. Expect a gummed stamp to

take 30
minutes to loosen from paper, and gummed mint

stamps a bit
longer to release from each other.

posted by Audio Ebook Emporium | 4:51 PM

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Bottom_fish_2006

24 Jan 2011
02:45:04am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

THANKX Cjd

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Larryc3a

26 Jan 2011
11:50:14am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

I notice that Subway has a Stamplift box for $6.95 but don't know what the shipping charges would be.
Larry

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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
30 Jan 2011
07:45:07pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

" ... I notice that Subway has a Stamplift box for $6.95 but don't know what the shipping charges would be. ..."
I was just about to check Subway Stamp Store myself as I did not think $17.00 was a bargain.
However unless the eBay seller is down the street and Altoona,Pennsylvania is across the continent, or an ocean, the shipping charges should be comperable.

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mengel419

27 Feb 2013
01:17:14pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

A somewhat simpler do-it-yourself stamplift box:

Take a small plastic deli container and two lids. Place a hot-water soaked sponge (with some additional hot water) in the bottom. Poke lots of little holes in the lid and close the container with it. Take your stamps and place them on that lid (gum side down works better). Place the second lid on top. Place something heavy on that lid to make it airtight.

Then--wait a couple of hours. Check it occasionally, perhaps re-heat the water/sponge. You should then be able to CAREFULLY remove the stuck stamps from paper or from each other. You can flatten them after they dry.

Experiment first with some cheap stamps. I've done this several times and it works--and you save $15.

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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
27 Feb 2013
03:17:26pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Mike's instructions should save you the money plus it shouldn't take more than an hour or so to have a neat sweat box working.
And then there is the pride of having created something yourself.

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28 Feb 2013
07:01:06am

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re: STAMPLIFT Box

Not mention having recycled stamps AND a plastic container. One's first stuck stamps ought to be green to celebrate.

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05 Mar 2013
05:40:21pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

The very first picture on this thread is not opening for me. Could someone please post a picture of a home-made lift box? I get the idea but a picture is worth a thousand words!

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Terry

05 Mar 2013
06:02:39pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Here's a picture from an on-line supply company:

Image Not Found

This device is made up of three pieces of plastic that form an airtight box with a perforated center tray (where you place the stamp) and two pieces of felt (inside top and bottom) that are soaked with water. Taken together when moistened, you have an airtight humidity chamber that allows you (if you have lots of patience) to carefully remove stamps from paper and at the same time retain most of the original gum. With this device you can remove unused stamps stuck on paper and turn them into almost mint. You can take stamps covered with hinge pieces and turn these also into almost mint. With a lot of practice, I have seen people make gum thins disappear (not paper thins) and the stamps appear almost mint. The drawbacks to this device are that lifted stamps are never really quite what they were when they were sold at the PO, and lifting stamps is very slow and time consuming. In addition, unless you are VERY careful, you can very easily ruin a lot of presentable stamps. In any event, the Stamp Lift is a good investment for almost any collector, except those in a hurry. I use my Stamp Lift to salvage stuck down mint stamps from collections that I buy. I also use it occasionally to remove hinge build up on old stamps. You MUST practice with this tool, and you cannot walk away and forget that there is something in it. Leaving stamps in the lift will cause the gum to run into the paper resulting in a terminal mess. It often takes almost an hour to loosen a stamp. In addition, you should pull only one stamp out of the tray at a time, and you need to work fast for the stamps dry a lot quicker than you would think. After you have separated the stamp from whatever, place it gum side down on the lid where there is no printing. It will pop free when it is dry.


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05 Mar 2013
06:08:34pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Thank you, Terry!

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Les

08 Mar 2013
04:01:03pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Bought one from Subway. The sponge under the grid dissolved on the second day of use. I called Subway and they are sending me a replacement box. Apparently, the sponge dissolving is quite common. I don't think I would recommend it as purchase.

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Terry

08 Mar 2013
08:24:13pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Yes.... I had that problem with a StampLift as well one time. But, I just went to the store and bought a real sponge (not man-made material) and glued it in place. That seemed to work much better.





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Les

12 Mar 2013
05:44:06pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Unfortunately, this sponge that dissolved was under the grid. Do you know how to take the grid off and replace the dissolved sponge.

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Terry

12 Mar 2013
07:47:42pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Yes, Les....

I took an Exacto knife and gently scored the joint between the grid and the case. Just a little bit at a time, slow short strokes evenly all the way around. And, eventually I could pop it off.

Takes a bit of patience, but heck, so does mounting a stamp, right!

I guess, if you you successfully perform this surgical operation, you can then claim to be a Doctor of Philately


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12 Mar 2013
09:01:58pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Terry -

You just gave me another doctorate to aim for! LOL

Kelly

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Terry

20 Mar 2013
07:22:24pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

So....

If you don't like the "StampLift", then you can create your own sweatbox (I'm sure many of you have done this already, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right?)

You only need 3 things a box, a grid and a sponge.

Here I have purchased a nice Rubbermaid airtight storager container and a rubber-coated wire drawer divider at a total cost of $7.25 {I'll get to the sponge in a minute)

Image Not Found

Then we assemble the components, placing the drawer divider upside down in the storage container

Image Not Found

The working dimensions for this one are as follows:

Storage container inside height is 3" with an inside area of 13" by 9"
The drawer divder has a height of 2.25" and, upside down the bottom measures 6" by 9" with the top surface grid being 4.5" by 8" (the grid is of 1/2" squares)
This means that we have roughly a 3/4" height to lay the stamp pieces between the lid and the grid.

This makes room underneath the drawer divider for a good 1" by 5" sponge. However, I stole 4 old wash cloths from our linen closet (I pray my wife forgives me!), and positioned them about the drawer divider to soak up the water. This has the added advantage of keeping the drawer divider from sliding around in the storage container. And, the cloths can be laundered from time-to-time to keep them fresh (try that with a sponge!)

Image Not Found

Now just add water, some of the pretties you've recently received in the mail, secure the storage container lid and set the box in an out of the way place, so's not to get it bumped.

Image Not Found

Check the condition about every 10-15 minutes; don't let 'em over cook!

So, there you go. This one can handle 3-4 times the number of stamps at once, as compared to the StampLift, and you can adjust the pieces to your own liking.

Happy soaking


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21 Mar 2013
12:54:31am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Terry:

Formidable!

I'm constructing one as I write.

John Derry


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Terry

21 Mar 2013
10:21:31am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

John....

Your skills at multi-tasking are legend

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Les

21 Mar 2013
04:42:26pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Thanks Terry.

I will try to earn my doctorate. Subway sent me the new box, but so far I have been afraid to use it. Now that I know how to remove the grid, I am less hesitant to use it. I also have Super Safe Stamp Lift fluid which I primarily use to remove hinges.

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29 Mar 2013
09:08:51pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

I'm making my own stamp lift box thanks to all the awesome tips in this thread. Just one last question, how hot do you want the water? Boiling? Really hot but not boiling? Simmering?

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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
30 Mar 2013
02:34:05am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Warm, but not hot. Just enough to create a humid climate similar to South Miami in August.

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30 Mar 2013
09:40:49am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

"Just enough to create a humid climate similar to South Miami in August."


So, in other words, about 200ÌŠF, but not boiling hot.

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Mike
30 Mar 2013
11:20:03am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Actually that would be 95 F., with a humidity of 99.9%. So as opposed to the "DRY" heat some brag about, this is definitely a "WET" heat, so wear Scuba gear.

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30 Mar 2013
07:17:35pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

So the goal is really to create humidity, not steam?

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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
30 Mar 2013
08:25:10pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Oh yes, Lisa, humidity and a few minutes will "sweat" the stamps loose.

And thus the name of the game; "Sweatbox'.


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DSCStamps

10 Jun 2013
01:59:34pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

I have used one of these in the past, and as everyone states, you can preserve the original gum when lifting from most materials. However there is one setback. When cured and dried, the gum is glossy looking and does not have the original mint appearance. You should not try to pass this off as a mint stamp as MOG, consider it as disturbed gum DG. Some even look at them as re-gummed RG, even though it is the original gum. From a collectors viewpoint, I don't think it is right to try to resolve the issue of a stamp being previously adhered to something. When this happens, soak it off and claim it as un-gummed or buy a glue stick and use it as postage. It is what it is, don't try to make something it is not.

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APS #222602 and Internet Philatelic Dealers Association #439
11 Jun 2013
07:19:02am
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re: STAMPLIFT Box

Well this is my something new learn today! I will put my sweatbox together and give it a try. Don't have to worry about high humidity being in SE Fl. Now a days with rainy season active, just walk outside and you've taken a shower!

Thanks for the great suggestion, everybody.

Luree

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cocollectibles

11 Jun 2013
09:00:10am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

What a great set of homemade solutions! I love this!

Questions from someone who has never used this before:

What happens if you forget your stamps are in there and you leave them "sweating" for, say, several hours to overnight?

Are there some stamps for which this is NOT a good idea? I'm wondering, for example, of chalky paper stamps of the KEVII and KGV era British Empire definitives.

I sometimes get mail with unfranked postage; I think I know the answer to this, but if I soaked off these "mint" stamps can I use them for postage again? (My guess would be no, despite no franking, right?)

Thanks.
Peter

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It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis
11 Jun 2013
09:35:13am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

If you leave stamps in a box for a long time and the humidity inside the box does not diminish at all, they will be fine. If the humidity diminishes, the stamps will re-adhere and you'll have to start over.

As long as you use barely warm water and do not create a steamy, hot box, most stamps will be fine. It takes a LONG time for most stamps to come off in a humidity chamber so patience is needed! If you make the water too hot, I would think that inks may run and you could have other problems since that environment is similar to just soaking the stamps.

I don't know about the chalky stamps. Hopefully someone else can help with that. My thought is that they will be fine because nothing is actually touching them and the box is humid, not warm.

And you're correct, ethically, you can not reuse the postage. Legally, I don't know.

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11 Jun 2013
10:54:10am

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Once a stamp has been through the mail stream, cancelled or not, it is illegal to reuse it. If you just stick it to an envelope then decide, for whatever reason, to discard the envelope, you can remove the stamp and reuse it.

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michael78651

11 Jun 2013
01:04:12pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Luree, since you're in Florida, you can wait for a Hurricane to come through. That'll soak your stamps and they'll easily come off the paper after the storm passes!

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APS #222602 and Internet Philatelic Dealers Association #439
13 Jun 2013
05:05:47pm
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re: STAMPLIFT Box

Michael,

With all the blasted rain we've been having I can go outside with a tub of stamps and play in the rain! Used to be I played in puddle, now it's a tub with stamps.

Where is that rubber ducky stamp anyway? Raindrops keep falling on my head Rolling On The Floor Laughing

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drmicro68

14 Jun 2013
11:26:30pm

re: STAMPLIFT Box

Don't know where are puffin2, but at this location we got 2 3/4" rain early last week, followed by 1 3/4" last Friday and another 3" yesterday/last night. I think I'm beginning to mildew....
Roger

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APS #222602 and Internet Philatelic Dealers Association #439
15 Jun 2013
07:27:37am
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re: STAMPLIFT Box

Hey Roger, I'm in Boynton Beach. the rain has eased a bit, but we still get sprinkled upon. Can't wait for the 4 PM rains to begin. You're mildewing and I'm growing webs between my toes!

Luree

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