Separating stack of stuck prints

[Nodda Duma]

Imagine unpacking a box of old prints (like you'd get back from Walgreens or Wal-Mart), and finding that the stacks of pictures are stuck together!

What's your favorite method of non-destructively separating the prints?

 

[cliveh]

Soak them in water.

 

[removed account4]

if it is anything like having a print get stuck to glass ...

soak them in warm water wtih a tiny bit of photoflo

was great advice from some great folks ..
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

good luck !
john

 

[Nodda Duma]

Thanks guys..these all seem reasonable.

The back story is this happened to me in the past, when I went through photos that survived our moving van fire. Soaking in water worked..slowly and with varying levels of success (the emulsion kept wanting to peel away from the paper backing, so a few salvaged pictures are very thin). Now a colleague has stacks of stuck photos and I found myself curious as to whether there might be a better way.

I suggested warm water and photo flo, that seems like a useful additive. He doesn't know what photo flo is or where to get it, so instead I suggested a few drops of dish soap.

 

[removed account4]

Thanks guys..these all seem reasonable.

The back story is this happened to me in the past, when I went through photos that survived our moving van fire. Soaking in water worked..slowly and with varying levels of success (the emulsion kept wanting to peel away from the paper backing, so a few salvaged pictures are very thin). Now a colleague has stacks of stuck photos and I found myself curious as to whether there might be a better way.

I suggested warm water and photo flo, that seems like a useful additive. He doesn't know what photo flo is or where to get it, so instead I suggested a few drops of dish soap.

careful with the dish soap ( and jet dry ) , PE has recommended against it many times when people like home brewing their own ..
i am guessing once they are apart / separated your colleague would do the soak and 20 water exchanges to make sure the soap has cleared and been removed.

sorry to read of your moving van fire, that's no fun

good luck
john