Photo stuck to glass

[hangupsinc]

A customer brought in a class photo from 1954 to be reframed. We have discovered that about 50% of it is stuck to the old glass. I seem to remember reading once that there is a solution that both glass and photo can be soaked in to release the photograph. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

 

[j Paul]

Before you do anything, scan it thru the glass in case you need to have it reprinted and restored. ( Digital Custom) Have been threads discussing this before with some suggestions of soaking in water to remove. Most conclude that it is a BIG No, No!

 

[Val]

I've stopped even trying to do the soak thing, 90% of the time (or more!) it doesn't work.

What jP said....now I scan it through the glass and make a copy onto photo paper and reframe that. Works just fine, and I haven't had a problem with glass reflection so far.

 

[Bill Henry-]

Like others have suggested in the past I have tried both soaking the print (glass side down) in a cake tin and popping the glass/photo sandwich in the freezer for a few hours.

Neither has worked with any degree of consistency. Soaking, in my experience, turns the emulsion into Jell-O. Freezing doesn’t do nothin’ at all.

Scanning may be your only hope, but, again in my experience, the areas of contact between the photo and the glass often have a “ferrotype” look to them. Trying to remove this localize sheen in Photoshop after scanning is very time consuming and difficult.

 

[j Paul]

Trying to remove this localize sheen in Photoshop after scanning is very time consuming and difficult.

That's why you scan and send it off to Digital Custom at www.image-edit.com they are the experts and it is sure worth the minimal cost at wholesale. Probably less than a 1/2 hour of what most framers charge for shop time. Save yourself the headache.