Suggestion Water Damaage

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Jeannie Franklin CPF

Jeannie Franklin CPF

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Nov 26, 2009
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St. Joseph, Missouri
I have a customer who went on vacation. While gone with the house closed up a water pipe on the 3rd floor broke. It filled the entire house with water and was not discovered for at least 3 days. They had a tub full of family photos that also filled with water. Any suggestions on how to save them? Thanks
 
If they are traditional photographs the water should not affect the image if they are handled properly. The whole development process is aqueous and the last step is an extended washing in circulating water to flush out any residual chemistry.
The pieces should be able to be air dried flat and later flattened in a dry mount press.
 
Jeannie Franklin said:
I believe it's a mixed bag of very old to new one in the tub. Thanks for the advise of the newer one
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The newer digital inkjet prints will easily lose the ink when wet and rubbed. However, many new prints, like those printed on fuji crystal archive photo paper are really processed with chemistry. These prints will survive washing. Therefore, chances are that most of the prints are chemical prints.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the newer prints. Many are exposed digitally, but processed chemically, and therefore are still considered chemical prints. If the client printed most of there photos, then most likely they were inkjet prints, which are doomed in water. You need to find out.

Ernesto
 
If the water turns black (or dark) then they will know there are some ink jet prints in the batch. If the water remains clear, then they are luckier. Most photos ought to be able to be teased apart but don't let them dry out before separation!

Gotta ask - what were the family photos doing in the tub in the first place?
 
can---should?-- the water soluable ones be rolled (with smooth/soft roller) onto flat glass surface or left to dry on window screens(or clothes pinned to a string as seen in old movies)????? seem the glass method might adhere to glass and the screen/hang might curl upon drying........
 
Unless you have a print dryer, prints can be laid out or hung up to dry. Without drying in a print dryer they will have to be flattened later in a heat press as fiber papers will curl upon drying. RC papers will dry flat.

Water soluble prints will dissolve!
 
What utter nonsense; most ink jet prints (all of mine) are printed using aqueous, pigmented inks on water resistant paper or canvas and are just as resistant to water damage as chemically processed prints. Most glossy are made on RC papers just like traditional papers with the addition of a coating of ink jet receptors. As an aside, we ruined (but only after a 300 ppi scan) a traditional print trying to clean it before restoration with water. Film cleaner wouldn't touch the stains but water removed them as well as what was left of the image.
 
Proving only that there are way too many variables in what people refer to as photographic prints - the last 20 years or so has turned the paradigm upside down.

Those prints could be anything.
 
Good Luck. My appartment flodded 20 years ago, and I lost all of my wedding photos. There was no saving them. They became stuck together, and the pictures were ruined.

Hope they have negatives.
 
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