Feeling flat?

Create a Post
J

jkol

Grumbler
Joined
Jan 4, 2001
Posts
43
Loc
Bristol, CT
A customer came into the shop a little while ago with a three panel photo print that he received from the Navy when he was discharged from the service. The print measured approx. 12"x30" and had been rolled up tightly since WW II. I was looking for suggestions on how to flatten something that has been in such a tight coil for so long.

Thanks,
Jay
 
Whenever I have had tightly rolled items come in, I'll take two pieces of either 4 ply rag or acid-free foam core and carefully slide the item in-between, unrolling as I go. The edges are taped to keep it in place. I'll leave it like that,in a plastic sleeve, until it is time to work on it. If needed, I'll place it in the heat press to flatten before mounting.
 
In one shop I worked at we had a "humidity chamber" that we used to help flatten things. It basicly amounted to a large plastic garbage can that we put an inch or two of water in and a smaller trash can that we put into the large can. We would put the art (if its rolled leave it that way but remove any ties or such) in the smaller can and put a lid on the larger and leave it for a few days. When we took the art out it would be limp from the high humidty in the cans. We would then place it between blotter paper and cardboard with a box of glass on top and leave it for a week or so changing the blotter paper every day so it wouldn't mildew. Sometimes we would put it into a combination press with low heat instead of using blotter paper and weights. Worked pretty well for us.
 
The humidity chamber works, but there is risk of damage -- a Conservator is the better idea unless you know *exactly* what you're doing.

When imparting moisture to relax paper, use blotters & weights as Frank suggests, and change the blotters frequently. The blotters can also be "desiccated" (dried) by putting them into a heated press for a while -- then they absorb even more moisture.

One caution: For the photo or art, avoid heat when the paper is moist. Paper is made by cooking fibers in water. So, when wet paper is heated, it might think it's time to go back to slurry. And if that happens, the paper partially disintegrates and weakens. But when it's merely blotter paper, it doesn't matter.
 
Consult a conservator!
In addition to Jim's caution, the emulsions used in photography are moisture sensitive. If not relaxed properly they can be disturbed. The old fiber based prints are almost bullet-proof, but an RC print from this era will be most fragile. Best to know what you are dealing with.
Another concern is the relative stability of the photo. Change of environment can trigger all sorts of things in these old photos. I have two of them in the shop right now that started getting some surface oxidation after removing them from the frame. Adding humidity to paper that has been stored a long time can trigger a fungal bloom.
Once you get the piece flattened out, have a professional photographer make a medium format color negative of the photo (4x5). A conservator will do this for you. This will insure that the client will always be able to recreate the image should something happen to the original. I would not be overly concerned with copywrite at this point.
 
Thanks to all for the suggestions. The humidity chamber sounds great in theory but may be a risky undertaking (considering I've never done it before).

I'm going to just try to flatten the photo between some rag mats with glass as weight.
If it doesn't seem to be working I may just consult a conservator.

Thanks, Jay
 
Create a Post
Back
Top