How to Clean or Restore a Tintype Photo

Use cotton swabs and distilled water to clean Tintype photo plates.

Before film and photographic paper became the standard in photography, inventors and photographers alike experimented with different materials to make photographs. Tintype photographs were used in the early 1900s and were created by applying light sensitive chemical coatings to them. The coated plates attached to the camera are used as the negative and the final product. Since there is no negative, each Tintype photo is a one of a kind --- and extremely rare.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton swabs
• Distilled water
• Cheesecloth
• Hair dryer

Instructions

1. Assess the condition of the Tintype photo. Extreme care should be exercised when cleaning or restoring this type of photo. You do not want to use any chemicals that may alter the photo on the tin plate.

2. Pour distilled water into a small container. Moisten a cotton swap with the water.

3. Clean around the Tintype image with the moistened cotton swab. If any portion of the Tintype image begins to flake or seems to be peeling away do not remove flake from the plate as you will be removing part of the image.

4. Use cheesecloth moistened with the same distilled water for the outside edges of the plate.

5. Dry the plate by place in front of a fan, or use a hairdryer on the lowest possible heat setting.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have cleaned and restored the Tintype photo, consider scanning it to a digital file for future printing.

References

• Ancestry: Historic Photography --- Preservation
• Just Black and White: Tintype and Daguerrotypes