Learn Air brush lessons and tips

There was a time when only artists and illustrators used "air brush" technique for easiness and professional perfection. But now you can airbrush on any of the surfaces: motorcycles, illustrations, models, T-Shirts, leather, fingernails, crafts, batting or motorcycle helmets, goalie masks, canvas, wood, tanning, temp tattoo's, etc.

Air brushing allows artists and illustrators to create highly rendered images and a high level of realism. Airbrushes are commonly used by scale modeling enthusiasts because finer coats can be laid down, as well as opaque effects, like weathering, adding stains etc. The fine atomization of paint in modern airbrushes also makes it possible to accurately reproduce soft-edged mottled camouflage schemes, which are very hard to do convincingly by hand-brushing. (Luftwaffe aircraft are a good example of this)

Many Radio Control hobbyists also use the airbrush to create works of art on the lexan bodies. The paint jobs range from a basic one-color paint job to fine detailed works of art.

Definition of air brush:
Air brush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.

Where to learn "air brush" techniques and tips?

How To Air Brush teaches you free airbrush basic lessons, how to articles, tutorials, tech tips and more covering airbrushing and custom painting.

The goal of this web site is to make learning "How To" airbrush and or learning new airbrushing skills as easy and fun an experience as humanly possible. You can use these techniques to airbrush on any these surfaces: motorcycles, Harley's, illustrations, models, T-Shirts, leather, fingernails, crafts, batting or motorcycle helmets, goalie masks, canvas, wood, tanning, temp tattoo's, etc.

Few tips are:

Drawing is learning to look at an objects proportions and how its proportions relate to surrounding objects, perspective in other words. How large is an eye in relationship to the nose, where do these objects line up in relationship to each other.

Using a projector will help you understand these relationship's while you practice both airbrushing and drawing. It's just a matter of learning, practicing the basic skills until you gain confidence in your airbrushing skills. The trick or magic after all is not in the ability to draw but in taking a simple line drawing and painting it so it seems to jump right off your painting surface, adding life to your drawing. Using stencils or templates is a great way to enter the world of airbrushing and custom painting that does not require much in the way of drawing skills.
- Lessons to start

- Find air brush articles

*** Another site where you get more techniques and tips is "Air brush Guru"

A craft blog from a hobbyist

I love to search for crafts blog because there are lot of ideas and tips which you can use to create crafts. Only browsing through crafts projects and ideas is really enjoyable for crafts lovers.


Ann Wood.com is a craft blog from a hobbyist "Ann Wood", who is from Brooklyn New York. This blog is really different from other blogs or siters, because everything which she made is exceptional and personal. And she is ready to sell some products also.

Blog was created and started around February, 2006 and it seems that she uploads all the craft objects on the site. So for crafters and craft lovers, only watching the models of the things she makes is fun, as each and every piece of craft is an art itself.

She says:
"I make things, paint, and draw for my life and livelihood.

Some of my favorite things ( in no particular order) are : ships and shipwrecks, paper mache, birds, books about exploration, dioramas, swamps, the out of doors in general, magazines, libraries, felt, flea markets, horses, dogs, cats, things that are victorian and things that are small."

She made paper mache products mostly and all the objects can be found the site (pictures) with description.

Few posts about the topics she prefers to make:
- 100 cardboard horses

- birds

- ships

"Video jug" - offering instructional videos for many hobbies and leisure

Video jug is a community based video library with many hobby and leisure links for hobbyist.
At each and every link you may watch instructional videos for the topic.
It is a comprehensive library of free factual video content online.
The professionally-produced, high definition videos cover every conceivable topic and the site is the definitive online "encyclopaedia of life".

"Leisure and Hobbies" section is full with leisure and hobby ideas.
The topic are: art& craft, astrology, card and bar games, camping, comic books, knitting and needle work, magic and party tricks, digital photography, podcasting, video games, astronomy, writing and publishing, skates and scooters, skateboarding, kiting, horse riding, puzzles and more.

Every topic have more pages with videos.

Link to the page: Leisure and Hobbies

More about the site:

The video content on the site takes a variety of formats that include informative "How To" and "Ask The Expert" films that guide you, step-by-step, through everything and anything in life.
The “How To” format delivers easy-to-follow, bite-size tutorials on a wide range of topics from cleaning tips and sport, to relationship advice and recipes. These answer are provided by celebrities, professors, high-flying professionals, coaches, teachers, or consultants - who provide answers to common questions and concerns.
For hobbyist this site would be helping in providing how to videos for many hobbies.

What you get at the site?

You can share your own videos and take part in the discussion forum. Obviously you can get more information about your hobbies at the forum.
Link: forum
Sign up for their regular newsletter and updates on new VideoJug films:
Link: sign up here

The History of “YO-YO for yo-yo lovers!

Yo-yo fever is again taking the young ones into its grips. Young generation is in love for yo-yo and its tricks. For hobbyist of yo-yo the history of yo-yo would be interesting to know. I have omitted some unneccessry details from the original text, but if you want to read full article, then at the bottom of the post you can get the link.

Many love to collect different types of yo-yo, and it is one of the hobbies, which is very popular among kids and young children. It is also called skill toy, because
Do you know how yo-yo was first created and what is the history of it?

It is believed that the yo-yo most likely originated in China. The first historical mention of the yo-yo, however, was from Greece in the year 500 B.C. These ancient toys were made out of wood, metal, or painted terra cotta disks and called just that, a disc. It was customary, when a child turned of age, to offer toys of their youth to certain gods. Due to the fragile nature of the material, it is presumed that the disks made of terra cotta (clay) were used for this purpose rather than for actual play. A vase painting from this time period shows a Greek youth playing with a yo-yo. Such vases, as well as an actual terra cotta disk can be found in the National Museum of Athens, Greece.
Even in ancient Egyptian temples, drawings of objects have been seen in the shape of yo-yos.

Historical records indicate that 16th century hunters in the Philippines hid up in trees and used a rock tied to a long cord, up to 20 feet in length, to throw at wild animals beneath them. The weapon was able to be pulled up and thrown back down for multiple attempts at the prey. This gave rise to the widespread idea that the practice was the true forerunner of the yo-yo, but this is a stretch of imagination and has no real basis in fact. It is extremely likely, however, that the yo-yo did travel from China not only to Greece, but also to the Philippines, where the yo-yo is known to have been a popular toy for children over a very long period of time.

The next historically dated mention of the yo-yo is a box from India made in the year 1765. This miniature box was hand-painted with the picture of a girl in a red dress playing with her yo-yo. Within the next 25 years, the yo-yo traveled from the Orient to Europe, specifically to the aristocracy (upper class) of Scotland and France and on to England. As it traveled, it became known by a variety of names.

The yo-yo’s value as a stress reliever is also seen through history. While being a fashionable toy for the French nobility, those less fortunate are said to have played with their emigrettes to reduce the understandable tension of their one-way trip to the guillotine. Dating through the 1780’s, there are drawings of General Lafayette and others with their troops flinging their yo-yos. The yo-yo arrived in Paris in 1791 as it spread through France and was called the “joujou de Normandie.” Some believe that this term may reflect possible roots for the modern American name of “yo-yo.” High interest in the toy continued as evidenced by the famous French playwright, Beaumarchais, in his treatment of “The Marriage of Figaro” in 1792. There is a scene where the nervous Figaro enters and conveys his tension, not by the conventional
wringing of his hands, but playing with his emigrette! When asked what the emigrette is good for, Figaro responds, “It is a noble toy, which dispels the fatigue of thinking.” Even on June 18, 1815, at the famous Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon and his army are known to have been seen relaxing with their yo-yos before battle.

The yo-yo craze traveled throughout Europe to England by way of Scotland and France. The English used the French word bandalore, the term quiz, and the word incroyable which means ‘a French dandy’, to identify the toy. In 1791, a print was circulated of the Prince of Wales, future George IV, whirling his bandalore. Because of the toy’s popularity as well as the prince’s power to sell, the toy also became known as the Prince of Wales’ toy and soon became a toy that any person of fashion had to own. The toy’s ongoing popularity in England is shown as late as 1862 when an illustration appeared showing two young lads terrifying an older woman with their quizzes.

The first recorded reference to any type of yo-yo in the United States was in 1866 when two men from Ohio received a patent for an invention called “an improved bandalore,” in that it was rim weighted. One year later, a German immigrant named Charles Kirchof patented and manufactured the return wheel. From then until 1911, although various patents were awarded in the United States related to the yo-yo, nothing notable occurred. In 1916, the Scientific American Supplement published an article titled “Filipino Toys” which showed it and named it a yo-yo. This was explained by some as the Filipino word for “come-come” or “to return.” Significant events were soon to happen in the United States.

Meanwhile, back in the Philippines, the natives were becoming experts at making and using the toy. They became excellent wood carvers of the yo-yo and playing with a yo-yo, beginning early in childhood, became a national pastime. Not surprisingly, it was from here that the yo-yo as we know it today was truly introduced into the United States. In the 1920s, a man named Pedro Flores brought the first Filipino yo-yo to the U.S. and in 1928, began a yo-yo company by the same name in California.
These yo-yos were hand-carved from a single piece of wood. The yo-yo was unique because it was the first yo-yo that did not have the string tied to the axle. Instead, the string was looped around the axle, allowing the yo-yo to spin or “sleep” at the end of the string. This concept is at the heart of yo-yoing today. Rather than being able to only go up and down, the yo-yo was now capable of doing an infinite number of tricks.

In 1928 or 1929, a businessman named Donald F. Duncan Sr. saw his first Flores yo-yo while he was in San Francisco. He saw the potential of the toy as he witnessed the crowd that Pedro was able to draw by doing a few tricks. He purchased not only the idea of the yo-yo, but the Pedro Flores company itself. And, as they say, “the rest is history.”

Donald Duncan was an excellent businessman. He developed advertising campaigns and had demonstrators working for him in the U.S., as well as Western Europe. “Duncan Yo-Yo Professionals” traveled throughout the United States teaching and demonstrating yo-yo tricks and conducting contests in an effort to promote sales. Competition grew as other companies began to see the toy’s potential. In 1932, in an effort to protect his interest, Duncan filed for and was assigned a trademark for the word “yo-yo.” Not able to use the term “yo-yo,” competitors were forced to use terms like “come-back”, “return”, “returning top”, “whirl-a-gig”, and “twirler” for their versions of the toy.

In 1946, the Duncan Company moved to Luck, Wisconsin, which quickly became known as the “Yo-Yo Capital of the World” producing 3,600 yo-yos per hour. They produced the original maple wooden yo-yos using 1,000,000 board feet per year. In 1960, plastic yo-yos that we still see today began to be manufactured. Sales grew and grew. By 1962, the Duncan Company alone sold a record 45 million yo-yos in a country with only 40 million kids, and still could not keep up with the demand. High television advertising expenses and excessive expenses in overtime wages and materials to keep up with the demand hurt profits. There was also the continual legal expense in trying to hold onto the trademarked word “yo-yo.” Competitors fought hard to use it in describing their products. Finally, in 1965, the Federal Court of Appeals ruled that Duncan’s trademark for the word “yo-yo” was no good. The term yo-yo had become so widespread that it was now a permanent part of the language and it no longer only described the toy. It, in fact, WAS the toy.

In recent years, technology has affected a multitude of the products we use, and the seemingly simple yo-yo has been no exception. Beginning in the 1970s, yo-yo manufacturers, seeing the benefit of periphery weight distribution, began rim-weighting their products for a longer spin. In 1978, Tom Kuhn patented the “No Jive 3-in-1” yo-yo, the first take-apart by hand yo-yo and the first having a replaceable axle. In 1980, Michael Caffrey patented “The yo-yo with a Brain.” In addition to a free-spinning sleeve bearing for long spin times, “The Brain” has a centrifugal spring loaded clutch mechanism that causes an automatic return of the yo-yo to the hand when the rotational spin slows to a pre-determined rate. And by the 1990s, transaxle yo-yos were available with ball-bearing axles, increasing spin times once again.

But this is not quite the end of the story. On April 12, 1985, the yo-yo was first taken into space by NASA on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the Toys in Space project. A basic spinning yo-yo was used to see what effect microgravity would have on it. What they discovered was that a yo-yo could be released at slow speeds and gracefully move along the string. However, the yo-yo refused to “sleep.” Without the downward force of gravity, the yo-yo could not spin against the loop at the end of the string and so, rebounded up the string. It was also found that the yo-yo must be thrown, not dropped, as there was no gravity to pull it down. And on July 31, 1992, the yo-yo (an SB-2) again made its way into space, on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, this time for an educational video including slow-motion yo-ing.

Whether the yo-yo was a Chinese, Greek or Filipino invention or some combination is difficult to prove. By the same token, it is also difficult to say with certainty whether the toy spread from country to country or whether the same basic pattern for the toy appeared in completely different parts of the world for no obvious reason. We do know that its use as a toy around the world and throughout history is unmatched. And, although the yo-yo has gone through periods of hibernation in its trek through the ages, its popularity, just like the toy itself, always comes back

Compiled by Valerie Oliver
Source link:
History of yo-yo

From where to get ideas for hobbies or other leisure activities?

What you do when you have nothing to do at your leisure?
(Even you are bored with your hobbies)

Better to look around for hobby ideas. Because hobbies help us spend our spare time in a better way and many hobbies provide us joy or satisfaction.
There are times when you really feel and say,"I’m bored"

Idea helper is a site where you can post your ideas, add or look for ideas about hobbies.

The topics catagories are: Birthday, Business, General, History, Lifestyle, Wedding and you can search for recipe ideas, making gift basket, wedding anniversary, money saving, presentation, marketing, kids activity and a lot more ideas.

* List of hobby ideas provides you a long list of hobby ideas, so when you are short in ideas or look around and can't decide which in hobby you should engage yourself, then this list can help you.

More idea pages:
- Student idea list

- Kids activity ideas
- Children's party craft ideas

- Welcome home ideas
If you have good ideas about any occasion, any topic and want to add to the site: add your idea

More links to get ideas:

- Find some creative and hobby ideas at "Creative world" site from "Camlin: Do it yourself

- "Hobby University" is for Hobby ideas, education, and other hobby-related information for all. You can find craft techniques, gift, skill, tips and tricks at the site.
Link: Hobby University

- At "HG TV": site Hobby Ideas for Kids

- At your finder tips provides ideas to hlep make children more creative.

- For a lot of hobby ideas and articles: Hobby only.net

- Hobbyist project ideas at Staedtler.co.uk

- Get ideas and tips, articles on hobbies: Hobby craft- hobby guide

"Making robots and electronic gadgets"- For future engineers

Being an educator, although I have to deal with reception years classes, but personally I am fond of making stuff, either it is with blocks, machanics sets or other science projects. I remember my school going days, when my father gave me a "mechanics" set, alongwith screws, bolts, screwdriver and all the parts which can make car, plane, furniture and lot of models out of it. I was really addicted to my construction set, and for 2 or 3 years I played with it.
Still I have addiction of those construction kits, and now I buy those kits for my son who is 9 years old and fond of electronics and building kits.

I fould this site Hobby Engineering during my search for "hobbies" and found it quite interesting. It is for students and adults who have an interest in creating "stuff" using technology.

More about the site:
(In their own words)
Hobby Engineering alludes to the process of creating high tech inventions, toys and art while developing leading edge knowledge and skills and having fun!
Some of that "stuff" will be practical such as advancing in school or building a device to reduce human drudgery. Some of that "stuff" will be purely for entertainment such as a dancing robot. All of this "stuff" will require thought, creativity and initiative. And we do it all to challenge ourselves and have fun. And maybe improve our little corner of the world in the process.

Can you really built a robot?

It says:
"Absolutely!

Technology has advanced to such a point that it is practical for almost anyone to get involved in robotics. What you can accomplish is determined by your own maturity, initiative, interests and (unfortunately) budget. The fact that anyone can be involved does not mean it is easy. That is part of what makes this activity interesting. Technology enthusiasts are constantly challenged and often frustrated by the technology. Success requires developing a significant level of inquisitiveness and doggedness. Younger hobbyists in particular will require help managing the challenge. The key to success is picking an appropriate starting point and developing one new skill at a time. It is amazing what can be accomplished with the right attitude and personal motivation. We will do our best to help you succeed in your chosen activity!"

The best thing I like about the "Hobby Engineering" is that they don't only sell the kits or products but they guide or offer tutorials for learners.
** Turorials page provides links to "basic electronics" tutorial and few projects.

If your child is interested in building kits then check this page: Gift Guide
You can select gifts from 8 years old to 12 and there are suggestions for college students, Engineers and adult hobbyists.

How this hobby helps us?

Site explains:

"building is an essential skill for everyone. It teaches us subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) lessons about the physical world that aren't taught in science class. Building also helps develop (or maintain) fine motor skills and logical thought processes. Building teaches important lessons about life such as how to do research and experimentation, how to manage complex tasks, how to deal with frustration and how to ask for help. It also helps teach important lessons about the value of labor and the process of producing goods: "no that great video game or MP3 player didn't magically appear on the store shelf overnight"


Things to keep in mind when buying their products:
"Hbooby Engineering" suggests:

- Nothing we sell works ... until the builder reads the instructions, thinks about a plan and does the work of building. In some ways giving our products is like giving away a job. If the receiver likes the job its a great opportunity, If they don't like the job its just ... well ... work. With younger kids this can be a great surprise gift that opens their mind to new opportunities. Older kids and adults are less responsive to surprise job assignments so you need to make sure that the potential builder has an appropriate level of interest and/or someone to provide encouragement and other needed help.


- While we have organized the gift guide by age, you also need to consider the builders existing skills, interests and character. A high school student who has never built anything might be better off starting with our one of our middle school products to develop basic tool and assembly skills. Some middle school kids would rather spend a year or two of frustration working on one of our most advanced kits than breezing through a more age appropriate product. A professional engineer who doesn't want to think about "serious" projects at the end of a long week might get a bang out of putting one of our kid projects together and then proudly put it on his or her desk as a conversation starter.


- Building activities need to be challenging or they become boring. Some families buy more and more of the same kind of building set until their kids stop using them and then think that the kids have "outgrown" building sets. More often they sit in the closet because the kids have become tired of building with the same old shapes. No matter how many boxes of bricks you buy they are still just bricks and can only be formed into certain shapes. Its a better idea to give the kids different kinds of building sets so they can explore different shapes and materials and even build using combinations of products.


*** Abotics provides FREE help in making low cost educational robots. Abraham L. Howell, the founder of Abe Howell's Robotics is dedicated to helping students learn through the direct interaction with autonomous mobile robots.

Where to buy hobby stuff?

You can simply go to any shopping mall site and type "hobby" or "hobby products" and you are sure to get some items there, but there are many hobby stores, which deals specially in hobby products. I have tried to compile this list for hobbiyst to find the hobby stuff easily. This list would be updated, as I personally check each and every link and then add it to my lists.

1- Internet Hobbies provides a wide range of hobby products at the lowest possible prices.

It started in 1995, as the oldest e-commerce business in the internet. They currently ship to over 25 different countries worldwide.
In 2006, Internet Hobbies served over 3.4 million online customers.

2- Always Hobbies
HOBBIES have been supplying modelmakers since 1895 and we pride ourselves on our worldwide reputation for quality and service. This upgraded website now offers our complete catalogue range, shopping online could not be easier.

3- Go Hobbies the place to shop to find new, "hard to find" and "discontinued" model train products. They deal in RC cars, planes, helicopters, boats and NASCAR related products. And their product offerings are more than 100,000 items.

"Go Hobbies" is from Southern California. And the site was started by selling left over model train stock from a hobby shop. Their name was Discount Trains Online.

4-Variety Access online hobby store for hobbies, sports, music, and hobby toys. You can find wide variety of hobbies at this hobby store.
- You can find and develop new hobbies at this site, as well as by providing information about various hobbies, explanations and examples and stories about how to do them, and all of the products necessary for you to get started.

Collecting hobbies- A popular hobby -"Stamp Collecting"

As far as I remember "stamp collecting" was my first hobby, and I enjoyed it a lot during my whole student years. I had many penfrieds, with whom I exchanged the stamps.

After few years I was inclined to other hobbies as well. But my stamp collection still fascinates me, and whenever I sit opening my stamp album, all the memories of how these stamps were collected refresh my mind. But there is no doubt that no other hobby can compete with stamp collecting, as it a good source of having a record of any event. Stamps can be collected by country, by topic, size or event. So it is an informative hobby as well.

The persone involved in this hobby are called "philatelists"

The article you are going to read, is courtesy of
Aeiou which is created by "The Australian Misnistry of Education, Science and Culture", and provides cultural information.

"Stamps have been collected for approximately 140 years. People began taking interest in these small slips of paper soon after the issuance of the first stamp on May 6, 1840 in England.
One of the earliest indications of stamp collecting is an advertisement in an English newspaper in which a young woman sought as many used stamps as possible with which to wallpaper her room. It would be interesting to know whether she obtained the necessary amount. At today’s market value, this "wallpaper" would have been worth an enormous sum: nowadays a single "Blackpenny" costs around 2,000 Austrian shillings. Just how would this room have looked? As the name says, the first English stamp was black. The 2-pence stamp issued a short time later was dark blue - likewise not much better.

Initially, collectors sought to gather stamps from all over the world. Up until the turn of the century a general collection of this kind included only a few thousand specimens. Few such collections could be completed, as there are only two dozen of the "Blue Mauritius" and indeed just one single specimen of the "Red British Guyana".


As stamps became more and more numerous, collectors limited themselves to individual countries: known as country collecting. Most obvious is to collect stamps from one’s own country. Only a handful of Austrian collections are truly complete. Just a few specimens remain of the "Zinnoberroten Merkur", one of the rarest Austrian stamps.

Soon post offices discovered stamp collectors to be a good source of revenue, and an unprecedented surge began. Only a few countries remained serious, Austria being one of them. Collectors reacted with motif collecting. No longer did they strive to complete country-specific collections, but rather collected stamps according to their pictures: dogs, flowers, locomotives, ships, paintings, weapons, buildings, or beautiful women. One could once again collect "world-wide": the golden eagle from Austria, the honey-bee from Spain, the sea eagle from Senegal, and the humming bird from Jamaica. However, amassing many similar stamps with butterflies, birds, or busts had a monotonous effect and conveyed little. In addition, postal administrations (mostly in smaller countries) soon discovered that motif collectors allowed themselves to be taken advantage of more readily with all the colorful little pictures than country collectors.

Documentary was superseded by thematic motif collecting. Here a theme is taken up, a story is told about it, and the stamps (along with entire letters and special cancellation marks) provide the corresponding illustrations. An example can be seen in Mozart’s biography: his house of birth is portrayed on a stamp, his sister Nannerl on a special cancellation mark, his piano on a postcard, etc. - if these indeed exist. The collector can sometimes search for quite a while.

Certain collectors smirked, totally unjustifiably, at these "mini-picture-collectors". Once again they looked to the post office and explored history. In demand are letters from the period of time before the introduction of stamps ("pre-philately"). One can reconstruct postal history: postal trends and fees. The very latest thing is home collecting, whereby everything involving postal delivery is collected and explored that relates to one place, region, or district.

This is indeed the pinnacle of philately, comparable to the world championships in ice skating or Gerhard Berger in auto racing.

What kind of stamps people collect?

Naturally, the average person should initially collect stamps from his/her own country. Newly-issued stamps don’t cost very much - approximately 300 shillings a year in Austria. With this you can anticipate around 30 stamps. New stamps can be purchased at no extra charge from any post office as of the day of issue. If you wish to be assured of receiving all stamps, you can take out a subscription. This is free of charge, and the stamps are held at the post office counter until they are picked up. You can choose which post office you prefer.

All those interested who are located outside of Austria should consult the Collector’s Service of the Austrian Postal Administration at the following address: Steinheilgasse 1, A-1211 Vienna. Telephone: domestic (0222) 25 025-0, international +43 1 25 025-0.

In addition to definitive stamps, which are meant for normal mail, there are also commemorative stamps. Commemorative stamps appear on special occasions, show an appropriate illustration, and are elaborately printed. Once a year a supplementary stamp appears. It costs only a few shillings more, and the proceeds go toward an area of philately - thus indirectly benefiting all collectors. Blocks also appear on special occasions and contain only one or several stamps presented in their "Sunday best", for this the picture carries through to the border.

Austrian stamps are designed by artists and are produced using a lavish, high-quality printing technique, for which the Austrian national printing press is world-famous. Indeed Austrian stamps have an international reputation.

Along with stamps one can also collect whole articles. Presently in Austria there are domestic and international postcards, envelopes, and aerogrammes on which the stamp is already printed. Formerly these were the normal definitive stamps. For a few years pictures have been used which do not exist as "normal" stamps. Earlier there were many more types of whole articles.

Those wishing to collect not just newly-issued stamps can also collect in reverse - those stamps of past years. Still older stamps can be obtained at many post offices. Larger post offices have their own collector’s counter, where the selection is often quite large. Stamps can be found here that are thirty or more years old, of course at the (low) prices of those days.

Stamps put aside for longer periods or those which are out of print can best be purchased at a stamp dealer. Names and addresses can be found in the telephone book. Even at a dealer, stamps from the last thirty years cost not much more than their face value. Rather expensive, however, are those from the fifties.

New stamps, even foreign ones, can be obtained at stamp collectors’ societies. Here the new ones are often less expensive than at a dealer, though it often takes a long time. One can also trade stamps and in this way make use of any duplicates. Societies have catalogues, give advice, and offer expert examination of rare stamps. Many societies also have extensive libraries. Addresses of societies in your area can be obtained at the Association of Austrian Philatelist Societies, located on Getreidemarkt 1, A-1060 Vienna.

The Association’s newspaper is called the "Briefmarke" ("postage stamp"). It contains all information related to stamps, special cancellation marks, events, as well as valuable specialized articles in all areas of philately. A monthly one-year subscription costs just 330 shillings.

How are stamps collected?

A stamp is "fresh" when it comes directly from the post office and has not yet been used. "Used" stamps are already cancelled. A stamp is fully cancelled when it is covered entirely by the cancellation mark, and is partially cancelled when only a corner is covered. "Wave marks" or "publicity marks" are unpopular among collectors. Used stamps must be removed from their envelopes, a relaxing (yet sometimes quite tedious) activity.

Before removing the stamp(s), it should be determined whether the letter perhaps says more in its entirety. Stamps "on the letter" are popular nowadays. This applies especially to those stamps cancelled on their first day of validity. Special covers are sold for "first day" stamps.

Where are stamps collected?

You can throw them in a box or keep them in a cover, but it is much nicer to store them in an album.
There is a variety of different types of albums. A slot album has strips of pockets in which stamps can be slipped individually or on top of one another. This method is recommended in the beginning, since stamps can be more easily rearranged or moved. However, larger collections require many albums - these cost money and need plenty of space.

In an adhesive album, stamps are glued in with an adhesive hinge. This hinge is made of gummed paper which is folded into two uneven halves. The smaller part goes on the stamp while the larger part goes on the album page. This method must first be learned. Adhesive albums can accommodate more stamps which can be arranged more openly - even allowing space for captions. Rearranging them on a page is difficult, yet additional pages can be easily inserted. This type of album is not bound, but rather consists of a cover and individual pages. Earlier, collected stamps were exclusively "glued". This is why most old stamps have adhesive residues on the back. Today this is very much regretted, and stamps "with adhesive" are of a lesser value.

In a form album squares to accommodate each stamp are already printed, usually with an illustration or a description. Form albums are convenient, though there are few possibilities for personal arrangement. One can also collect "formless" by purchasing special or blank pages from album manufacturers. In this way the collection can be created according to one’s own imagination. All large, specialized collectors create their own pages.

Fresh stamps should not be glued, there is a special adhesive-free album for these. Pages for this type of album provide pre-printed fields for the stamps and provide transparent plastic pockets in which they can be slipped. If you succeed in doing this without leaving fingerprints, your stamps remain "fresh". Adhesive-free albums are naturally more expensive.

Stamps should never be touched with the fingers, especially not the fresh ones. Special tweezers are available for safe handling. Whether you use straight, bent, or hooked tweezers, or ones with thin, wide, round, or spade-shaped tips, is up to your own personal taste. Medical tweezers with sharp tips are unsuitable, as they can damage the stamps.

Stamp sequences can be taken from catalogues, where stamps are illustrated, sequentially numbered, described, and shown with prices. Prices are usually given based on whether the stamp is "fresh", "with adhesive", "used", and "first day". Many additional details are often given. The most widely circulated Austrian catalogue is the "Austria" Netto-Katalog (ANK), published by Christine Steyrer, Taborstrasse 29, A-1020 Vienna. Albums, hinges, catalogues, tweezers, and all other essentials can be found at dealers and stamp societies.

Why collect stamps?

Stamp collecting is one of the least expensive hobbies: a monthly stamp subscription costs less than a pack of cigarettes. (You can compare this to skiing, surfing, golf, or gliding). The instinct to collect lies in each of us - not just in children. The stamp collector builds a world of his/her own. Stamps furnish an overview of art, culture, sports, history, geography, zoology, botany, economics, technology, physics, chemistry - all without studying. Stamp collecting quickly leads to sociable contacts all over the world - collectors are international (not even the Iron Curtain hindered trade contacts). Names such as Kiribati, Bophuthatswana or Guatemala are just as common among stamp collectors as Vienna, Linz, or Graz.

One day, when they sell their collection, collectors can recover a portion of their money (something which can’t be done with other hobbies such as skiing, golf, or smoking). This does not mean, however, that one can make a fortune with stamps. Speculating with novelties is senseless.

The money you spend on stamps buys enjoyment, enjoyment which returns each time you leaf through your album. This is certainly worth the few shillings!"

By: Richard Zimmerl, Senior Professor
Acting President
Association of Austrian Philatelist Societies

Source: link

Hobbyist who want to get more information about this hobby can look for more links:

* 2 clicks stamp is called number one world directory for philatelists. So you can get a lot of information from this directory.

* Stamps collecting tips provides the information on stamp collecting plus Great tips on how to get the best out of your collecting Hobby

About this blog

Hobbies are not only a pass time, but people are sometimes so devoted to their hobbies or interests that their social or personal life is effected.
If you search the web for hobbies, you would find how people are fully engaged in their hobbies and sometimes these hobbies take turn to a full time career.
Some people have weird hobbies, which is interesting to read.
Some people have interesting hobbies which can give us an idea to think about that hobby.

"According to Pew Internet's telephone survey conducted in February-March 2007 found that fully 83% of online Americans say they have used the internet to seek information about their hobbies and 29% do so on a typical day. Looking for information about hobbies is among the most popular online activities, on par with shopping, surfing the web for fun, and getting news."

This blog is for hobbyist, to hobbyist and for hobbies.