Attempting to peel a pressure-sensitive adhesive off a fragile cellulosic surface simultaneously causes me feelings of fear and interest. The adhesive stubbornly stuck is dissolved slowly in a mild solvent, a hydrocarbon. I am a permanent B2B adhesives worker of VIZLENT polyimide and destructible eggshell sticker paper, thus I admire such powerful polymer bonds.
Peeling the sticky stuff to the task is like surgery with a fine scalpel on the same glue that I do so well on a daily basis. To neutralize the sticky matrix, it is necessary to disrupt van der Waals forces with certain polarity carefully, without using brute force which would tear the paper. The emotional difficulty of saving a clean stamp and saving it is overwhelming, as the modern stamps are made in such a way that they cannot be forced or wet.
How do you get stamps off paper?
To free a contemporary stamp of its cellulose supports sends an access of anxiety. In contrast to old water activated adhesives, the present day stamps incorporate highly cross linked acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives that are hydrophobic. The fact that they are soaked in warm water is a disappointment to me.
To dissolve such bonds, a non-polar solvent like pure heptane or citrus-obtained d-limonene is required. The polymer chains swell when used and release the paper. It is fascinating in the laboratory to see the adhesive melt. We make industrial face stocks such as destructible eggshell paper at VIZLENT to be strong against this delamination, so it is an exhilarating perversion to see it occur on such a simple envelope. It is a nasty, delicate procedure, and every time the viscoelastic bond is broken, it is a little victory in the science.
How to tell if a stamp is self-adhesive?
I love looking at the minute detail of a stamp. It is truly a classy visual examination to differentiate between pressure sensitive glue and old water activated glue. Mechanical separation normally results in fluffy and torn perforations on traditional stamps. Contemporary self-adhesive stamps have sharp, serpentine die-cuts that resemble those holes.
I am moved by the fact that this exactness is a reflection of the tolerances that we impose when fabricating our eggshell sticker paper or PET laminates at VIZLENT. A slightly thicker layer of pressure-sensitive material can be felt by passing your finger slightly over the substrate. The interpretation of such minute signs provides me with pure happiness.
Is there a way to remove stamp ink from paper?
The fact that postmark ink can be removed off paper without the destruction of the substrate leaves me with terror. The inks of cancellation are usually meant to be permanent with heavy pigments in the solvents and they heavily penetrate the paper. Having them bleached is a fight with entropy. A small drop of hydrogen peroxide could be attempted, however, there is a great risk of surface degradation. The fibers can be dissolved by dabbing harsh chemicals.
To overcome such chemical tampering we design face stocks and permanent thermal transfer ribbons at VIZLENT. It is a frustrating attempt that usually results in tears and destroyed cellulose and I miss the predictability of our B2B polymers.
How to remove stamp ink from paper without damaging the paper?
Efforts to remove pigments into fine fibers produce palpitations in me. Cancellation marks are hard to remove, and this is what scares and interests. The paper is normally destroyed by harsh bleaches or hydrocarbons which is heartbreaking. I think of the tests we undergo on VIZLENT labels to make sure that they do not deteriorate in chemical attack.
You need weak organic solvents, such as diluted hydrogen peroxide, to apply so that you can lift the ink. It is an emotional victory to see the ink come off the paper without destroying the paper- history and learn the art of chemistry.
