All About Stamp Tongs
Stamp tongs may superficially resemble the tweezers that are sold in drug stores or for beauty care, but they are different, and regular tweezers should never be used to handle stamps - proper stamp tongs should always be used. They are an essential tool for every stamp collector, from beginners through the most advanced, sophisticated collectors. Stamp tongs help collectors handle their stamps safely and when used properly they reduce the chances of causing damage to stamps. They work like tweezers, being made of two flat metal arms that are joined at one end, with a spring action that allows the free ends of the arms to be pinched together.
Unlike tweezers, stamp tongs have rounded, polished tips that make them safe for handling stamps - tweezers have sharpened edges that can cut into or poke through stamps. Tongs with pointed tips are designed for precision work (and should probably not be used by beginning stamp collectors), while stamps with flat or spade tips are good for beginners and for holding larger items such as blocks or souvenir sheets.
Postage stamps can be damaged by oils in the skin if they are held in the fingers; even if the collector's hands have just been washed, the oils are not entirely removed and some can transfer to the stamp. When oils are deposited on stamps, the surface can end up being stained - the oils will react with the stamp ink over time. Stamps can also be damaged when they are picked up by the fingers: it's not difficult to damage perfs or cause bends or creases when doing this. And you certainly don't ever want to pick up mint stamps with your fingers no matter how careful you are, because fingerprints can be left on the gum and substantially reduce the value of the stamps. Stamp tongs were designed to eliminate all of these problems.
Stamp tongs allow the collector to slide a tip underneath a stamp and then securely grasp it by pinching the two tips together. It sounds a bit more complicated than it is - it's incredibly easy to operate stamp tongs after only one or two tries.
Stamp tongs come in several tip styles and also a couple of different lengths. They're not expensive and generally sell for somewhere between $3 and $7, depending on the style, length and manufacturer. They should be regularly
inspected and cleaned to protect your stamps, but if they're properly handled they'll last for years and years. Stamp tongs are a small but essential tool for stamp collecting, and their low cost will pay off time and time again.
Showing posts with label stamp tongs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stamp tongs. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Stamp Tongs - An Essential Stamp Collecting Tool
Stamp tongs are probably the most important tool that a stamp collector can own. Beginning collectors can, in fact, get by for some time without any other stamp tools. More tools (such as a watermark kit, for example) will be necessary eventually, but for now let's just talk about tongs.
Stamp tongs are used to handle stamps instead of picking them up with the fingers. Don't ever pick up stamps with your fingers, as you'll be likely to leave oils or fingerprints on the stamps. And its easy to crease an old stamp by picking it up that way. Collectors have been using stamp tongs to avoid these potential damaging problems since the early days of stamp collecting.
Stamp tongs are ordinary in appearance and they closely resemble the tweezers you may keep in your medicine cabinet. But don't ever confuse the two, or you'll be sorry. One way to tell the difference: the insides of the blades of tongs are very smoothly polished, while the insides of the blades of tweezers are ridged or almost corrugated. Stamp tongs also have rounded, polished tips while standard tweezers have pointed edges that can pincture or cut into stamps. Tongs are made the way they are in order to protect stamps - the ridges inside regular tweezers could easily damage stamps by leaving a mark on them, especially if the weather is very hot and humid and the stamps have full gum. The polished, rounded tips of tongs similarly protect stamps from being punctured or scratched.
Tongs are available in a variety of blade shapes: rounded tips, spade tips and pointed tips (sometimes called "lethal tips," presumably because an unsteady hand using this type could be lethal to a stamp). and are also available in a couple of different lengths. Which type of stamp tongs a collector uses is largely a matter of individual preference. The pointed tip type are more maneuverable and slide easily underneath a stamp on a flat surface, such as a tabletop. The spade tips provide a firmer grasp of the stamp and are good for holding larger stamps or stamp multiples such as stamp blocks, strips or pairs.
We highly recommend using storage cases for stamp tongs. The case doesn't need to be elaborate, fancy or expensive - in fact a perfectly functional tong case can be purchased for as little as a dollar or two. Cases help prevent scrapes, scratches and bends in the tips of tongs, and so the case itself also protects your stamps. If your tongs are damaged in any way, no matter how minor, replace them before using them again. Tongs are very inexpensive, usually costing somewhere between $3 - $7, so replacing them is not a hardship.
Stamp tongs are probably the most important tool that a stamp collector can own. Beginning collectors can, in fact, get by for some time without any other stamp tools. More tools (such as a watermark kit, for example) will be necessary eventually, but for now let's just talk about tongs.
Stamp tongs are used to handle stamps instead of picking them up with the fingers. Don't ever pick up stamps with your fingers, as you'll be likely to leave oils or fingerprints on the stamps. And its easy to crease an old stamp by picking it up that way. Collectors have been using stamp tongs to avoid these potential damaging problems since the early days of stamp collecting.
Stamp tongs are ordinary in appearance and they closely resemble the tweezers you may keep in your medicine cabinet. But don't ever confuse the two, or you'll be sorry. One way to tell the difference: the insides of the blades of tongs are very smoothly polished, while the insides of the blades of tweezers are ridged or almost corrugated. Stamp tongs also have rounded, polished tips while standard tweezers have pointed edges that can pincture or cut into stamps. Tongs are made the way they are in order to protect stamps - the ridges inside regular tweezers could easily damage stamps by leaving a mark on them, especially if the weather is very hot and humid and the stamps have full gum. The polished, rounded tips of tongs similarly protect stamps from being punctured or scratched.
Tongs are available in a variety of blade shapes: rounded tips, spade tips and pointed tips (sometimes called "lethal tips," presumably because an unsteady hand using this type could be lethal to a stamp). and are also available in a couple of different lengths. Which type of stamp tongs a collector uses is largely a matter of individual preference. The pointed tip type are more maneuverable and slide easily underneath a stamp on a flat surface, such as a tabletop. The spade tips provide a firmer grasp of the stamp and are good for holding larger stamps or stamp multiples such as stamp blocks, strips or pairs.
We highly recommend using storage cases for stamp tongs. The case doesn't need to be elaborate, fancy or expensive - in fact a perfectly functional tong case can be purchased for as little as a dollar or two. Cases help prevent scrapes, scratches and bends in the tips of tongs, and so the case itself also protects your stamps. If your tongs are damaged in any way, no matter how minor, replace them before using them again. Tongs are very inexpensive, usually costing somewhere between $3 - $7, so replacing them is not a hardship.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Beginning Stamp Collecting - Today's Installment of A Tutorial on the Hobby for a Lifetime (continued)
Stamp Collecting Tips - How to Handle & Store Your Stamps:
1. Always use stamp tongs to pick up and handle your stamps. They look like household tweezers, but stamp tongs do not have sharp edges. Regular tweezers could easily harm your stamps. You may find it awkward to use tongs in the beginning, but stick with it, it will become second nature.
Do not pick up your stamps with your fingers or even lay them out on a bare table. The natural oils from your skin and the dust on the table will dirty the stamp over time. When looking at your stamps, place them on a clean piece of white paper or something similar, then use tongs to pick them up.
2. You can use clean, plain white envelopes to organize your collection when you start. Write the name of the type of stamps on the envelope to help you stay organized.
When you're starting a stamp collection it's best to keep it simple and just sort your stamps and label your envelopes by country, unless you've already decided you want to focus on just certain types of stamps.
3. When you're done working with your stamps for the day, it's good practice to put your stamps into a clean, sturdy container or box. Shoe boxes or empty desk drawers are an ideal place to store your envelopes.
4. After a while, buy a package of glassine envelopes for your stamps. These are inexpensive, semi-transparent envelopes made especially for stamp collecting. Stamps can stay fresh inside glassines for a fairly long period of time. Many types of paper have high levels of acidity or other properties that over time can harm the stamps inside. It's perfectly okay to temporarily store your stamps in these regular envelopes for a few weeks or even months depending upon the quality of the paper, but you shouldn't keep them there for much longer than that.
Stamp Collecting Tips - How to Handle & Store Your Stamps:
1. Always use stamp tongs to pick up and handle your stamps. They look like household tweezers, but stamp tongs do not have sharp edges. Regular tweezers could easily harm your stamps. You may find it awkward to use tongs in the beginning, but stick with it, it will become second nature.
Do not pick up your stamps with your fingers or even lay them out on a bare table. The natural oils from your skin and the dust on the table will dirty the stamp over time. When looking at your stamps, place them on a clean piece of white paper or something similar, then use tongs to pick them up.
2. You can use clean, plain white envelopes to organize your collection when you start. Write the name of the type of stamps on the envelope to help you stay organized.
When you're starting a stamp collection it's best to keep it simple and just sort your stamps and label your envelopes by country, unless you've already decided you want to focus on just certain types of stamps.
3. When you're done working with your stamps for the day, it's good practice to put your stamps into a clean, sturdy container or box. Shoe boxes or empty desk drawers are an ideal place to store your envelopes.
4. After a while, buy a package of glassine envelopes for your stamps. These are inexpensive, semi-transparent envelopes made especially for stamp collecting. Stamps can stay fresh inside glassines for a fairly long period of time. Many types of paper have high levels of acidity or other properties that over time can harm the stamps inside. It's perfectly okay to temporarily store your stamps in these regular envelopes for a few weeks or even months depending upon the quality of the paper, but you shouldn't keep them there for much longer than that.
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