Hawid Mount Problem With Keeping Stamps In Position

I am very well along in mounting my Russia collection and I chose to go with open top clear Hawid mounts for the first time. They are driving me nuts/bananas. I should have done a test run first.

The problem is that they do not exert enough pressure to keep the stamps in place. As soon as you turn pages the stamps move around. At best it looks like chicken poo and at worst the stamp actually exits the mount. The problem gets worse as the mount depth increases because the mount material is too flexible and the thickness is too little. Stamps that are natural "curlers" make matters even worse.

Has anybody dealt with this and have any suggestions other than remounting everything?

I use hawid mounts in all of my albums. I have never had this problem.

Rogdcam.

I have not seen this issue at all, and I only use Hawid clear toploaders.

The only issue I have ever had was completely my fault. I was careless and as I brought a binder to my desk I caught the very bottom of the binder on the edge of the desk, causing it to rotate and whack the desk with a solid thunk. That did cause several stamps to shift in their mounts.

I suspect your pages may be too thin (20 lb?). I use 110 pound card as I like the feel and it is stiff enough the pages aren't too bendy.

I am actually working on mounting my California Tomato Proration stamps right now, and they look great

Anything to do with static cling related to low humidity? I also have a bunch of Hawid top mounts but I have never stuck them down to pages. They are just double protection in a Vario sheet.

It will be interesting to see what others' experiences have been. I switched to top mounts a couple of years ago (and I'll never return to split backs). In my experience stamps do occasionally tilt in the mount. While it can happen, very rarely does a stamp fall out of the mount, I have hinged stamps come off a page far more often.

I use Hawid mounts and I also buy Showgard seconds in tall sizes and cut them at the split to create two top mount strips, using a Fiskars paper trimmer. My unscientific observation has been that the Hawid mounts seem to hold a stamp better than the Showgard modified into a top mount, perhaps because the Hawid is designed for top mount and has more grip? Both brands though work well for me.

Hawid makes a product called "Hawid Mount Solvent Pen" (not to be confused with "Hawid Adhesive for stamp mounts", which is for replacing a mount's adhesive). This pen can be used to seal the side edge(s) of a mount. I bought one to have around but haven't really tried it.

In my personal experience I find stamps tilting and slipping far more in Vario pages than in my top mounts.

I can just imagine how long it would take the Hawid solvent pen and I to turn "unmounted mint" into "some adhesion issues".

I have been using Hawid top opening mounts since the late 1960s and have never had a stamp fall out. However, I recently started using some very lightweight specialty stamp album paper and the mounts will not stay closed especially with any stamp having a curl. I abandoned this paper after a few pages, switched to generic 65lb paper from Staples and that problem went away immediately. So I agree with StateRevs that it is most likely the paper that is causing you the grief.

Rodcam I have the same issue. I originally had used split mounts but then read about issues with seeing split marks on back of stamp (which I only experienced in my early uses when I was moistened them too much). I switched to top mount and then had the same issue you did - no matter how I "tucked" them in, they would wiggle upward/sideways (but not out). I'm back to split back now. They seem more secure and stamps stay aligned in them. I always lift and wipe along the mount line once after putting them in the album to make sure no stray spit will mark the stamp gum.

I believe in physics, so I have never/would never use Hawid mounts.

I was relieved to read Canyoneer's comment because it really is happening. I do appreciate other folks input but am mystified as to how our experiences could be so different.

I am using standard Scott Specialty pages that are 70 lb. stock.

I will post some page images but I cannot imagine what if anything I am doing wrong. This is not rocket science, or is it?

It is definitely making me crazy (or crazier than I already am).

Just some possible thoughts as some of my albums have this issue and others don't. Here's the things I've noticed:

1. If the mounts are hinged onto the page or not fully stuck down completely, I experience this. If the mount is completely stuck down, it seems to be better.

2. As has been stated, thinner pages seem to be more problematic.

3. Books with inadequate spacers also seem to have this issue especially with stamps closer to the edges of the pages as there is not as much pressure on them to compress them over time.

Hope you can resolve the issue. Very frustrating!

Stamps101 - You mention two conditions that may be contributing to the problem that I will check into. My album is bulging like a Sumo wrestler at The Old Country Buffet. I need spacers. I also did not completely moisten the back of the mounts. Perhaps 50% of the adhesive was activated. I will work on those two items and see what happens.

Many thanks to all that replied.

Cheers

I use Hawid clear top loaders exclusively and have no trouble at all. I think the bulging album is a big part of your problem.

When I mount stamps I work on a section at a time and take the pages out of the album so I can lay them flat while I put the mounts on the pages. I also use strips as much as possible and I think that keeps stamps from wobbling and is much quicker.

Likewise, (albeit Black and Clear) in 100 albums.

I do cut Scott type, in half lengthwise, to mimic Hawid, due to pricing, I imported Hawid for a while but the costs and fees were outrageous.

I never completely moisten them.

I use a lightly moistened Q-Tip and start at the center bottom of the mount, and wipe out. I go back to the center and wipe out the opposite direction to ensure the entire length of the mount is moistened. I found I don't get moisture in the mount nearly as often this way.

I am only moistening the bottom 5 - 7 mm of the mount. I don't want the entire mount stuck to the page and not able to flex if needed.

For my larger mounts (70 mm and larger?) I might go to 10 mm instead.

I also put all mounts on my pages flat on the desk, not while in an album.

Knocking on wood, I have not had a single mount fall off. Conversely, once those mounts are on, they are on and I have to redo the entire page if I need to replace a mount - they are not "peeling" off.

I employ a circa 4mm piece of archival double sided tape.
They remain peelable at least for 4 days, not tried longer.