Whatever happened to peelable stamp hinges?
Colin McKenzie
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
AK47
$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net:
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.
Blair (TC)
Subway Stamps has purchased the old
Dennison hinge equipment and reverse
engineered old fashoned peelable hinges.
G&K (part of the Subway Family) has purchased
and rebuilt the original machine Dennison used
for over 50 years to manufacture the best stamp
hinge that was ever made. G&K is now using the
original machine (completely rebuilt), the original
Dennison gum formula and special glassine
made to the original Dennison specifications.
They have named these after their grandson,
Dennis, look for "Dennis's Stamp Hinges",
Just like Grandpa used.
So far they have developed the Formula A
stamp hinge for ungummed stamps.
They are still working on a Formula B hinge
for gummed stamps.
======================================
The following is from the Winnipeg Stamp Club (2004)
THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT HINGE
BY LEN KRUCZYNSKI
Though Dennison Stamp Hinges have not been
manufactured for many years, they are prized by
collectors. These familiar greenish hinges have
remarkable adhesive properties: although holding
the stamp firmly in place, they peel easily, never
ripping or taking apiece of the stamp (or album
page) along with it.
I recently opened a packet of Dennison hinges
that had been purchased in the early '70's (priced
at 35 cents per 1000): the hinges were still flat,
separated easily and functioned as well as the day
they were made.
Now, the first thing that comes to mind to explain
the remarkable adhesive ability of the Dennison
hinge is that it must have something to do with
the gum. Being a chemist by training, I decided
to use Chemical Analysis to see if Dennison gum
was different from any other.
The method of analysis used is called Infrared
Spectroscopy: an infrared beam is passed through
a thin layer of the gum, producing a trace which,
like a fingerprint, is unique to each chemical
substance.
The gum rinsed off three hinges was sufficient
to do the analysis. In the process of removing
the gum from the hinge, I weighed the three
hinges before and after gum removal in order
to calculate the percentage of the weight being
due to the gum.
The results of the chemical analysis are startling.
All hinge makers use the same gum: dextrine.
Dextrine is manufactured from potato or corn
starch by boiling with minute amounts of acid.
It has been available commercially since the '30's.
It is very common: it is the gum on most envelope
flaps and has been used on Canadian stamps
up to the '70's when it was replaced by Poly
Vinyl Acetate, or PVA for short.
Hinge manufacturers have tried to capitalize
on the remarkable adhesive properties of the
Dennison hinge.
Collectors may have been fooled into buying
"Dennisen" hinges, marketed in a package
similar to the blue and red Dennison package.
More recently, Subway Stamp Shop (2121
Beale Ave, Altoona, Pa. USA) is marketing
the Dennis hinge, claimed to be manufactured
on, and according to, Dennison specifications
of paper and gum.
Here are the results of my analysis of six
different stamp hinges put into three categories:
1.THE BEST: peel easily, never rip, never take
a "divot" out of the stamp or album page.
Dennison (26 % gum)
2.ACCEPTABLE: peel if you are very careful;
sometimes rip, sometimes take a "divot" out
of the stamp and/or page.
Dennis (16 % gum)
Unitrade (33 % gum)
3. POOR: almost alway rip when removal
attempted; often removing part of stamp or
page.
Gibbons (39% gum)
Fasto (42 % gum)
G&K(38 % gum)
And now for some comments and conclusions.
Gibbons hinges are made in Germany, as are
Fasto; they appear to be one and the same hinge.
G&K hinges are also marketed by Subway.
One striking trend that may explain Dennison's
secret is the amount of gum. The best hinges
have a smaller amount of gum.
The only conclusion that I can come to at this
point is that Dennison's secret may lie in that
greenish (glassine) paper. Does it have some
sort of wax that causes the peelability?
The hunt for the perfect hinge goes on!
Blair
jerrybemai...@yahoo.com
Someone once told me long, long ago that the Dennison hinges actually
had 2 layers of gum instead of one.
The peelability came from removing "gum from gum". I do not know how
true this is but it is a thought.
Jerry B
John DeBoo
>
> 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?
Colin, I have some of the Dennis's and they don't peel worth a darn
either. They are NOT "Just like Grandpa used!". Other members of our
club got the same results as I, they don't peel but they sure stick well.
John D.
Blair (TC)
Blair
John DeBoo
on used, soaked, and dried stamps. Dennis's didn't come off worth a
darn. Just my experience and a few others too. YMMV
John
Blair (TC)
are the only viable alternative.
Blair
John DeBoo
> I guess that mounts and stockbooks
> are the only viable alternative.
When compared to the Dennis's hinges, yes. Besides, if they were the
exact same thing as the originals they'd have a green tint to them.
Dennis's are white. They only peeling Dennis's do is the paper from the
back of your stamp causing a mega thin at best, a hole at worst!
John
Colin McKenzie
> Blair (TC) wrote:
>> I guess that mounts and stockbooks
>> are the only viable alternative.
Which appears to be what the manufacturers want people to think.
> When compared to the Dennis's hinges, yes. Besides, if they were the
> exact same thing as the originals they'd have a green tint to them.
> Dennis's are white. They only peeling Dennis's do is the paper from the
> back of your stamp causing a mega thin at best, a hole at worst!
Not good news.
I think I'll see what's available in India when I go there next month.
If their motorbikes are anything to go by, I might get lucky.
Meanwhile, mounting my collection is on hold. I'm not happy.
Anyone remember if the old hinges had patent numbers on the packs? If
so the patents might reveal how to make decent hinges. I do remember
that the good Stanley Gibbons hinges had a spotty appearance.
Colin McKenzie
Eric Kenneth Bustad
If you can find the patent number, it may be possible to look it up.
But I suspect that the problem is with the availability of suitable
glassine paper these days. Subway/G&K doesn't make the paper, they
have to purchase it from paper manufacturers. And those manufacturers
probably don't see stamp hinges as being a large enough business to go
to the trouble of making the glassine paper just right for that
purpose.
--
= Eric Bustad, Norwegian bachelor programmer
Tony Clayton
> 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.
Which sort of SG hinges were they? There are two types. One is meant
to be more peelable, and it is, but not that much.
> 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.
You can always soak a hinge off a used stamp.
> 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?
I still occasionally buy mounted mint stamps with the mount still on,
and when the mount is removed you can barely see where the hinge was.
That is the sort of hinge that is needed.
--
Tony Clayton tony.cla...@pem.cam.ac.uk
Coins of the UK : http://www.coinsoftheuk.info
Sent using RISCOS on an Acorn Strong Arm RiscPC
... (((((((HYPNOTIC)))))))(((((((TAGLINE)))))))
AK47
I remember some 70's era hinges that came in a green envelope containing
1750 hinges.They performed very well, but I can't rememebr the brand
name.