I feel so guilty about purging...

[Cinnistew]

Seven years ago my house caught on fire (thanks to my stupid neighbors). There was a lot of smoke damage and we lived in a motel for a month and then a rental for 4 more months. While we were not in our home all my stamps were stored in a storage unit by the company that was hired to do the cleanup of our personal property.

My stamps looked fine when I got them back but over time the clear stamps are hard to get off the acetate and tear very easily. The foam on my cling stamps is starting to disintegrate and the rubber looks very dry. I am sure it is from the smoke.

I am not sure what to do. I have a lot of stamps and I thought about donating them but in this condition I am not sure it is the right thing to do... I am actually thinking about putting the the garbage. I definitely won't sell them because of the condition of them. I am not using them but just tossing them seems like a waste.

Any advice?

[JBgreendawn]

for the rubber ones, try unmounting them from the foam and soaking rubbing glycerin on them?

if that does not work, there is stuff made for guys who spend big bucks to restore automobiles ( minds blank ) but, its to condition rubber too.. and its worth a shot if its an old stamp you really love and would play with again if you could use it.


I think the clear ones are gonners though to be honest.

[gregzgurl]

I agree with Stacy that the rubber stamps may be salvageable, but not the clear... If you don't want to go to the trouble, you could always post them in the B/S/T forum and see if someone else would like to give it a try...

[UnderstandBlue]

I recently talked to Aaron - the owner of Hero Arts - about a Winnie the Pooh stamp I'd purchased on Ebay that was starting to go (rubber) and he told me they can't come back from that point where they begin to disintegrate. :(

I'd toss them. Look at the bright side - you can SHOP

[wavejumper]

Aw what a shame. You had to go through that to begin with and now this. A few stamps is one thing...that many and so far down the road...you cant even claim fire damage now. :( I am really sorry.

Inspect the rubber ones. You have nothing to lose by taking them off the foam and trying to condition. If they have not changed color (ie lightened), if they dont feel stiff, and they are not cracking...I would try it on a couple as a test. You could put conditioner on them and just leave it for hours. But....caveat...they may still crap out on you in the next few years. Only you can decide how far you want to go.


That kind of thing...honestly...if you want to just give them away to someone willing to try to work on them...as you said, cant sell, and I wouldnt even try to trade them. And I would not donate either.


Tiny ray of light...since you are not a newbie you know what you like and will be able to rebuild smarter.


What's the story with everything else? Paper, adhesives, stencils and dies, ink pads... would guess the dies will be ok? Anything else?

[lynkim]

You should not feel guilty, when it was not your fault. Toss them and maybe try and save some of the rubber if you absolutely love them, but really, stamps do go "out of style" so toss and shop! I am also thinking it's way too late to claim the loss on your house insurance, which is sad.

[Ocean County Stamper]

Are you sure it is too late to talk with your insurance company? Especially, if you are still with the same company as when it happened? You never know, unless you ask. Is it worth a phone call to them? The worst they can say is, heck no, it's too late to make an addendum to the claim.

[Cinnistew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wavejumper

Aw what a shame. You had to go through that to begin with and now this. A few stamps is one thing...that many and so far down the road...you cant even claim fire damage now. :( I am really sorry.

Inspect the rubber ones. You have nothing to lose by taking them off the foam and trying to condition. If they have not changed color (ie lightened), if they dont feel stiff, and they are not cracking...I would try it on a couple as a test. You could put conditioner on them and just leave it for hours. But....caveat...they may still crap out on you in the next few years. Only you can decide how far you want to go.


That kind of thing...honestly...if you want to just give them away to someone willing to try to work on them...as you said, cant sell, and I wouldnt even try to trade them. And I would not donate either.


Tiny ray of light...since you are not a newbie you know what you like and will be able to rebuild smarter.


What's the story with everything else? Paper, adhesives, stencils and dies, ink pads... would guess the dies will be ok? Anything else?

I bought all new paper/cardstock. I was lucky the adjuster was a scrapbooker and understood the prices of stamping supplies. The ink and adhesives I had on hand were also replaced. Everything else was okay as far as I remember.

[Cinnistew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ocean County Stamper

Are you sure it is too late to talk with your insurance company? Especially, if you are still with the same company as when it happened? You never know, unless you ask. Is it worth a phone call to them? The worst they can say is, heck no, it's too late to make an addendum to the claim.

Maybe. I don't really use the cling stamps anymore (they were pretty outdated in style) and have since purchased A LOT of new stamps so I really don't need any more right now.

[Cinnistew]

Thanks for all the replies! I have decided to toss them. My 83 year old Mother's house caught on fire last October (due to a power surge during a storm) and she is living with us right now and I am really busy with the re-build on her house. They had to take it down to the studs and are taking forever to get done. It's the same damages that we had. New roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc.

[JBgreendawn]

I was going to like your post that you had mad a decision and then I read about your Mom's home and was like oh no you cant hit a like button for that, I am sorry you are going through this.

at least you were able to do a claim for a lot of it.

[bjeans]

I'm so sorry about your mother's house - and glad she's okay, apparently. You really don't need anything else to worry about now, do you. Before reading about her house I was going to post to not feel badly in the slightest for tossing the stamps. It's not like they're in good condition and you just don't want to donate them.

Beth

[rutabagapie]

Wow, that is really sad, I'm sorry you've lost so many of your stamps! And then your mother's house too! Our neighbors house caught fire and they've been gone since last August. What a headache with contractors and all. I know they are being put up in an apartment, but it's got to be really tough. :(

[Gabriella18]

I am glad you made a decision.....sorry about your Mom's house ....things can be so stressful, especially when she is at that age.
As far as insurance goes...you might be able to get some finanacial help with a quick email.....we moved six years ago and my CS collection was damaged and I did not notice it right away.

[Louisa May]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinnistew

Maybe. I don't really use the cling stamps anymore (they were pretty outdated in style) and have since purchased A LOT of new stamps so I really don't need any more right now.

I'm reviving this older thread to warn that clear stamps should be removed from their acetate backing and then replaced on it soon after you buy them. I don't know the chemistry but if I don't remove clear stamps within a month or so after purchase they either stick to the acetate so I can't remove them or they tear. This may not happen with all brands but it happened to me enough so that now as soon as I get them, I peel them off the backing and then put them back. Then they last almost forever --many years before they yellow and disintegrate.

[wavejumper]

What an incredible stroke of luck the adjuster was a craft peep! At least therre was that.

I keep hearing this kind of prolonged rebuild stories and thinking is it even worth it? It sounds like while it may be more expensive, just raising the house and starting new might go faster? I have never owned a house so that might be really ignorant of me.

[Hoboken Paper]

wavejumper -- I think it's just as slow to build a new house.

Cinnistew -- good idea to just toss them, your time is worth money too