How can I safely remove a photo that has stuck to frame glass from moisture?
Asked 4/22/2013
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An older printed photo in a frame appears to have bonded to the glass after being stored in humid conditions. Large areas are stuck, likely from condensation between the print and the glass. Is there a safe way to separate the print without tearing or removing the emulsion, or is it better to preserve it another way?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Water does not harm photographic paper. After all, it is soaked in different waterbased chemicals during developing and washed in clean water in the end. So you'll be quite safe removing the glass along with the photo from the frame and sinking them in good clean lukewarm water with a couple of drops of liquid soap. Do not try to pry the photo off the glass by force. Gently rubbing the back of the photo should help water get in between the photo and glass. Expect result in a few minutes.
If the photo does not come free off the glass inside 20 minutes, it most likely is stuck forever. In that case take the photo with glass off the water, wipe all loose water away and take the suggested (in comments) photograph of the photo thru the glass now that you just washed the glass clean and the photo looks good while still wet.
Disclaimer. This is safe method for photos printed (developed) on normal photographic paper. If the photo in question is not of that material, soaking in water may in some cases do great harm and destroy the photo irreversably. You should take a photograph of the photo thru the glass before attempting any other operations. Advice on how to best do a photographic copy may be found elsewhere on this site.
Originally by user17441. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user17441
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
If a print has stuck to glass, don’t pry it off dry—this usually tears the emulsion. A gentle first attempt is to remove the glass and print together and soak them in clean lukewarm or distilled water, optionally with a drop or two of mild soap, to let water work between the print and glass. Gently rubbing the back of the print may help, but don’t force it. If it hasn’t released after a short soak (around 20 minutes), the adhered areas are likely permanently damaged.
At that point, the safest option is usually preservation rather than separation: make a high-resolution scan or photograph of the print through the cleaned glass and restore the image digitally. That avoids further damage and often gives the best final result.
Some responders mentioned specialty photo emulsion cleaner, but any chemical approach is risky on an unknown print. For a valued photo, the most cautious route is professional photo restoration or scanning before attempting anything aggressive.
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