Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
1. Can Canadian self adhesive stamps be soaked safely (that is with warm/hot water)?
2. the Pure Citrus air freshener that is supposed to do wonders with USA s/a stamps, is it also available in Canada? I will be visiting Canada end of April and that might be the best and easiest way to get hold of it. I do not think it is available over here in the Netherlands and importing it seems difficult and expensive.
Over the past few years I have gathered quite a few of these "unsoakables" and would like to do something with them other than clipping them closely and put them in the books with the backing paper still on them. That just looks awful.
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Jan-Simon:
1) Canadian stamps are very easy to soak. Warm water,15 minutes and most slide off obligingly. Might get some residual adhesive, but it comes off easily.
2) At one point you could get Pure Citrus at local hardware stores, but for some reason they discontinued selling the stuff a few years back.
Hope you enjoy Your Canadian visit. Where are you going, if you don't mind me asking? April is one of those 'interesting' months, depending where you are visiting.
-Darryl (doomboy)
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We'll be heading off to Vancouver Island, to visit friends and enjoy nature.
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It is good to know the Canadians soak easily. I have a bag full of them waiting for me to take action.
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"Canadians soak easily. I have a bag full of them waiting for me to take action."
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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After the encouraging reply I have done a first test this evening and they all came off without any problem. That's one worry less. Now there is only UK, USA, France and Australian self adhesives to get off undamaged...
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Another reminder that Canada's Star Trek were much better than the US versions.
I should purchase the set and replace the US versions.
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"the Pure Citrus air freshener that is supposed to do wonders with USA s/a stamps, is it also available in Canada? I will be visiting Canada end of April and that might be the best and easiest way to get hold of it. I do not think it is available over here in the Netherlands and importing it seems difficult and expensive."
Sometimes products aren't sold in other countries just because the manufacturer doesn't have a distribution network there. Other times there are regulations on chemical content. EU has stricter standards than the USA. In the USA, my model car friends will soak old paint off vintage model cars in Castrol Super Clean, a liquid degreaser. When a friend of mine in Europe inquired of Castrol there, he was told the chemical formula was illegal!
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Hope you enjoy British Columbia, Jan-Simon. It should be a bit warmer (and a lot wetter) than Texel, where my wife hopes to be during April. 
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Jan-Simon, there's 60 years in the gulag, needles under fingernails, or soaking recent US self-adhesives. Only Breughel could devise a more creative hell
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For the US stamps I use simple rubbing alcohol. The most important factor is what kind of envelope they are on. The heavy weight thick white envelopes are the nicest and easiest to deal with. But then there are some tissue paper grade ones, that will disintegrate in the process and you will have to scrape off the remaining bits of paper.
Be careful with the ones having blue or purple designs on the inside. Ink will run and can get to the face of the stamp.
I apply just a bit of alcohol on the back of the envelope with the help of a Q-tip
Alcohol works on British stamps too but scraping remnants of paper becomes more common.
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@Jules: simple rubbing alcohol? nothing fancy? hmm... worth trying. 70% or 96% or...?
I have enough duplicates for some experimenting.
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@David: I understand what you mean, only Breughel? Shouldn't that be Jeroen Bosch?
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Jan Simon, I think the higher the percentage, the better. What I use is maybe 60-70%
However the important thing I forgot to mention is that the alcohol will not remove the gum. It only helps to lift the stamp off the cover. I put the stamps on a piece of transparent plastic material (those plastic pockets for documents). Once I have a sheet full, I cut the stamps off and can then place them in a stockbook. One may be able to peel the stamps off the transparent backing again (for whatever reason) but there are risks with that.
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A word of warning: Some stamp colors run in alcohol! On Norphil's website there is a photo, and I have also noticed it with French definitives.
I found that turpentine substitute, cleansing petrol (also known as white spirit, petrol ether, watermark fluid, lighter fuel ...) or other hydrocarbon-based solvents work best. Avoid chlorinated hydrocarbons and aromates (benzene, toluene, and their ilk), they are bad for your health, ventilate well, and have no open flame nearby. The usual work safety warnings apply.
The solvents soften the glue, and then you can scrape it off with a ruler or the edge of a telephone card and wipe the rest off with a solvent-soaked piece of cloth (cotton or linen).
Martin
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Pure Citrus also results in glue remaining. Sometimes bits of the backing paper also remain.
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I know, the subject keeps popping up periodically. Today I have two very different questions:
1. Can Canadian self adhesive stamps be soaked safely (that is with warm/hot water)?
2. the Pure Citrus air freshener that is supposed to do wonders with USA s/a stamps, is it also available in Canada? I will be visiting Canada end of April and that might be the best and easiest way to get hold of it. I do not think it is available over here in the Netherlands and importing it seems difficult and expensive.
Over the past few years I have gathered quite a few of these "unsoakables" and would like to do something with them other than clipping them closely and put them in the books with the backing paper still on them. That just looks awful.
Login to Like
this post
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
Jan-Simon:
1) Canadian stamps are very easy to soak. Warm water,15 minutes and most slide off obligingly. Might get some residual adhesive, but it comes off easily.
2) At one point you could get Pure Citrus at local hardware stores, but for some reason they discontinued selling the stuff a few years back.
Hope you enjoy Your Canadian visit. Where are you going, if you don't mind me asking? April is one of those 'interesting' months, depending where you are visiting.
-Darryl (doomboy)
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this post
Approvals
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
We'll be heading off to Vancouver Island, to visit friends and enjoy nature.
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this post
Approvals
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
It is good to know the Canadians soak easily. I have a bag full of them waiting for me to take action.
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likes this post.
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02:52:16pm
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
"Canadians soak easily. I have a bag full of them waiting for me to take action."
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 Member
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Approvals
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
After the encouraging reply I have done a first test this evening and they all came off without any problem. That's one worry less. Now there is only UK, USA, France and Australian self adhesives to get off undamaged...
Login to Like
this post
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
Another reminder that Canada's Star Trek were much better than the US versions.
I should purchase the set and replace the US versions.
Login to Like
this post
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
"the Pure Citrus air freshener that is supposed to do wonders with USA s/a stamps, is it also available in Canada? I will be visiting Canada end of April and that might be the best and easiest way to get hold of it. I do not think it is available over here in the Netherlands and importing it seems difficult and expensive."
Sometimes products aren't sold in other countries just because the manufacturer doesn't have a distribution network there. Other times there are regulations on chemical content. EU has stricter standards than the USA. In the USA, my model car friends will soak old paint off vintage model cars in Castrol Super Clean, a liquid degreaser. When a friend of mine in Europe inquired of Castrol there, he was told the chemical formula was illegal!
Login to Like
this post
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
Hope you enjoy British Columbia, Jan-Simon. It should be a bit warmer (and a lot wetter) than Texel, where my wife hopes to be during April.
Login to Like
this post
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
Jan-Simon, there's 60 years in the gulag, needles under fingernails, or soaking recent US self-adhesives. Only Breughel could devise a more creative hell
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like this post.
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re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
For the US stamps I use simple rubbing alcohol. The most important factor is what kind of envelope they are on. The heavy weight thick white envelopes are the nicest and easiest to deal with. But then there are some tissue paper grade ones, that will disintegrate in the process and you will have to scrape off the remaining bits of paper.
Be careful with the ones having blue or purple designs on the inside. Ink will run and can get to the face of the stamp.
I apply just a bit of alcohol on the back of the envelope with the help of a Q-tip
Alcohol works on British stamps too but scraping remnants of paper becomes more common.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
Approvals
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
@Jules: simple rubbing alcohol? nothing fancy? hmm... worth trying. 70% or 96% or...?
I have enough duplicates for some experimenting.
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
@David: I understand what you mean, only Breughel? Shouldn't that be Jeroen Bosch?
Login to Like
this post
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
Jan Simon, I think the higher the percentage, the better. What I use is maybe 60-70%
However the important thing I forgot to mention is that the alcohol will not remove the gum. It only helps to lift the stamp off the cover. I put the stamps on a piece of transparent plastic material (those plastic pockets for documents). Once I have a sheet full, I cut the stamps off and can then place them in a stockbook. One may be able to peel the stamps off the transparent backing again (for whatever reason) but there are risks with that.
Login to Like
this post
01:00:48am
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
A word of warning: Some stamp colors run in alcohol! On Norphil's website there is a photo, and I have also noticed it with French definitives.
I found that turpentine substitute, cleansing petrol (also known as white spirit, petrol ether, watermark fluid, lighter fuel ...) or other hydrocarbon-based solvents work best. Avoid chlorinated hydrocarbons and aromates (benzene, toluene, and their ilk), they are bad for your health, ventilate well, and have no open flame nearby. The usual work safety warnings apply.
The solvents soften the glue, and then you can scrape it off with a ruler or the edge of a telephone card and wipe the rest off with a solvent-soaked piece of cloth (cotton or linen).
Martin
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11:45:48am
re: Self adhesive stamps, once again
Pure Citrus also results in glue remaining. Sometimes bits of the backing paper also remain.
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