Colin McKenzie wrote in news:436e12de$0$27986
:

A few weeks ago, I finished my last pack of Stangib stamp hinges,
vintage probably mid-80s.

So I bought some new ones. They looked different from the old ones,
but I didn't worry about that - technology advances over time. All
went well, until I put a stamp in the wrong place and had to remove
it. The hinge was hard to remove, and took stamp fibres with it when
it did come off. So I tested another over a week, with the same
result. In 15 or 20 years, the product has changed from good to
unusable.

I sent the hinges back to SG with a covering letter saying I don't
think they're fit for purpose. I await my refund.

I bought some Prinz mounts, tested them for a week, and found them
just as bad.

This appears to be a deliberate downgrading of the product to
something that cannot be used without damaging stamps (or soaking
them). I have seen it suggested that this is because
hinge-manufacturers also make plastic mounts, and want to promote the
more expensive product. I use plastic mounts for mint and more
valuable stamps, but I can't justify spending at least 2 pence on
mounting a stamp that may be worth considerably less.

So, the question. Does anyone still make genuinely peelable stamp
hinges? Someone suggested Dennis's Hinges from Subway Stamps are the
best around, but are they good enough? And is there anything better
out there?

TIA.

Colin McKenzie


I know what you mean. Today, I removed a couple of stamps from an old
album page where I had mounted them in the 1970's. They peeled off so
easily.
I can't imagine why someone can't "reverse engineer" the adhesives used
in those hinges.I've heard two explanations:
1. That the ingredients were found to cause cancer.
2. That the wastes from the factoies were pollutants.

I believe that these are urban legends.