How to use mounts

So you've bought mounts and a mount cutter.

You may have already put stamps inside the mounts. But wait. While this is good for keeping track of which stamps goes in which mount, you'll now remove the stamp from each mount as you go along. Why? Because you are not The Greatest Swordsman in All of Japan The Greatest Most Perfect Stamp Mounter in All the Universe.

You won't have a lot of working time or ability to wiggle the mount in place, so use some guide to align your mounts, like the album page box for the stamp.

Top-loading mounts are very lightly moistened over most of the back, including the bottom seam, enough so that the mount lays flat on the page. How light? You don't want moisture squeezing out the sides when you smooth the mount down on the page. So, just in case, you've cleverly left the stamp out of the mount first. See how that works? You also should not moisten the mount so much that the album page buckles under the mount when it dries. Nothing will stay truly flat that way. When the mount gum is dry, insert your stamp. Just pull back the front and put the stamp in with tongs just snugly enough so it won't move around.

Split back mounts are only moistened over most of the top half of the back. There is even more of chance of moisture leaking from the sides when too much moisture is used, so it is even more important to make sure everything is dry before adding the stamp. Then flip up the mount, insert the bottom of the stamp in the lifted part and carefully maneuver the top into place (using tongs, of course).

There is an online "How to" using a sponge-tipped squeeze bottle. This is an accident waiting to happen, either in spilling the bottle or applying too much moisture. If you have kids or cats, your chances of an accident with the bottle go up 500%.

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