Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
For a long while, my hinging method was less than perfect. I kind of thought of it as a half life of sticking... do a page, half falls off, redo the rest and half of them fall off, etc, etc until you have this one last stamp that only goes on after a fight and the threat of burning it.
Looking online (youtube and the like), seems like you are supposed to wet your finger, dab the hinge, attach to stamp, dab your finger again, dab the portion of the tab still exposed, attach to page and using that sticky finger, push down onto the stamp until it attaches. A couple of variations on the method, but essentially that is it.
But still, half my stamps still fell off. Time to put my thinking cap on and I came up with a method that is damn near foolproof. Now I can do a whole page and not waste one hinge.
Drum roll please... Introducing damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps. (Too pompous?)
First you need, hinges, a small glass of water, a blotting sponge, a small paint brush and two sets of stamp tongs.
For the glass, I am using a scented candle glass. Not that what glass you use matters, but you don't want something that tips over easily next time you brush your hand past it.
This is one job that I like the cheap and nasty stamp tongs. If nothing else, they grip the hinge well.
The sponge I have is a thin thing. Not sure where it came from.
The paint brush is just something I nicked from the craft cupboard. It is reasonable stiff bristled, and flat. It was the first thing I saw and works pretty well.
Grab the hinge and hold it in the position you would use to put it onto the page. I find holding it at the crease works best, note the sticky side is facing down.
Using you other hand, pick up the paint brush, dip it into the water and blot on the sponge. The brush only needs to be slightly damp. (I have found that one dipping can successfully do several hinges, but see how you go.)
Rolling your hand over that has the hinge, give one or two light strokes to the sticky side of the larger portion of the hinge. Don't worry if you go over the crease.
Whilst still holing the hinge, place it on the page and use the second pair of tongs to rub over and smooth out any wrinkles and air bubbles.
Using the paintbrush, give the top part of the tab a single stroke. No need to re dip the bush in the water.
Pick up the stamp with the tongs (if using same tongs make sure they are clean and dry from before) and press down gently with the second pair of tongs.
The stamp attached first go! It will settle down a bit once the page is back in the album.
If I am doing a whole page, I will attach all the hinges to the page first, then come back and do all the stamps after.
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An interesting process.
I would like to add one thing.
After attaching the hinge to the album page and wetting the top portion of the hinge, it is a good idea to dab a tissue on the portion of the hinge that is attached to the album page. This will absorb any liquid that may have seeped outside of the hinge, and help prevent the stamp sticking to the album page after it has been attached to the hinge. This is especially important when hinging gummed stamps.
Also, after the stamp is attached to the hinge, gently lift up the stamp with the tongs to make sure that the stamp is not stuck to the album page or the long side of the hinge.
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I still kick it old school. No fancy feats of engineering here...
I just get the mint flavoured ones with an embedded appetite suppressant and lick them. Since rebooting stamp collecting a year ago I've lost 10 pounds. The only problem is my wife thinks I'm a "sexy nerd" now and demands more ... {pre-censored to avoid aggravating the moderator}.
Stamps surprisingly stay on the page, but seriously, Michael's tip is key - to gently lift afterwards to avoid residual moisture causing the stamp to stick to the page.
Cheers, Dave.
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As a life long licker, it's cool to see how someone else does it. Great photo essay damichab.
I never thought to hinge the page first. Another new idea.
Although it's sad to me that you'll never enjoy the taste of a fine, aged Dennison. Ah well.
Mark
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Damichab, thanks for taking the time to post this. I'm going to give it a try.
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"I just get the mint flavoured ones with an embedded appetite suppressant and lick them. "
I remember the old school ones with the horse hoof flavored gum... with a pinch of asbestos just for texture.
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I have never thought to lift the stamps afterwards. I will do some tests with some throwaways and see just how much they do stick.
I tend to hinge in the middle towards top, so the stamps won't lift easily without bending. Also, I mostly (few exceptions on low value mint) hinge just used stamps, so even if they do stick to the page, I do not see that as being a problem. I take the point that you would have to be a bit more careful with mint stamps though with the gum.
Allowing the hinge to fully dry before attaching the stamp might be something though. Up to now, I do all the hinges first, by the time I get back to the stamps, the first step is of course already dry. The is a very efficient way of doing it. Filling in a space with a single stamp is not something I do all that often.
I must say, I like all the comments. Besides YouTube videos which the hinging never really worked for me, I have learnt how to hinge purely trial by error. The comments here have been most useful.
I am not sure if you lot that are licking the hinges are pulling my leg or not. Something tells me the more senior amongst you might not be. I have in the past wiped the hinge along a damp sponge, but using a brush is the only way I have found of accurately smearing just the minimum moisture on the hinge.
It turns out the the absolute minimum moisture is all you need and works the best. I can attach several hinges to the page on one dip and a bit of wipe. And using the brush is more accurate than a bead of water from a finger that can spill over the edge.
I am looking forward to some experimentation here.
Cheers,
David
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07:36:16pm
If God didn't want you to use your tongue to hinge stamps she would not have made it moist.
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"If God didn't want you to use your tongue to hinge stamps she would not have made it moist."
I will pay that one!
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Lick em & stick em.
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Wet em & set em
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Sop em & drop em.
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Just don't slobber and clobber.
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Very good write up Damichab.
My method is as follows:
With mouth closed, to prevent flying spittle, carefully place stamp in a hingeless mount. Then spend the rest of your life re-positioning it after it jostles to one side or the other.
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Splash em & cache em
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10:43:37am
While it is a very nice photo-essay, I must disagree vehemently with the methodology. In fact, as a dealer for the last 40 years, a collection hinged in this manner would annoy me to no end if I were asked to evaluate or purchase the collection.
The essence of a "hinge" is that the stamps can be safely hinged upwards to inspect the back without removing the stamp or or the hinge. Sticking the hinge in the middle, without allowing room to "hinge" reduces the "hinge" to a "stickie".
The long-established manner of applying a hinge is to place the small end of the hinge on the stamp first, very near the top, just below the perforations. Then the large portion is wetted slightly and applied to the album page, with the stamp slightly flipped up and out of the way. The stamp is never used to press the hinge onto the album page. Pressing on the stamp will inevitably result in some of the stamps adhering to both the small portion of the hinge and the large portion too -- basically, not hinged, just stuck to the page with a double sided "stickie". This becomes particularly problematic if the stamp has gum, like a CTO.
As far as "licking" vs. brush, licking your little finger and applying it to the hinge works perfectly.
Roy
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Roy,
I totally understand what your saying but for the purposes of evaluating a stamp for value, can you really get a good enough look at the back by just lifting it up and peering underneath? Especially with a hinge covering the top 25-30% of the stamp? That area is a prime location for thins and the hinge would be covering that part anyway. Just a thought.
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11:41:30am
My comment was not directed at evaluating "a stamp", but rather a "stamp collection". The first step is to get an overall impression of the general condition. Then, one goes to the individual higher value stamps, and you are right about those, they will have to be viewed individually.
However, if I can't look at anything without complete removal, I don't want to look at anything!
Roy
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Interesting! I lick the small part of the hinge (haven't got sick yet after 50 years)
then use finger to apply moisture to the large album portion of the hinge. Yes, the darn
CTOs sometime stick to the page so I often place a piece of soft paper up to the hinge fold
to absorb moisture. Actually, I searched eBay today for blotter paper but no luck.
Now a complaint about some hinges: They are stuck together in the package---4 at a time.
Can anyone recommend the perfect hinge? That are still available on the market?
I've tried Lighthouse and Lindner. They are not exactly peel-able. In the past I've
used Fold-o-hinge, and Cohen's (sp?). Did Dennison make Fold-o-hinge?
As to mounts, it takes too long unless the stamp as a value and I feel it needs not to be further hinged. But as a worldwide collector with a few more thousand stamps to place in albums, I have little time to cut mounts. (And I threw away the mounts that have two folds with a slit in the middle. Too frustrating.)
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I'm still looking for the perfect stamp hinge. I'm getting good at cutting Hawid mounts with the little Showgard cutter. I'm tempted to order from eBay the Foldo-hinge and the
Dennisen for a few bucks so what can I lose? I have stock pages with clear plastic on order but not quite the same as a good old album.
Dave near Portland, OR
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Fold-O-Hinge was made by the Fold-O-Hinge Company. My package shows a 1955 date. I believe that they later sold out to Harold Cohn Company (HARCO). They were not as good as Dennison, but then nothing else really was, and often left a remnant or hinge thin.
I have used Prinz and Supersafe hinges for about 20 years or so to mount used and some unused hinged stamps in APS sales books. For me they are about the best around today. I have used others, but have stayed with Prinz.
For never hinged stamps, and all stamps in my collection, I use mounts.
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There's strong demand for those Dennison hinges. There's auction on ebay now for two old, ratty opened packs that's over $31 with a day left for bidding.
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...and THAT'S why my 7 packages of Dennisons are staying right where they are!!!
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Dave, the Dennisen hinges on ebay and other sites are not the original Dennison ones, the packages look similar but the hinges are definitely inferior and curl badly, the gum is white as opposed to the originals greenish hue, and they do not peel well, steer clear of them and go with one of the other major brands.
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Good point, Victor.
Look for DENNISON - and not DENNISEN.
The for-sure originals will be in three-color green, white and black packages.
Here's one of mine;
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The item number at the top left of the package (48-040) will let you know if you're getting the original Dennison hinges. In the 1960s, they changed to the red, white and blue packaging, but the hinges are the same.
The offerings of these hinges has been fairly consistent for many years. I suspect that there are plenty of them still available to those willing to pay the price. I see packs of them show up in bulk lots all the time. Presence of just one pack of those hinges in a box lot is enough to cause a bidding frenzy.
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"There's strong demand for those Dennison hinges. There's auction on ebay now for two old, ratty opened packs that's over $31 with a day left for bidding."
At that price, you almost could've bought mounts!
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What has always amazed me if when I find album collections of hinged stamps where the collector spent the time to cut the hinges in 1/2 or 1/3! Sorry, but my time is much better spent doing other things.
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Be careful buying an opened package of Dennison hinges on eBay. I made the mistake once and got an opened Dennison package with non-Dennison hinges inside.
-Steve
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I bought a couple of stamps from Robert Gibb (Stampfarm) and thought it was about time to put them into the album.
For a long while, my hinging method was less than perfect. I kind of thought of it as a half life of sticking... do a page, half falls off, redo the rest and half of them fall off, etc, etc until you have this one last stamp that only goes on after a fight and the threat of burning it.
Looking online (youtube and the like), seems like you are supposed to wet your finger, dab the hinge, attach to stamp, dab your finger again, dab the portion of the tab still exposed, attach to page and using that sticky finger, push down onto the stamp until it attaches. A couple of variations on the method, but essentially that is it.
But still, half my stamps still fell off. Time to put my thinking cap on and I came up with a method that is damn near foolproof. Now I can do a whole page and not waste one hinge.
Drum roll please... Introducing damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps. (Too pompous?)
First you need, hinges, a small glass of water, a blotting sponge, a small paint brush and two sets of stamp tongs.
For the glass, I am using a scented candle glass. Not that what glass you use matters, but you don't want something that tips over easily next time you brush your hand past it.
This is one job that I like the cheap and nasty stamp tongs. If nothing else, they grip the hinge well.
The sponge I have is a thin thing. Not sure where it came from.
The paint brush is just something I nicked from the craft cupboard. It is reasonable stiff bristled, and flat. It was the first thing I saw and works pretty well.
Grab the hinge and hold it in the position you would use to put it onto the page. I find holding it at the crease works best, note the sticky side is facing down.
Using you other hand, pick up the paint brush, dip it into the water and blot on the sponge. The brush only needs to be slightly damp. (I have found that one dipping can successfully do several hinges, but see how you go.)
Rolling your hand over that has the hinge, give one or two light strokes to the sticky side of the larger portion of the hinge. Don't worry if you go over the crease.
Whilst still holing the hinge, place it on the page and use the second pair of tongs to rub over and smooth out any wrinkles and air bubbles.
Using the paintbrush, give the top part of the tab a single stroke. No need to re dip the bush in the water.
Pick up the stamp with the tongs (if using same tongs make sure they are clean and dry from before) and press down gently with the second pair of tongs.
The stamp attached first go! It will settle down a bit once the page is back in the album.
If I am doing a whole page, I will attach all the hinges to the page first, then come back and do all the stamps after.
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11:06:46pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
An interesting process.
I would like to add one thing.
After attaching the hinge to the album page and wetting the top portion of the hinge, it is a good idea to dab a tissue on the portion of the hinge that is attached to the album page. This will absorb any liquid that may have seeped outside of the hinge, and help prevent the stamp sticking to the album page after it has been attached to the hinge. This is especially important when hinging gummed stamps.
Also, after the stamp is attached to the hinge, gently lift up the stamp with the tongs to make sure that the stamp is not stuck to the album page or the long side of the hinge.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
I still kick it old school. No fancy feats of engineering here...
I just get the mint flavoured ones with an embedded appetite suppressant and lick them. Since rebooting stamp collecting a year ago I've lost 10 pounds. The only problem is my wife thinks I'm a "sexy nerd" now and demands more ... {pre-censored to avoid aggravating the moderator}.
Stamps surprisingly stay on the page, but seriously, Michael's tip is key - to gently lift afterwards to avoid residual moisture causing the stamp to stick to the page.
Cheers, Dave.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
As a life long licker, it's cool to see how someone else does it. Great photo essay damichab.
I never thought to hinge the page first. Another new idea.
Although it's sad to me that you'll never enjoy the taste of a fine, aged Dennison. Ah well.
Mark
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11:43:03am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Damichab, thanks for taking the time to post this. I'm going to give it a try.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
"I just get the mint flavoured ones with an embedded appetite suppressant and lick them. "
I remember the old school ones with the horse hoof flavored gum... with a pinch of asbestos just for texture.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
I have never thought to lift the stamps afterwards. I will do some tests with some throwaways and see just how much they do stick.
I tend to hinge in the middle towards top, so the stamps won't lift easily without bending. Also, I mostly (few exceptions on low value mint) hinge just used stamps, so even if they do stick to the page, I do not see that as being a problem. I take the point that you would have to be a bit more careful with mint stamps though with the gum.
Allowing the hinge to fully dry before attaching the stamp might be something though. Up to now, I do all the hinges first, by the time I get back to the stamps, the first step is of course already dry. The is a very efficient way of doing it. Filling in a space with a single stamp is not something I do all that often.
I must say, I like all the comments. Besides YouTube videos which the hinging never really worked for me, I have learnt how to hinge purely trial by error. The comments here have been most useful.
I am not sure if you lot that are licking the hinges are pulling my leg or not. Something tells me the more senior amongst you might not be. I have in the past wiped the hinge along a damp sponge, but using a brush is the only way I have found of accurately smearing just the minimum moisture on the hinge.
It turns out the the absolute minimum moisture is all you need and works the best. I can attach several hinges to the page on one dip and a bit of wipe. And using the brush is more accurate than a bead of water from a finger that can spill over the edge.
I am looking forward to some experimentation here.
Cheers,
David
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
10 Jun 2016
07:36:16pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
If God didn't want you to use your tongue to hinge stamps she would not have made it moist.
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"If God didn't want you to use your tongue to hinge stamps she would not have made it moist."
I will pay that one!
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Lick em & stick em.
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08:27:01pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Wet em & set em
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08:34:57pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Sop em & drop em.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Just don't slobber and clobber.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Very good write up Damichab.
My method is as follows:
With mouth closed, to prevent flying spittle, carefully place stamp in a hingeless mount. Then spend the rest of your life re-positioning it after it jostles to one side or the other.
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10:42:21am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Splash em & cache em
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11 Jun 2016
10:43:37am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
While it is a very nice photo-essay, I must disagree vehemently with the methodology. In fact, as a dealer for the last 40 years, a collection hinged in this manner would annoy me to no end if I were asked to evaluate or purchase the collection.
The essence of a "hinge" is that the stamps can be safely hinged upwards to inspect the back without removing the stamp or or the hinge. Sticking the hinge in the middle, without allowing room to "hinge" reduces the "hinge" to a "stickie".
The long-established manner of applying a hinge is to place the small end of the hinge on the stamp first, very near the top, just below the perforations. Then the large portion is wetted slightly and applied to the album page, with the stamp slightly flipped up and out of the way. The stamp is never used to press the hinge onto the album page. Pressing on the stamp will inevitably result in some of the stamps adhering to both the small portion of the hinge and the large portion too -- basically, not hinged, just stuck to the page with a double sided "stickie". This becomes particularly problematic if the stamp has gum, like a CTO.
As far as "licking" vs. brush, licking your little finger and applying it to the hinge works perfectly.
Roy
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11:00:30am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Roy,
I totally understand what your saying but for the purposes of evaluating a stamp for value, can you really get a good enough look at the back by just lifting it up and peering underneath? Especially with a hinge covering the top 25-30% of the stamp? That area is a prime location for thins and the hinge would be covering that part anyway. Just a thought.
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11 Jun 2016
11:41:30am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
My comment was not directed at evaluating "a stamp", but rather a "stamp collection". The first step is to get an overall impression of the general condition. Then, one goes to the individual higher value stamps, and you are right about those, they will have to be viewed individually.
However, if I can't look at anything without complete removal, I don't want to look at anything!
Roy
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12:48:52pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Interesting! I lick the small part of the hinge (haven't got sick yet after 50 years)
then use finger to apply moisture to the large album portion of the hinge. Yes, the darn
CTOs sometime stick to the page so I often place a piece of soft paper up to the hinge fold
to absorb moisture. Actually, I searched eBay today for blotter paper but no luck.
Now a complaint about some hinges: They are stuck together in the package---4 at a time.
Can anyone recommend the perfect hinge? That are still available on the market?
I've tried Lighthouse and Lindner. They are not exactly peel-able. In the past I've
used Fold-o-hinge, and Cohen's (sp?). Did Dennison make Fold-o-hinge?
As to mounts, it takes too long unless the stamp as a value and I feel it needs not to be further hinged. But as a worldwide collector with a few more thousand stamps to place in albums, I have little time to cut mounts. (And I threw away the mounts that have two folds with a slit in the middle. Too frustrating.)
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11:32:13am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
I'm still looking for the perfect stamp hinge. I'm getting good at cutting Hawid mounts with the little Showgard cutter. I'm tempted to order from eBay the Foldo-hinge and the
Dennisen for a few bucks so what can I lose? I have stock pages with clear plastic on order but not quite the same as a good old album.
Dave near Portland, OR
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12:12:59am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Fold-O-Hinge was made by the Fold-O-Hinge Company. My package shows a 1955 date. I believe that they later sold out to Harold Cohn Company (HARCO). They were not as good as Dennison, but then nothing else really was, and often left a remnant or hinge thin.
I have used Prinz and Supersafe hinges for about 20 years or so to mount used and some unused hinged stamps in APS sales books. For me they are about the best around today. I have used others, but have stayed with Prinz.
For never hinged stamps, and all stamps in my collection, I use mounts.
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07:41:54am
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
There's strong demand for those Dennison hinges. There's auction on ebay now for two old, ratty opened packs that's over $31 with a day left for bidding.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
...and THAT'S why my 7 packages of Dennisons are staying right where they are!!!
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Dave, the Dennisen hinges on ebay and other sites are not the original Dennison ones, the packages look similar but the hinges are definitely inferior and curl badly, the gum is white as opposed to the originals greenish hue, and they do not peel well, steer clear of them and go with one of the other major brands.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Good point, Victor.
Look for DENNISON - and not DENNISEN.
The for-sure originals will be in three-color green, white and black packages.
Here's one of mine;
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12:10:40pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
The item number at the top left of the package (48-040) will let you know if you're getting the original Dennison hinges. In the 1960s, they changed to the red, white and blue packaging, but the hinges are the same.
The offerings of these hinges has been fairly consistent for many years. I suspect that there are plenty of them still available to those willing to pay the price. I see packs of them show up in bulk lots all the time. Presence of just one pack of those hinges in a box lot is enough to cause a bidding frenzy.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
"There's strong demand for those Dennison hinges. There's auction on ebay now for two old, ratty opened packs that's over $31 with a day left for bidding."
At that price, you almost could've bought mounts!
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01:20:13pm
re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
What has always amazed me if when I find album collections of hinged stamps where the collector spent the time to cut the hinges in 1/2 or 1/3! Sorry, but my time is much better spent doing other things.
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re: damichab's Guide to Hinging Stamps
Be careful buying an opened package of Dennison hinges on eBay. I made the mistake once and got an opened Dennison package with non-Dennison hinges inside.
-Steve
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