Find out how to remove self adhesive stamps that won't soak off using water click here
SOAKING ORDINARY STAMPS FROM PAPER
I have been asked a few times how to soak stamps off paper, so I thought I would explain how I do it. I am not an expert but have been doing it this way for many years and although it may not be the best way, it works for me.First of all you must separate any self adhesive stamps (see section on the home page on how to tell the difference between self adhesive stamps and ordinary stamps) and stamps that are stuck to red, yellow or blue paper from the rest of the stamps. These stamps will be dealt with on their own because the coloured paper can cause discolouration of any stamps that come in close contact with them.
See below on how to deal with self adhesive stamps.click here
Next you will need a container, about 5cm deep, and half fill it with warm water. I use a clean handkerchief to place the stamps on once they have been removed from the paper. If you are doing this job on a polished wood surface, put a hand towel or newspaper under the handkerchief to protect the wood. Spread the handkerchief out on a flat surface.
I would put about 50 stamps into the water, making sure that they are completely under the water. After a couple of minutes the sheet stamps (stamps with ordinary gum) will start to separate from the paper. Place the stamps on the side of the container to drain after you have remove the paper it was stuck to. Repeat this until the sides of the container are full of stamps. Now remove the stamps from the side of the container and place them neatly onto the handkerchief. Continue doing this until there are no more stamps that have separated from the paper on their own.
Once all the stamps are on the handkerchief, you can just leave them to dry or, you could place another handkerchief over them (being careful not to bend any of the stamp corners over) and flatten with you hand. Place a book (I use a stock book) on top for about 4 hours. The stamps will dry and be nice and flat. The stamps will need peeling off the handkerchief but they should come away with no problem and can be put straight into your stock book.
Now for those stamps stuck to coloured paper. The main difference is that you use cool water to deal with them. Keep trying to peel the paper off every couple of minutes. The less time the stamp is in contact with the wet coloured paper the better. Once the stamp is off the paper, put it back in the water and rub it between your thumb and finger to remove any coloured dye.
I hope this information will help you if you have been having problems. I am sure there are other ways of soaking stamps off paper but as I said, I have been doing it this way for years and it works for me.
SELF ADHESIVE STAMPS
I would like to thank David Wood from New Zealand who found the following information and passed it on to me. David tells me that the following method does not damage the stamp or ruin the postal cancellation. Self adhesive stamps, or peel and stick as they are sometimes known, can be quite difficult to remove from the paper. It is better to think of removing the paper from the stamp than the stamp from the paper. Always keep the stamp flat (face down) and try to slowly peel the paper from one corner. If the paper comes away cleanly then just keep peeling the paper away from the stamp.Use the following method to remove the self adhesive stamps from the paper. You will need white spirit to soften the gum on the stamp (white spirit is used to clean paint brushes), two sheets of clean paper and a craft knife blade or razor blade. First of all take the following precautions -
1 Do this in a well ventilated area.
2 Do not smoke or use near a naked flame. White spirit is flammable.
Soak the stamp and backing paper in the white spirit for about 10 to 15 minutes to soften the gum. Peel the stamp from the backing paper and place face down on a sheet of paper. leave it for about 30 minutes or so until dry. It is that easy. Once dry, if there is any sticky gum left on the stamp, dust lightly with talcum powder.
I have tried this method and it works perfectly, but I would advise that you trim the backing paper to about 5mm around the stamp. This will prevent too much white spirit being soaked up by the extra paper. Try it out for the first time using a stamp you don't want, like a damaged stamp or one with a very heavy postmark.
I would be interested to know if you found this information useful, please email me.
Please note - I have had an email from someone who used cellulose thinners instead of white spirit by mistake and it took all the colour out of the stamps within seconds. Only use White spirit. If in any doubt just leave the stamp on the backing paper.
