Drying Soaked Stamps Without A Drying Book

So this is what I've been doing - and so far, so good. This is close to way I did it years ago. I draw a small sink of lukewarm water and drop the stamps in and let them soak until a few start to release. I then fill some warm water in a clean stainless bowl. I then pick out a "free" stamp or remove one off the paper and give it a little rinse in the clean water while at the same time gently rubbing the back to remove any gum residue. Then place it face down on a double folded bath towel to dry. I try to place like countries in a group so that when I start sorting I have a good head start.

Rubbing the back side is important, especially with 1980's to end of usage for "lick and stick"stamps. You have to rub and dip until you don't see a milky "cloud". It is a mistake to not do this. The PVA gum used in those times was very effective and very stubborn.

If you are not thorough with your washing, and you put a bunch of these stamps in a glassine envelope, you are in for a bad surprise when you take them out. The gum residue will damage the fronts of the stamps beneath the others, unless you soak again.

No drying books for me I use ironed pillow cases very absorbent.
I have a cardboard Base about the size of a pillow case so you can move the end stack easily.

Place the pillow case on top of the base soak stamps as usual and put them in neat rows, when full place another pillow case on top and repeat.

I usually fill up 5 or so 100s of stamps.

Move the pile near the window in direct sun Lucky I'm in Brisbane might only take 15 - 20 minutes to dry.
I don't put any weight on the stack as I use stockbooks and hagners but you could if you wish.

Here's a different approach altogether. My other interest is photography and I still have a wet darkroom where I process black and white prints. In that process, I dry my prints on top of aluminum framed window screens - the modern kind that use a plastic screen material.

When I got back into stamp collecting and was looking for ways to dry soaked stamps, I simply placed them face up on the screen and gently wiped off the excess water. They dry very quickly and then I place them in glassine envelopes under weight to flatten them out. If you do a lot of drying , it might be worth the investment of some screens. Just don't take one out of your house's window and try this - it will not be clean.

Air circulation around newly-soaked stamps is the key to faster stamp drying. That screen idea is excellent.

Robert

Going a bit off topic, to comment on what Rod said earlier




This is true - perhaps even more so - of older French stamps. Their glue is so gloopy and horrible that I find if an earlier collector has left the glue or bits of envelope on the back of the stamp the glue actually stains the paper.

Washing the stamps can reverse this to some extent, or if you're lucky completely, but the soaking water usually needs changing after a few minutes, having turned an unpleasant orangey-brown.

I recently soaked off three old Bermuda stamps in freshwater and they had glue simular to the older French stamps that are described. In clean water, this type of glue puffs up and must, in my opinion, have fat in it.

Not having a drying book, I use clean white typing paper, two or three sheets.