Recover Photos After a Disaster Advice
Recover Photos After a Disaster
Flood waters can bring sediment and debris in
contact with treasured photographs, and the water used to put out fires
often causes more damage than the fire itself. But don't give up hope -
photographs are actually very resilient.
Traditional Resin-Coated (RC) prints with a glossy
or matte emulsion layer can usually be treated at home. Heritage and digital
prints, however, have surfaces that are quite fragile when wet, and will
require the specialized care and handling that only a professional photo
conservator can provide. The variety of materials used to produce heritage
and digital prints makes it difficult to recommend one sure-fire solution
for home restoration.
If possible, we recommend making reprints of
photographs or digital images from any negatives or files that may be
available before attempting to restore damaged photos.
If you are unable to clean your photographs
immediately, place them in plastic bags in a freezer until they can be cared
for further. A freezer will slow fungal growth and ensure that your
photographs are in a secure location.
The following steps can be taken to rescue your
photographs:
Cleaning Step 1:
Cleaning Step 2:
Cleaning Step 3:
With gloves on, place photos in cold water in small
groups of one to five. Handle the photos by the edges only.
Soak or rinse the photos with cold water. A gentle
stream of water may be sprayed on the photo to help loosen debris. Change
the water frequently to keep your work environment clean. Repeat this
process if necessary.
Conduct a final rinse using cold, distilled water.
This will wash away any residue remaining from the cleaning process.
Air Drying:
Flattening Photos:
Lay photos flat to dry on either a paper towel or on
plastic or aluminum screening material fastened to a frame. You may also
hang the photos by one corner using small clothespins. Drying should be done
in a shaded part of your home.
If the photos are curled after they are dry, place
individual photographs between two sheets of blotting paper. Place flat,
heavy books on top of the sheets for 24 hours in a humid environment.
Why cold, distilled water?
The image on a photograph is held by the emulsion
layer, which is destroyed by high temperatures, humidity and steam. So, when
you use water to clean your damaged photos, keep the immersion time to a
minimum and keep the water temperature below 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Distilled water is best for the final rinse, since it's free of impurities
and won't add to the impurities already on your photos.
If your photographs require additional treatment
after these steps, we recommend that you contact a professional photo
conservator to seek further advice.
A professional can also scan, retouch and reprint
the photographs. We also suggest using Photo-safe photo mounting paper for
your albums to limit the damage to your albums from flood or fire.
For more in-depth information on rescuing digital
and traditional prints, Creative Memories has also made available the Image
Permanence Institut's publication A Consumer Guide for the Recovery of
Water-Damaged Digital and Traditional Prints.
Traditional Scrapbooking | Digital Scrapbooking | Inspired
Surroundings | Album Imprinting | Photo Center
Debbie Solar | (Home) 219-924-0531 |
http://www.mycmsite.com/debbiesolar
© 2007 Creative Memories | Privacy Policy
This comes from the below website:
www.mycm.com/debbiesolar
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
