Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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From what country or countries are the stamps on paper that you are trying to remove?
Some stamps will easily float off the paper, some may respond after more time in the water to a touch or gentle pull, but others as you note will begin to tear if pulled, because the the adhesive used is simply not soluble in water. Some cannot be removed without damage, and are thus best collected "on piece", i.e. with a small border of paper around them. Others may be separated from the paper with alcohol or other chemical compounds, and there are various opinions on whether this is a good idea or not.
In my experience, one "size" or approach does not work for all, so it is helpful to sort and identify (with the aid of a catalogue, although not always does a given catalogue specify which stamps can and can be soaked) what one is dealing with before committing a mixed batch of on-paper stamps to a bowl of water.
I have also found that some stamps are more easily removed if either soaked in water or moistened with alcohol if this is done very soon after they have been "stuck" on the paper, and if the paper is good quality and not too thick. This has proven to be the case, for me, with some modern USA stamps.
JTH
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Perhaps (without knowing age and what county stamps) use the steam method. You can build this steam device yourself.
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Canadian and US stamps are the ones I’m trying to get off the paper currently. The Canadian ones come off easier. I tried soaking a few US ones in much hotter water with mixed results. Some came off ok, some ripped, and some seem to peel off but take more of the stamp and leaves an almost translucent, extremely thin stamp that curls into itself. That doesn’t seem right either.
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Shantige,
I know what you mean.
I've been working on a good method for this and here is my best method:
1 Take a bowl and fill it with cold water
2 Wait 3-5 minutes or until a little of the stamp pokes up and off the paper even just a singular Perf
3 Use either tweezers or your fingers and after you have placed the stamp onto a paper towel, peel it off paper slowly
4 Put the stamps on top of a fan and enclose them inside a bin so they don't blow away and the air is more-condensed
5 In about 10 Minutes or once the stamps feel dry take them, and quickly place them in a heavy book on the last few pages so that they only curl a little
6 Yes, they curl a little but after 2 days in the book they will be as flat as new
7 Make sure you are extremely gentle when peel the stamps of try to peel as flat as you can as it WILL later affect the stamps overall shape
I hope this helps you at all, and let me know if you have any questions!
-Ari 
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The self adhesive stamps for most countries will not soak off, especially USA. Canadian will, but need longer and hotter water than that needed for water soluble gum.
If the catalogue says "self adhesive" just cut around leaving about 1 to 2 mm of envelope/paper.
If you use the search feature in the header above and look for Self Adhesive, there are lots of previous posts/discussions including the use of chemicals/ solvents. They do work in most cases but are really more trouble than necessary, and you still run the risk of damaging the stamp.
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Sheep Shanks
The method I used works for me on USA Forever stamps from 2018 back 85% of the time and 2018 onward 75% of the time.
As well as almost always on glue it on stamps US and worldwide.
Maybe, there is an adhesive difference in the stamps that makes modern ones harder?
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I'm amazed that this topic still comes up. The solution for self adhesive stamps, which all newer ones are, is to use Pure Citrus air freshener for removal. Works perfectly. If you wish further instruction, message me for my phone number, call me and I'll help in any way I can. Sorry, I hate typing. Chris ccndd
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I use Shellite to get Australian s/a stamps off paper ,a few seconds in the solution and they peal straight off, the glue remains on the stamp,so another dip in the Shellite and a plastic card to remove the glue
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I am having a lot of success on USA modern stamps with Un-du, very quick and easy, just the thicker paper and postcards backing that gives some problems. I put a drop on the back of the paper and almost immediately you can bend the paper back and the stamp starts to come away, I then use a plastic bread bag tie to hold the stamp down while I peel off the paper. You can also use the side of your tongs to go between the paper and the stamp.
We are unable to get Bestine or pure citrus in Canada, mineral spirits affects the stamp ink.
Goo Gone, a bit like Un-du is a sticker removal aid, but seems a bit oily to me, though that does evaporate off.
All of these leave stickiness on the stamps so put them on to a surface with some Talc or corn starch, which negates the gum. I then put them between a sheet of parchment paper under a catalogue or two, to flatten any curls. Quick brush off and they are ready for the collection.
With postcards or foil paper, I have used some sandpaper to abrade the back before using fluid, it allows the solvent to get through to the stamp adhesive better.
Leaving a slightly larger paper margin around the stamp allows a better grip when bending the paper back.
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I've soaked more stamps in the last few weeks than I have in the last 20 years!
They're all mid-19th century stamps.
A few thoughts:
- in the early days of collecting stamps (1880s), the concept of soaking stamps off envelopes was in its infancy. I encounter many stamps from the 1850s to 1870s that have remnants of the envelope still adhering! Their first collector just ripped them off the cover, I guess. Also, I frequently find 3 or 4 hinge remnants stacked up on them. All this junk obscures the paper thickness, the paper color, the watermark, and on...
- some of the early hinges, or materials that were used before hinges were a thing adhere very tightly to the stamp paper. Sometimes it takes a bit of mechanical input to get that stuff off the stamp.
- the adhesives that were applied to these early stamps give up pretty well in warm water, but I like to stick my finger in there and use it to gently scrub the residual adhesive off the back of the stamp. I can tell it's still there, because it's slippery at first.
- I have used the corner of a stamp tongs that is very smooth as a kind of gentle scraper to get the last remnants of paper unstuck from the stamp.
But, soak time is your best ally.
-Paul
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To take modern self adhesive stamps off paper, I use two products. Xylene, a common solvent found at hardware and paint stores, is the workhorse. Un-Do is an amazing, albeit expensive, combination of solvents. Applied to the back of the paper, allow it to soak in momentarily, and the stamp pulls right off.
I save pieces of soft cardboard used in packaging. After a couple of minutes soaking in Xylene, the stamp readily comes off paper. I put it backside up on the cardboard and wipe the remaining adhesive off with a paper towel. Xylene is fine for 90% of the issues but those issues with filigree, a hologram or an unusual printing process is where the Un-Do comes in. These stamps come off with most of the original adhesive so, again, I put them upside down on the cardboard. Using a Q-Tip, apply some xylene to the back of the stamp. This dissolves the rest of the adhesive which is easily wiped clean with the paper towel.
I use a stainless steel bowl for this purpose. Once I have accumulated 200 or so stamps to clean, I put a couple of fingers of xylene in the bowl. I do this on the porch for ventilation. I soak 25 at a time and clean the backsides. The xylene also removes a fair amount of the cancellation ink as well. Takes about an hour to do a couple hundred.
A can of xylene and a 4 ounce bottle of Un-Do last me more than a year, so it's really not that expensive. I hope that this helps!
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I recently put a bunch of stamps in water to remove them from the paper but nearly all of them remained attached. When I tried to lift them, they started to tear. I’ve never seen this although I know the newer ones are different. What is a good way to remove them without damaging them?
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re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
From what country or countries are the stamps on paper that you are trying to remove?
Some stamps will easily float off the paper, some may respond after more time in the water to a touch or gentle pull, but others as you note will begin to tear if pulled, because the the adhesive used is simply not soluble in water. Some cannot be removed without damage, and are thus best collected "on piece", i.e. with a small border of paper around them. Others may be separated from the paper with alcohol or other chemical compounds, and there are various opinions on whether this is a good idea or not.
In my experience, one "size" or approach does not work for all, so it is helpful to sort and identify (with the aid of a catalogue, although not always does a given catalogue specify which stamps can and can be soaked) what one is dealing with before committing a mixed batch of on-paper stamps to a bowl of water.
I have also found that some stamps are more easily removed if either soaked in water or moistened with alcohol if this is done very soon after they have been "stuck" on the paper, and if the paper is good quality and not too thick. This has proven to be the case, for me, with some modern USA stamps.
JTH
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re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
Perhaps (without knowing age and what county stamps) use the steam method. You can build this steam device yourself.
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
Canadian and US stamps are the ones I’m trying to get off the paper currently. The Canadian ones come off easier. I tried soaking a few US ones in much hotter water with mixed results. Some came off ok, some ripped, and some seem to peel off but take more of the stamp and leaves an almost translucent, extremely thin stamp that curls into itself. That doesn’t seem right either.
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re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
Shantige,
I know what you mean.
I've been working on a good method for this and here is my best method:
1 Take a bowl and fill it with cold water
2 Wait 3-5 minutes or until a little of the stamp pokes up and off the paper even just a singular Perf
3 Use either tweezers or your fingers and after you have placed the stamp onto a paper towel, peel it off paper slowly
4 Put the stamps on top of a fan and enclose them inside a bin so they don't blow away and the air is more-condensed
5 In about 10 Minutes or once the stamps feel dry take them, and quickly place them in a heavy book on the last few pages so that they only curl a little
6 Yes, they curl a little but after 2 days in the book they will be as flat as new
7 Make sure you are extremely gentle when peel the stamps of try to peel as flat as you can as it WILL later affect the stamps overall shape
I hope this helps you at all, and let me know if you have any questions!
-Ari
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like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
The self adhesive stamps for most countries will not soak off, especially USA. Canadian will, but need longer and hotter water than that needed for water soluble gum.
If the catalogue says "self adhesive" just cut around leaving about 1 to 2 mm of envelope/paper.
If you use the search feature in the header above and look for Self Adhesive, there are lots of previous posts/discussions including the use of chemicals/ solvents. They do work in most cases but are really more trouble than necessary, and you still run the risk of damaging the stamp.
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Login to Like.
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re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
Sheep Shanks
The method I used works for me on USA Forever stamps from 2018 back 85% of the time and 2018 onward 75% of the time.
As well as almost always on glue it on stamps US and worldwide.
Maybe, there is an adhesive difference in the stamps that makes modern ones harder?
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
I'm amazed that this topic still comes up. The solution for self adhesive stamps, which all newer ones are, is to use Pure Citrus air freshener for removal. Works perfectly. If you wish further instruction, message me for my phone number, call me and I'll help in any way I can. Sorry, I hate typing. Chris ccndd
4 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Approvals
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
I use Shellite to get Australian s/a stamps off paper ,a few seconds in the solution and they peal straight off, the glue remains on the stamp,so another dip in the Shellite and a plastic card to remove the glue
Login to Like
this post
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
I am having a lot of success on USA modern stamps with Un-du, very quick and easy, just the thicker paper and postcards backing that gives some problems. I put a drop on the back of the paper and almost immediately you can bend the paper back and the stamp starts to come away, I then use a plastic bread bag tie to hold the stamp down while I peel off the paper. You can also use the side of your tongs to go between the paper and the stamp.
We are unable to get Bestine or pure citrus in Canada, mineral spirits affects the stamp ink.
Goo Gone, a bit like Un-du is a sticker removal aid, but seems a bit oily to me, though that does evaporate off.
All of these leave stickiness on the stamps so put them on to a surface with some Talc or corn starch, which negates the gum. I then put them between a sheet of parchment paper under a catalogue or two, to flatten any curls. Quick brush off and they are ready for the collection.
With postcards or foil paper, I have used some sandpaper to abrade the back before using fluid, it allows the solvent to get through to the stamp adhesive better.
Leaving a slightly larger paper margin around the stamp allows a better grip when bending the paper back.
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08:08:39pm
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
I've soaked more stamps in the last few weeks than I have in the last 20 years!
They're all mid-19th century stamps.
A few thoughts:
- in the early days of collecting stamps (1880s), the concept of soaking stamps off envelopes was in its infancy. I encounter many stamps from the 1850s to 1870s that have remnants of the envelope still adhering! Their first collector just ripped them off the cover, I guess. Also, I frequently find 3 or 4 hinge remnants stacked up on them. All this junk obscures the paper thickness, the paper color, the watermark, and on...
- some of the early hinges, or materials that were used before hinges were a thing adhere very tightly to the stamp paper. Sometimes it takes a bit of mechanical input to get that stuff off the stamp.
- the adhesives that were applied to these early stamps give up pretty well in warm water, but I like to stick my finger in there and use it to gently scrub the residual adhesive off the back of the stamp. I can tell it's still there, because it's slippery at first.
- I have used the corner of a stamp tongs that is very smooth as a kind of gentle scraper to get the last remnants of paper unstuck from the stamp.
But, soak time is your best ally.
-Paul
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08:48:19am
re: Removing stamps that won’t come off paper with water
To take modern self adhesive stamps off paper, I use two products. Xylene, a common solvent found at hardware and paint stores, is the workhorse. Un-Do is an amazing, albeit expensive, combination of solvents. Applied to the back of the paper, allow it to soak in momentarily, and the stamp pulls right off.
I save pieces of soft cardboard used in packaging. After a couple of minutes soaking in Xylene, the stamp readily comes off paper. I put it backside up on the cardboard and wipe the remaining adhesive off with a paper towel. Xylene is fine for 90% of the issues but those issues with filigree, a hologram or an unusual printing process is where the Un-Do comes in. These stamps come off with most of the original adhesive so, again, I put them upside down on the cardboard. Using a Q-Tip, apply some xylene to the back of the stamp. This dissolves the rest of the adhesive which is easily wiped clean with the paper towel.
I use a stainless steel bowl for this purpose. Once I have accumulated 200 or so stamps to clean, I put a couple of fingers of xylene in the bowl. I do this on the porch for ventilation. I soak 25 at a time and clean the backsides. The xylene also removes a fair amount of the cancellation ink as well. Takes about an hour to do a couple hundred.
A can of xylene and a 4 ounce bottle of Un-Do last me more than a year, so it's really not that expensive. I hope that this helps!
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