We've discussed the frustrations of removing self-adhesives from paper quite a bit. I found this link, which explains a safe and effective method, on the blog of Arpin Philately. Aprin is one of the biggest philately stores herein Canada, so I consider their advise reliable. (I get my supplies from them too) Removing Self-Adhesive Stamps
I think I may try the citrus air freshener first-- I'm just not too keen on the idea of sitting in the fumes from volatile solvents... main problem being I have dozens of stamps I need to deal with, not just a couple. The thing I wonder about is how effective it will be to get self-adhesives off card stock. I live in the US and get the APS sales circuit books, which tend to come in priority mail boxes. I'd sure like to salvage some of those high value priority mail stamps. ~Peter
Boiling water works, you need rubber gloves to slide the stamp off the envelope, the glue stays on the envelope not on the stamp.
Bestine seems to be a must have product for collectors. I doubt if it is already available here but good thing there is an option, the non-aerosol citrus based air freshener.
I think any chemical should be avoided, one does not really know what the long term effect will be on the stamp?
I tend to agree, and want to avoid chemicals. However, if a legit site of experts says something is safe, I'm inclined to believe them. what you decide to do, or not, is your call Paper is a fragile medium. Its easy to damage. Light, water etc. can be just as harmful as chemicals.
Chemicals such as the Ronson naptha based lighter fluid has been used for more than 30 years for watermark determination. I have used it and hexane both in well ventilated situations for such. I have used it to removed adhesive stamps and label from almost every kind of paper over the years, with no lasting change to the stamp afterwards. You must decide to either rub off the sticky adhesive after removing the stamp from the fluid or stick it to the waxy paper that they come on. I just rub it off with a paper towel. Using an open fire for cooking pollutes the earth's environment more than a seldom use of such chemicals. IMO. Jim
Like me you are lucky in GB Steve because water removes our self adhesives, it must be different glue on foreign stamps.
Yes, ours is different. I may not be current on all the different types of self-adhesive gum here in the States, but at last count I remember 3. One of them is especially pernicious.
Yes, the Bureau of Engraving no longer makes postage stamps. It has been farmed out to a couple of vendors who do the bulk of stamp production and have experimented with different self-adhesive glues.
As circus has lamented on another thread about the Post Office, they don't seem to care at all about collectors except for their dollars. Most collectors didn't like self-stick, especially those that were almost impossible to get off paper. They didn't want to see an end to the Bureau of Engraving printing postage stamps, but in both cases the input was ignored. If anything the glue has gotten worse.
Great that when buying stamps on bookstores or collector's shop, it is already clean (paper and adhesive removed).
