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#1
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(Stamps) Water damage
Water Damage:
I recently had a sump pump failure leading to a flooded basement. Some of my stamps in a plastic set of drawers that became buoyant because of the bottom drawer being similar to a tub making it tip over. Thousands of stamps in DK cards or glassiness were soaked. I was advice by the insurance adjuster to freeze them in a home freezer to save then from becoming moldy. That was done the following day. The DK cardsare lost because of the glue holding them together and the glassiness dries crumbled. The stamps are mostly canceled and of course any mint are now unused. I have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. I can defrost and press them but I’m not sure if a home freezer will stop the mildew and I'. concerned that they might all end up with a musty smell? Is there anyone out there who had experience with this kind of problem? Ben |
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#2
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(Stamps) Water damage
Water Damage:
I recently had a sump pump failure leading to a flooded basement. Some of my stamps in a plastic set of drawers that became buoyant because of the bottom drawer being similar to a tub making it tip over. Thousands of stamps in DK cards or glassiness were soaked. I was advice by the insurance adjuster to freeze them in a home freezer to save then from becoming moldy. That was done the following day. The DK cardsare lost because of the glue holding them together and the glassiness dries crumbled. The stamps are mostly canceled and of course any mint are now unused. I have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. I can defrost and press them but I’m not sure if a home freezer will stop the mildew and I'. concerned that they might all end up with a musty smell? Is there anyone out there who had experience with this kind of problem? Ben Hmmm... not exactly, but there should be no problem regarding the 'home freezer' as most decent ones will reach -18 degrees, even in the summer months. I am not at all sure about freezing wet stamps. Water will expand on freezing, which could damage the structure of the paper. Also this would make them extremely fragile while frozen, and some may 'snap' if moved or flexed! I know it would be a long job, but I would try to dry them using something like a photographic 'print drier' - a common piece of kit used by photographers who processed their own photos in the days of 35mm film! David. |
#3
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:21:28 +0100, "David French"
wrote: Water Damage: I recently had a sump pump failure leading to a flooded basement. Some of my stamps in a plastic set of drawers that became buoyant because of the bottom drawer being similar to a tub making it tip over. Thousands of stamps in DK cards or glassiness were soaked. I was advice by the insurance adjuster to freeze them in a home freezer to save then from becoming moldy. That was done the following day. The DK cardsare lost because of the glue holding them together and the glassiness dries crumbled. The stamps are mostly canceled and of course any mint are now unused. I have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. I can defrost and press them but I’m not sure if a home freezer will stop the mildew and I'. concerned that they might all end up with a musty smell? Is there anyone out there who had experience with this kind of problem? Ben Hmmm... not exactly, but there should be no problem regarding the 'home freezer' as most decent ones will reach -18 degrees, even in the summer months. I am not at all sure about freezing wet stamps. Water will expand on freezing, which could damage the structure of the paper. Also this would make them extremely fragile while frozen, and some may 'snap' if moved or flexed! I know it would be a long job, but I would try to dry them using something like a photographic 'print drier' - a common piece of kit used by photographers who processed their own photos in the days of 35mm film! Why not simply soak them in a bit of hot water and a small amount of anti-grease dish detergent, followed by 2 separate rinses. I have seen some musty, mildewy stuff come rather clean this way, without any effect on the color or density of the stamps. The mints - yes - they will be gum trashed, but some stamps are better off without gum anyway. To me, an unused copy in great condition is better than a MNH copy with crackling gum. I guess maybe it comes down to how long they were in said water and what damage was done. |
#4
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Apr 18, 4:02 pm, wrote:
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:21:28 +0100, "David French" wrote: Water Damage: I recently had a sump pump failure leading to a flooded basement. Some of my stamps in a plastic set of drawers that became buoyant because of the bottom drawer being similar to a tub making it tip over. Thousands of stamps in DK cards or glassiness were soaked. I was advice by the insurance adjuster to freeze them in a home freezer to save then from becoming moldy. That was done the following day. The DK cardsare lost because of the glue holding them together and the glassiness dries crumbled. The stamps are mostly canceled and of course any mint are now unused. I have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. I can defrost and press them but I’m not sure if a home freezer will stop the mildew and I'. concerned that they might all end up with a musty smell? Is there anyone out there who had experience with this kind of problem? Ben Hmmm... not exactly, but there should be no problem regarding the 'home freezer' as most decent ones will reach -18 degrees, even in the summer months. I am not at all sure about freezing wet stamps. Water will expand on freezing, which could damage the structure of the paper. Also this would make them extremely fragile while frozen, and some may 'snap' if moved or flexed! I know it would be a long job, but I would try to dry them using something like a photographic 'print drier' - a common piece of kit used by photographers who processed their own photos in the days of 35mm film! Why not simply soak them in a bit of hot water and a small amount of anti-grease dish detergent, followed by 2 separate rinses. I have seen some musty, mildewy stuff come rather clean this way, without any effect on the color or density of the stamps. The mints - yes - they will be gum trashed, but some stamps are better off without gum anyway. To me, an unused copy in great condition is better than a MNH copy with crackling gum. I guess maybe it comes down to how long they were in said water and what damage was done. Just to clarify some companies specialize in the recovery rare books and documents and they use a freeze method. This site calls for -15F. http://theepicenter.com/tow05166.html |
#5
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:16:14 -0700 (PDT), Ben
wrote: On Apr 18, 4:02 pm, wrote: On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:21:28 +0100, "David French" wrote: Water Damage: I recently had a sump pump failure leading to a flooded basement. Some of my stamps in a plastic set of drawers that became buoyant because of the bottom drawer being similar to a tub making it tip over. Thousands of stamps in DK cards or glassiness were soaked. I was advice by the insurance adjuster to freeze them in a home freezer to save then from becoming moldy. That was done the following day. The DK cardsare lost because of the glue holding them together and the glassiness dries crumbled. The stamps are mostly canceled and of course any mint are now unused. I have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. I can defrost and press them but I’m not sure if a home freezer will stop the mildew and I'. concerned that they might all end up with a musty smell? Is there anyone out there who had experience with this kind of problem? Ben Hmmm... not exactly, but there should be no problem regarding the 'home freezer' as most decent ones will reach -18 degrees, even in the summer months. I am not at all sure about freezing wet stamps. Water will expand on freezing, which could damage the structure of the paper. Also this would make them extremely fragile while frozen, and some may 'snap' if moved or flexed! I know it would be a long job, but I would try to dry them using something like a photographic 'print drier' - a common piece of kit used by photographers who processed their own photos in the days of 35mm film! Why not simply soak them in a bit of hot water and a small amount of anti-grease dish detergent, followed by 2 separate rinses. I have seen some musty, mildewy stuff come rather clean this way, without any effect on the color or density of the stamps. The mints - yes - they will be gum trashed, but some stamps are better off without gum anyway. To me, an unused copy in great condition is better than a MNH copy with crackling gum. I guess maybe it comes down to how long they were in said water and what damage was done. Just to clarify some companies specialize in the recovery rare books and documents and they use a freeze method. This site calls for -15F. http://theepicenter.com/tow05166.html And on the same web site page: "Silt or toxic chemicals on the pages, however, requires that the book be washed, and this can get tricky. The problem is that wet paper is surprisingly fragile, and great care has to be taken or you'll shred the book trying to save it. Immerse the book in a tub of clean water and gently riffle the pages. Do not scrub, do not apply any more pressure than you have to. The idea is just to rinse the pages. When done, do not press the book together to get excess water out. Just hold is gently by the spine until the water stops flowing out, then freeze sooner than immediately. (These books will take a LONG time to dry.) I don't recommend this procedure unless it's absolutely necessary, and even then you might consider whether or not your time and trouble aren't worth enough to just let the damn thing go and get a new copy. Your call." ***** Unless you have a collection of Basel Doves, France Vermilions or Brazil bulls-eyes, you can get a lot of crap off if done quickly in water. BTW, if there's toxic waste on them, I get my insurance person on the phone instead of trying to fix them. I may lose body parts from the process... |
#6
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:56:30 -0700, Ben wrote:
Water Damage: have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. As this is an international group, and because the United States is rather backward, I think we all need to be very careful in differentiating Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures. There is a great difference between -10 degrees in the two scales (unlike, say, -40 degrees.) Home freezers can reach -10 C, but *not* -10 F, AFAIK. -- Joshua McGee ‹(•¿•)› APS, ATA, ISWSC, AFDCS, MBPC, MCC, BPS Pasadena, California, USA http://www.mcgees.org/stamp-offers/ |
#7
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:47:14 -0700, Sir F. A. Rien
wrote: Joshua McGee found these unused words: As this is an international group, and because the United States is rather backward, Poor boy ... won't they let you drive on the left? Yes, if you're passing. |
#8
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:56:30 -0700, Ben wrote:
Water Damage: have researched this freezing business on the net. It is used mostly to save books and documents but not in a home freezer since -10 degrees is required. As this is an international group, and because the United States is rather backward, I think we all need to be very careful in differentiating Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures. There is a great difference between -10 degrees in the two scales (unlike, say, -40 degrees.) Home freezers can reach -10 C, but *not* -10 F, AFAIK. Ah, the good old magic -40 degrees, where C and F agree (-40C = -40F). The place where pure Alcohol and Mercury 'freeze' solid, if I remember my physics! -10F is roughly -23.3C, so a 'good' A-rated freezer would probably go that low, with the booster switched on. I would still be very wary of freezing wet stamps. What would you do with them to clean off any mold and restore them to collectable condition without permanent damage? David. |
#9
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(Stamps) Water damage
On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:31:16 -0700, Sir F. A. Rien
wrote: found these unused words: On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:47:14 -0700, Sir F. A. Rien wrote: Joshua McGee found these unused words: As this is an international group, and because the United States is rather backward, Poor boy ... won't they let you drive on the left? Yes, if you're passing. How do you pass, going backwards? I don't know about you, but I have to pass another car on the left side when driving. |
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