Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum
 

As a botanist, I've spent a lot of time pressing plant specimens, especially when I was a student. A year or two back, I came across a flower press that works in a microwave oven and can press a plant, ready for display in a few one-minute bursts instead of the weeks it usually takes. I checked and found that it was an Australian invention but the company had been sold and moved to the US.

One day, I got the idea that it might be worth trying it on drying stamps. It was absolutely brilliant. (I should have read the book first though.

It clearly states no more than one minute at a time so when I tried it on a three minute burst, it caught fire and I had to replace the lining - and ruined the stamp.

Despite this minor setback, I was so impressed by these presses, I agreed to distribute them in Australia. I think they are fairly expensive, yet the few people who have tried them so far have thought they were well worth the price.

I will be marketing them mainly for flower art and botany students, but if anyone wants one for stamps, you can find them at:
http://www.microfleuraustralia.com

I am so confident about these that if anyone buys one and is not happy with it, I will give a full refund.

Please ask me any questions.

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

I had an email from Stampboards member Noel asking whether the press flattens out wrinkled stamps. Yes it does that quite well, in fact when I showed it to my stamp club, I screwed up a stamp then pressed it and it came out like new. Noel then emailed back to say would it do covers and would it damage the postmark. I didn't know as I'd never tried. So here are the results.
I took a recent cover from Belgium which I chose for its strong postmark.

and then I screwed it up and flattened it out again.

I then soaked it in hot water, quickly as I didn't want to remove the stamps and then I placed it in the press.

I gave it three one minute bursts in the microwave. Mine is fairly low power and a shorter time would probably work in a newer machine. I allowed it to cool between each burst for about ten minutes and then I took it out.

As you can see the results are far from satisfactory. One large crease remains but worse than that the stamps are lifting from the paper. This was always going to be the big problem and I will try again using colder water or maybe applying the water with a brush rather than immersing the whole thing. So there you are Noel. Not very good on covers I'm afraid but at least it didn't seem to affect the postmark.
Tomorrow my son wants to try it on some old banknotes he has so I'll keep you posted.

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

I will be very interested in seeing how it goes on bank notes, but wondered if, because a banknote is bigger than a stamp, I might have to give the banknote a series of bursts equal to the number of stamps on the banknote.

John: Instead of soaking it, try "misting" it with a bottle sprayer ----- you can use just enough water to moisten it to the degree you want, and perhaps the stamps won't lift off.

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Jim M.

Well, I tried some banknotes with mixed results and a few lessons. I tried a couple of really dirty folded notes, the worst in Gilbert's (my son's) collection and one newer one that had some heavy creases. These were the ones I used:


I also did a Chinese note in similar condition but forgot to take a before shot. The newer note was from Singapore and this one showed that I was not thinking clearly, but more of that later. I gave the notes a good wash in hot water with a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid. I used a camel hair brush for this, the one I use for washing old hinges off of stamps.

As before, I gave them three, one minute bursts in the microwave, allowing them to cool in between each burst.
I found that where a note has been carried folded in a wallet for some time, the damage is too great to repair and the line is still visible. Even so, the condition of these is improved a little.


Here is the Chinese note which also looked like it had been in a wallet for years.

As for the Singapore dollar, well that's another story. While it was microwaving I became aware of an ominous smell. The lesson I learned was this:

Never microwave a note with a metal strip in it. It cost me not only the note (well it cost Gilbert the note), it ruined the pads in the press. Ah, well! I like to learn new things. I can't help thinking I should have realised this would happen though.

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

The standard microwave instructions have always warned against putting metal or foil into the microwave. Some even warn now not to dry pets in a microwave after a Californian woman cooked her dog while trying to dry it in a microwave and successfully sued the manufacturer for monetary damages because the microwave did not carry a specific warning about it. Only in America!

That banknote must have made some pretty good sparks though and cheaper than the average garden firework.

That's why the Americans call food "chow"

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

I've added a video of the press in action for anyone interested. Here is the address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRZNDRYk2vo&feature=player_detailpage

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

I have successfully flattened quite a lot of wrinkled covers using a standard domestic steam iron.

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Always on the lookout for Australian pre decimal First Day Covers.

Hi Pom
I agree. I think with covers it is probably better to be watching what you do and your iron might do a better job. For me, the press is worthwhile because I can have the stamps ready in such a short time. I find the small press works faster but the large one does a lot more stamps. Some of the ones Charlotte (my daughter) saved were past where I would have bothered but they came out great. As I said at the beginning of this thread, it is designed for pressing flowers and that is what most people will want them for. I just found it really useful for my stamps as well and thought I'd share that.
I may not have mentioned it but I can only supply presses here in Australia. For other countries it is better to go direct and there is a link on the website. Postage is the killer on these for anywhere else. I can supply them cheaper than the ebay sites for the same reason but to do that I have to maximise the post alternatives by bringing in sixty at a time.

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

I should mention that we're having problems with the selling page on the website. If you want one of these, please use the email address on the site.
sales[at]microfleuraustralia.com.au

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I'm John. I collect Italian, particularly the Mussolini years.

I believe that this is an urban legend with no foundation in fact, sadly for the joke but not so sad for the dog

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Tony Clayton http://www.italianstamps.co.uk
http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk

I have sold literally 100s - indded it must be over 1000 now, of these "Desert Magic" Stamp Drying books over the past 5 years.

Not a single stamp has been incinerated - nor any banknotes, nor any pet dogs or cats.

Pop in stamps or covers damp with a few books on top for a few days, and they dry clean and flat, and most creases come out.

http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=3329

Sometimes time proven low tech has its benefits.

Glen

And a strong word of warning.

As owner and publisher for "Coin and Banknote Magazine" for some years I do know my stuff here.

You ***NEVER*** press a banknote in higher grade that has any value.

NEVER.

It is always obvious to anyone experienced, and the note never lies flat thereafter and loses the orignal sheen.

Glen