Antique Photograph Restoration and Preservation

Before A Disaster Occurs

When storing your prints, be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight and humid rooms, such as basements or bathrooms, and away from intense heat. Cool, dry, and dark are the ideal conditions for long-term photo storage.

Prints stored in an album last longer than those in frames, but avoid albums with self-stick, "magnetic" pages and PVC plastic overlays. These albums cause rapid fading and discoloration. Instead, look for albums that are acid- and lignin-free. These chemicals can yellow and damage pictures.

If you want to display your photos, put them in frames under glass, preferably with an anti-UV coating. Aluminum frames are ideal, as they are lightweight and are not affected by humidity. Be sure to put an acid-free mat between the frame and the photo to prevent your prints from sticking to the glass over time.

We all have piles of photographs lying around in drawers, boxes, where ever. You’re not alone! Wouldn’t it be awful to find the hot water heater had leaked, or rain water settled in your storage boxes or mold from the basement attacked your family’s history? That would be a disaster.  Prevention is the first answer.

The best way to make sure the photos don’t stick to each other is to find a way to store them so they don’t lie around in a pile touching each other. Try one of the following two suggestions:

    Buy three hole punch archival plastic pages for storage of the photos and negatives and then, once filled, put your pages in any school notebook with a plastic cover (colored cloth covers could bleed colors on your photos if gotten wet) and/or

    Use an archival "shoe box" type approach with archival separating papers (interleaving sheets). I guess it depends on your personality which one you choose... they both work.

The correct plastic used for the pages should be polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene. Besides being good for photos, these materials won’t transfer the wording off of your photocopies onto the plastic. Bad materials to be avoided are vinyl, polyvinylchloride (PVC) or anything that smells weird or strong. The gas vapors will ruin the colors of new photos and accelerate the aging of old ones.

As an alternative to using the plastic page protectors, we have also found and used already-made photo albums from large warehouse type stores. The albums are advertised as having pages made of acid free materials and photo-safe plastics (no PVC). Providing you can believe what they tell you, these albums are probably OK to use. If you would like to be really sure, check the album for the company’s #800 phone number and ask them to confirm that everything is on the up and up. I have bought them every once in a while at the large warehouses like Price/Costco. Inquire around. You may be able to get them at stores like Walmart.

Don’t use the magnetic page photo albums either. The plastic on the front is always bad and the stick them on the back will eventually hold the photo so tight that you won’t be able to get them out safely. We’ve seen people rip their photos trying to get them out of old magnetic albums. The pages also yellow badly and look bad. The appeal of the "magic page" is short lived.

If you have large historical photos or some of odd sizes (like the 10" x 48" panorama photos) you will need to buy a special "holder" just for that item. Consider some of the archival boxes or specialty envelopes and enclosures, or look through the plastic container section of your supermarket. These containers are made of polyethylene or polypropylene (acceptable archival materials).

By taking these simple steps to separate and safeguard your photos (which could be done while watching TV), you will have made sure that they will not stick together if the weather gets hot and humid or if the photos get wet. Cardboard boxes and the like not only soak up water but the cardboard itself will bleed off impurities when wet and the yellowing will be carried by the water to stain everything thing else around. You will have also protected them from getting fingerprints, bent edges and they won’t get scratched up (like the ones in your drawers). These efforts will help you to feel much better about their preservation.

• After A Disaster Occurs
• After an earthquake:
• Gather the photos
• Store them safely
• Try not to further damage them

If your photos didn’t get crushed, ripped, scratched or dirty because of the disaster, they might during the clean up! Get them stored and out of the way as soon as possible. Then, follow the steps outlined above.

    DO NOT WIPE DIRT OFF OF THE SURFACE OF PHOTOS (they will scratch) Try blowing the dirt off.

    DO NOT TAPE RIPS TOGETHER (the tape will ruin the photos).

    DO NOT USE GLUE (will stain). The rips won’t get worse... save the repairs till later.

    Disasters with water:

    DON’T STACK WET PHOTOS INTO PILES!

    DON’T TOUCH THE SURFACE OF THE WET PHOTO!

    DON’T LET ANYTHING TOUCH THE WET PHOTO SURFACE!

    DON’T PULL STUCK PHOTOS (if they have dried) APART!

The following is a list of types of photography and what should be done if they get wet. After this list is a general explanation on how to go about their salvage and preservation.

Modern photography: This is your priority list, as far as which type of photography needs to be saved first, if you have to choose what to save from a disaster:

    Color prints, then

    Black and white prints, then

    Slides (transparencies) and then

    Negatives

This list is based on the fact that color prints will be damaged by water the fastest and so on... then, of course, your priority may be to save the photos of the kids first...

After the emergency situation has passed and you have made sure that everyone is safe and as soon as you have gathered your wits about you, your immediate decision is needed for the salvation of your family’s photos:

    Dry them out or

    Freeze them (so you can work on them later) within 72 hours or

    Keep them in clean cold water (change the water daily) until you can do something.

Motion pictures should be rewashed by an experienced film processing lab within 72 hours. Till you can get the wet film to them, fill the film cases with clean cold water or put into a basin of water (change the water daily) so they won’t dry out and stick to each other. Once the film has been washed, stabilized and dried, it is important to store it properly, even temporarily, such as in a sandwich bag or  archival box.

Microfilm rolls: It is imperative that the impurities are washed out and that the film does not stick to itself. Because of the sheer volume of material to be handled, it is recommended that after putting the film into a basin filled with cold temperature (distilled) water that the services of a photo lab be sought out within 72 hours. Do not remove the film rolls from their boxes: try holding the cartons together with string or a loose rubber band. Once the film has been washed, stabilized and dried it is important to store it properly, even temporarily, such as in a sandwich bag or other archival material.

Old black and white prints on paper: Keep in clean cold water (so they don’t start to dry out and stick together) until you can do something.  If they are going to sit in a basin of water for a couple of days, be sure to change the water daily. The photos must be dried separately within 72 hours.

If you have other types of old photos but don’t know what kind they are, call us immediately. Do not pass "GO." Do not collect $200.00 If you know what you have, the following list should help put the fear of God in you. They are all super sensitive and the success rate for recover is low (in this case an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of treatment):

Tintypes, ambrotypes, pannotypes and collodion negatives are a first priority item! They need to be dried immediately, face up. Do not put these types of photos in the freezer and do not put them in a basin of water as this will destroy the emulsion. Be prepared that the success rate for recovery is low, but this may depend on your care.  If there is something left, even if it's only part of a face, We Can Digitally Restore it, but the less Restoration the better, for both parties.   Also, be very careful when handling the delicate glass supports.

Daguerrotypes need to be dried immediately, face up. Don’t put them in water and don’t freeze them.

Nitrates with soluble emulsions need to be put in the freezer immediately. Try freeze drying. Very touchy, be careful when handling.

What To Do In Case Of Flood/Water Damage

Old paper backed photographs (vs. plastic coated new photo prints) may be yellow and brittle. Because of these deterioration problems, handling your old vintage photos on paper while wet compounds your problems and could result in you causing more damage when handling them than occurred as a result of the disaster which you recently experienced.

No matter what kind of photographs you have, if they get wet, they are your No. 1 priority. Red alert! You must act now, while they are wet, if you want to increase your chances of salvaging your photos. This should be done within 72 hours. Don’t let them dry out (if they are in a pile).

If you have a large quantity of wet modern photographs or if you have motion picture film on rolls, then you may not have any choice but to call us for immediate help.

Remember, once dried, the photographs, especially color photographs, which are securely stuck together may have a very low percentage chance of separation without damage. Keep them wet till they can be worked on.

The worst situation in which you may find your photography is if they are stuck together in a pile. Photographs and negatives have a surface coating (an emulsion) which, upon getting wet and then drying, may have adhered itself to the print next to it. DO NOT TRY TO PULL THEM APART! You need to be very careful when handling wet and damaged photos as they will be especially fragile.

If your photos are ripped, stained, dirty, bent or wavy there’s no hurry. They won’t get worse if you take care of them. Your only priority in an emergency situation is to keep things from getting worse and to preserve that which could be further damaged.

If you find a pile of color or black and white photographs or negatives stuck together, the first thing that should be done is to put them into a large basin of clean cool water. DO NOT TRY TO PULL THEM APART! It is possible that the photos emulsion will swell in the water and release the photo attached to it. You may have to leave it in the water for 24 hours. Make sure the water stays clean.

If your photographs are stuck together because they have gotten wet, and if they are still wet or damp, it is best to get them into clean cool water as soon as possible. Do not let the wet/ stuck together photographs dry out, if at all possible.

How to Freeze Photography

If you have a large amount of wet photography that you cannot deal with immediately (within 72 hours):

    Remove them from the basin of water.

    Rinse off dirt, mud, scum under gentle running water.

    Do not try and separate any photos stuck together.

    Separate with wax paper all individual photos or groups of photos

    Put them into zip lock freezer bags

    Put them in the freezer (yes even your one at home will do if you have room, but don’t stack the steaks on top!) and freeze them within 72 hours. Call a local meat processor, ice cream company or other commercial freezer for help with a lot of items.

By either freezing or getting your photographs into a basin of cool or room temperature water immediately, you will avoid the prolonged humid conditions that are conducive to mold and mildew.

Unfreezing Your Photographs

If you have frozen your photographs, the best way to save them is:

    Ask around town for freeze drying services. This is often the best technique for drying which results in less damage. There are problems with freeze drying photos, however, so be careful.

    If you have to do it yourself be extremely careful, Call us if you have questions!

    Only defrost as much stuff as you can easily handle (space for washing, drying etc.).

    Put the frozen photos into a basin of cool water and let them defrost at room temperature (kind of like your frozen turkey).

    Let the photos separate themselves over a couple days (change the water so it stays clean).

    Any photos you try to detach will probably have part of the photograph pulled off.

    Once separated, rinse and let them air dry

Mold Damage

Mold is one of the more severe problems you will have to deal with after your photos have gotten wet and stayed damp. That is why it is so important to take action as soon as possible after the unfortunate disaster. Once your photos get it, it will be hard to get rid of. Let us summarize what we have already written with a list of what you can do to minimize mold problems:

    Set up fans to circulate the air, no heat.

    Dry the items within 72 hours, no direct sun or heaters in a closed area or...

    Freeze all items that cannot be dried.

    If you have to let something sit in a tub of water, change the water every 24 hours.

If your photographs have already been afflicted by mold or mildew:

    Get them dry as soon as possible (moldy items are high priority!). This stuff grows fast!

    Protect yourself with a face mask with a carbon filter (mold spores are very small and may penetrate regular dust masks). Some people are allergic to mold.

    Outside, away from other papers, photos etc., remove the surface mold with a very soft, clean brush. Don’t let the mold dust get on anything else or later, when the humidity rises, the mold spores that have settled will grow again.

    If there is a residue on the surface of the photo, take a cotton swab and wipe the surface with isopropyl alcohol. This should remove the mold and may even kill some of it.

The more severe the problem the more you will need our professional help. The older the photo, the more urgent you will need our services.

Mud/Dirt Damage

Photographs covered in mud also need to be cleaned off (see next paragraph) and dried within 72 hours, otherwise interleaf the photos with wax paper and freeze them. Drying can be done by circulating cool air (with a fan) through the room. If you turn on a heater (in an attempt to dry things out more quickly) you will only cause the humidity to rise and mold will grow more vigorously. Expect some mold growth anyway.

If you have a fresh (it just happened and is still wet) mud problem, rinse off the photos using a gentle flow of cool water or by gently swishing it around in a basin (kind of like panning for gold). DO NOT RUB ON THE PHOTO. If you can, get the mud off while it is wet. There is more likelihood of staining if the mud dries.

For dried mud, put the photo(s) in a basin of clean water. After letting it sit for an hour, gently rinse clean. DO NOT RUB ON THE PHOTO.

CAUTION: Old, hand tinted, colored photos are often colored with paints that dissolve in water. If you rinse them, you will wash off the color.

If it is not possible for you to send your photography to us, see the next paragraph for drying instructions. After drying, protect them with proper storage & choose the photos you would like to get restored.

How to Dry Wet Photos

Do not under any circumstances use:

    Bleaches

    Detergents

    Fungicides

    Disinfectants

    Staples or paper clips

If you are going to attempt to separate your modern photography by yourself, it is best to let the photographs separate themselves over a twenty-four hour period in the basin of water. You can let them sit longer (in fact you may have to) but be sure you change the water every 24 hours. When handling the wet photographs, do not rub, mush, or caress the surface as this will damage the emulsion and the image. If possible, use a pair of blunt tweezers and hold the photograph by the edges. Once the photographs have separated, it would be best to rinse or dip the photographs in a basin of clean, room temperature distilled water. Do not let photos sit in dirty water.

Photographs on plastic coated paper can be hung, on a string which is stretched across the room, with clothespins but don’t do this with old photos on paper. The old brittle deteriorated paper will fall apart. If you do not have a lot of photographs, they can also be dried face-up on a towel in the open air but be careful where you set them out. Gusts of wind or a wandering dog could really make a mess.

    Cloth towels will wick away any water and should be lint-free, if possible.

    You could also use unprinted newsprint paper or butcher paper, with less success.

    Avoid placing wet photos on your old newspaper, colored paper or other easy to find papers. Inks can smear, dyes and colors can run, and acid deterioration products could be absorbed by your paper backed photography when wet.

    You may accelerate the drying with a blow dryer:

1. Don’t blow the item off the counter-low blowing pressure

2. Hold the hair dryer about 20" away

3. You can set the heat setting on hot, but...

4. ... do not get the photograph hot.

At this point, your photograph is detached and impurities may have been washed away. You have saved your photograph but after drying you may have ended up with a warped photo.  The photographs, once dried, can then be placed in individual protective sleeves. Besides using the photo sleeves or other enclosures and archival envelopes to protect the photos mentioned in the preceding section, you could also use sandwich bags from your supermarket (they are pretty flimsy though) and then put them in a protective box.  Make sure your photographs are completely dry before placing them in any holders.  Fill out our Order form and package your dried photos in a sturdy box.  Insure the contents and send them to us with detailed instructions on which ones you would like us to restore and which ones we should just Scan in and Archive.  Keep in mind, the photos will only get worse if you don't Restore them or Archive them!

If you have photographs that have been ripped, scratched or otherwise damaged, don’t despair. We are here to help.  There are BIG Discounts for large amounts of photos.  Make sure to check with your Insurance Company, they might just flip the bill for you.

Photo Albums: If your photographs are in a photographic album and the album has been destroyed by water, try to remove the photographs from the album and discard the album. This may be easier said than done... there are a lot of things that can make the salvage process difficult: inks that run, glue that won’t release paper colors that run. You will need a lot of patience... If pages are stuck to the photographs, place the pages of the photo album and the photographs together into the basin of water. As soon as you can remove the photos, pull the pages out of the wash water and then change the water. Do not let photos sit in dirty water.

If there is writing in the photo album that needs to be recorded, preserved, or remembered, take every handling precaution possible to not have the paper pages fall apart when wet:

    Use wet strength paper towels to support pages from below while moving them.

    While trying to remove photos, use little spatulas or a small knife to gently detach hard to get apart areas... you’ll need some finesse... patience.... don’t just rip it apart.

    If you want to run water over the pages to remove gunk deposits, don’t let the tap run water directly on the page... it will tear it into little pieces.

    Do not try to "dry the page off" with a towel. Let it air dry (or help it with a hair dryer if you want) face up on cookie racks or on paper toweling (which should be changed as it gets soaked).

Once the photographs are removed, the pages can be air dried and then photocopied to preserve the information for transcribing at a later date into a new photo album.

Conclusion

You need to remember something: once you have salvaged from water, cleaned off, and dried your family history photographs, they will not be in perfect, restored condition. You will have done your best but the casualties will be high. That’s the nature of the beast, photography. Earthquake and tornado (non wet) damage will be much easier to deal with.

The important thing is to remember your priorities:

    What is most important to you?

    Can you get a copy of something lost or damaged from someone else?

    Which Photos will have to restore to prevent further damage?

Our suggestion is to try and salvage everything from the disaster but when it comes time to clean up and recuperate, save your most important things first, if you can.