Stamp Collecting and Soaking How-To

Step 1: In Becoming a Philatelists (A stamp enthusiast) Is collect and save all your stamps.

Rip the stamps or carefully cut them out of your mail. Tell your friends and family that

they should pass their stamps to you too!!! Then its like getting presents when they pass them along :)

Step 2: Soak them in Warm water. (Shown above) I like to save an old container with a lid like this butter container because I like to let them sit for at least overnight and this helps keep them from possible tippage ;/ The water isn't necessarily gross but the water gets really gummy from all the adhesive. Its best to use a container only for soaking stamps.

Also, soaking stamps is kinda like cooking pasta. There is a point where its just not done yet and trying to pull a wet stamp off a wet piece of paper when the glue hasn't broken down yet; it is disastrous and often leads in tears. But if they soak too long their just mush. Best bet is to try it a couple of times to get the hang of it. But don't take it personal if it doesn't make it in one piece.

***The USA Nonprofit ORG. Stamps on things while you would think are good to try out are very tricky and can be discouraging. There is something on the glue that makes them much thinner. If you are having troubles with this just cut around them- In general the old school lickable stamps are my favorite to soak off the paper. Try Both and see how you do :) ***

Step 3: The paper backing mush is what is in the 2nd picture. Do not wash all this down your sink- Have any interest in paper making? Reuse as much as possible from every project.

Step 4: Place the wet stamps on a towel (or if you must some paper towels) to dry. You want to line them up so they are one layer thick; no overlapping. Then sandwich them between another towel and place something heavy on top so they dry flat.

Step 5: Be it collecting in a book or in a future product; Enjoy.