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How to Remove Postage Stamps With Turpentine

Collecting stamps gives you the opportunity to view postage from around the world or the past, or postage that commemorates important moments and people. Sometimes stamps are either so old or stubborn that it can be hard to remove them. In fact, self-adhesive stamps were created by the United States Post Office to be more secure and difficult to remove. On occasion, these stamps cannot be removed with water because the layer that binds, yet separates, the stamp with the adhesive may have failed, leaving the stamp attached to the adhesive layer. One solution for removing self-adhesive stamps from an envelope or other paper is to use turpentine.

Things You'll Need

Scissors
Tweezers
Blotter paper
Heavy book

Instructions

- 1
  Cut out the stamp, leaving about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch of envelope around the stamp.
- 2
  Soak the stamp in a metal or glass bowl with turpentine. Check the stamp after 10 minutes. If the stamp won't come off, put it back in the turpentine and test with tweezers on the corners every five minutes until the stamp can be lifted off the envelope. If reusing the turpentine, store in a tightly closed metal or opaque glass container. Turpentine can eat through plastic, so this type of container is not recommended.
- 3
  Remove the stamp from the envelope when it seems loose enough to come up. Pull the stamp slowly, but do not force it. Keep soaking in turpentine if needed.
- 4
  Place the wet stamp between two pieces of blotting paper once it has been removed from the envelope. Place inside a thick book or under a smooth weight for one week. This will allow the stamp to dry flat. If a stamp is left in the open air to dry, it will curl. If this happens, wet the stamp and press.

Stamp Collecting