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Post by Ted Talks Stamps on May 7, 2023 19:20:34 GMT
This thread was spun off from the one on Swiss Rayons. — TTSC I chuckle when I think back on hearing the term -- why are philatelists so interested in synthetic fabric? I was confused -- you see the fabric was invented by a Swiss scientist. How was I supposed to know that it's also an archaic Swiss term for shipping rates based on distance/time? Speaking of rayon (synthetic silk), does anyone have a definitive/authoritative answer to whether the Poland souvenir sheet of 1958, Scott 830, is real silk or synthetic? I've read both assertions.
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Post by khj on May 7, 2023 20:49:53 GMT
Back in my research days, the various types of spectroscopy were a significant area of activity for me (electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, laser spectroscopy... but no mass spectroscopy or chromatography, that's my spectroscopy donut-hole).
So I can advise you with supreme confidence that the burn test will provide you with the quickest determination.
1. set the S/S on fire (fun) 2. if it's silk, it will leave ashes (just like when you set your roommate's term paper on fire as a college prank) 3. if it's rayon, it will melt (very cool, like creating your own form-fitted covering for your trinkets, a bit gooey, but form-fitting)
I guarantee you will determine with 99.9999% certainty whether silk or synthetic. What can go wrong? How can you not be satisfied with the result?
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Post by Ted Talks Stamps on May 7, 2023 21:29:17 GMT
Well, I do have a few extra copies.
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Post by khj on May 7, 2023 22:03:06 GMT
The slower method is to clip off an edge, yank out / unravel some threads, and look under the microscope. You can google for the details. It's not as exciting as trying to set it on fire, so I have no interest in typing out the details of what to look for under the microscope. k, the philatelic pyromaniac (always ready to stamp on fires, or put fire on stamps)
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Post by Ted Talks Stamps on May 8, 2023 1:33:22 GMT
I just learned another method. Dip the sheet in Clorox bleach; if it dissolves, it was silk. Now, I’d like to find someone with a damaged non-collectible copy of this SS to do some mad scientist experIments in a video.
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Post by khj on May 8, 2023 5:00:32 GMT
I am curious where you heard that the 1958 Poland S/S was printed on synthetic silk. The list that I had seen that separated artificial/synthetic silk from real silk had that S/S listed as real silk.
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Post by Ted Talks Stamps on May 9, 2023 3:46:43 GMT
khj I don’t recall the source. In trying to search for it, though, I came across Poczta Polska’s description of the 2008 follow-up ss, where they mention the 1958 ss being made of silk. So, I will defer to their authority.
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Post by khj on May 9, 2023 7:31:08 GMT
Michel says intaglio on silk. But does that mean real silk or are they just using the fabric name that most people readily recognize?
I mean, people will say orange soda, but there are some who might say it isn't real orange soda unless it is a Nehi.
You say potato, I say tomato -- doesn't matter, the point is neither of them is meat.
There's actually an article in Linn's that discusses this specific souvenir sheet -- the article is on the collecting of stamps printed on 100% silk or very high silk content. But out of respect for those who are boycotting everything Amos, I shall erase the memory of this article from my mind...
deleting deleting deleting done
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Post by Ted Talks Stamps on May 9, 2023 10:35:58 GMT
If I had started using OneNote earlier, I might (operative word: might) have been able to save all these disparate bits of information and misinformation I come across, in an organized retrievable manner.
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Post by khj on May 9, 2023 17:23:33 GMT
You don't need OneNote for keeping track of where you got wrong information. Just come to me.
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