Flattening Old Photos

[ColColt]

I want to give my sister-in-law some photos I printed some 20-25 years ago to keep in the family but, some of them are fiber based and curl a bit on the ends-especially the 5x5 and 5x7 ones. Is there a way to flatten them for her other than having to take them to a frame shop to be dry mounted?

 

[Down Under]

Old photographic prints should be regarded (and treated) as historical art objects. Which they are, of course. Memories and souvenirs of a bygone era.

My fail safe method. I learned this many decades ago from a 1930s or 1940s Kodak photo manual. It has always served me well.

Wet a clean sponge with distilled or demineralised water and squeeze most of the water out.

Place the print face down on a piece of clean drying blotter paper. Wet the back (only the back) of the print lightly.

Place the print between two pieces of clean drying blotter paper and let dry naturally. A book placed over the top of the upper piece of drying blotter paper will greatly assist the flattening process.

Do NOT sponge or in any way wet the front (image) side of the print. This will impair the original gloss or may damage the other finish.

 

[LAG]

... Is there a way to flatten them for her other than having to take them to a frame shop to be dry mounted?

(a) Curved photos are beautiful
(b) Make new prints
(c) If neither of the two ... and no other option than flatten ...:

(c.1) Blow away any possible dust from the print (both sides)

(c.2) Get another (new & clean) paper of the same print size

(c.3) Find a secure place (clean & undisturbed ...) and turn upside down the new one

(c.4) Turn upside down the old one, and face (the emulsion side) with the back of the new one

(c.5) Now (*), put over them some weight, do it gradually (depending on the lead time to give them)

(*) you can group (stacking) some of them/all, or repeat steps with "the rest" individually -​

Good luck!

 

[tedr1]

Photographic paper is made wet and used in the darkroom wet. Prints can be soaked in water, the water removed with a squeegee and blotters and then dried under a pile of books. If there is a high gloss surface this may be lost.

 

[removed account4]

i have some old rolled up ( OOPS ! ) banquet photos that were stored in a tube before i got them
i asked a museum-friend the best way to get them flat and it was suggested that i make a water/humidity chamber
... get 2 trash cans, fill a trash can with water and suspend the print inside the 2nd trashcan which is inverted/
upside down inside the first trash can. the humidity from the water will slowly be absorbed into the prints and hydrate them.
sadly i have too many irons in the fire and never got a chance to follow through on the advice given to me,
but i talked to her again a few weeks ago and we talked about it again. i have one of these banquet prints
in a frame already, as it was given to me, so i never flattened the others. they are 12x24, some bigger, some smaller.

good luck getting the prints flat!

john

 

[Jim Jones]

Curled photos that are of family or historical interest should certainly be copied. Quality digital prints are long-lived and less likely to curl. Also, the digital file may be more useful than the print to some people.