Home Remedies to Get Photos Stuck Together Apart
Don't try to ease your stuck photographs apart without some preparation. You'll cause more damage and ruin the images, and without some serious photo restoration they'll be ruined. Assess the paper, inks and the age of your photographs before attempting to unstick them, so that as little damage as possible results.
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Preparation
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If you have negatives, or the original digital file, you are better off reprinting rather than trying to unstick photographs. If these are your only images, make a scan or take a picture of any visible photographs before you start.
Freezer
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Before trying any other methods, slip the photographs into an open-ended plastic bag and put them in the freezer for a day. If the photographs don't lift away easily from each other, leave them for up to a week. Leaving the plastic bag open prevents moisture from building up inside the bag and damaging the prints.
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Steam
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Be extremely careful, when using steam, not to burn your fingers. Wear protective gloves and take care to not scald your forearms. Before steaming, use a cotton bud dipped in water and test a corner of a photograph to test for color and emulsion fix. If the color doesn't run or stain the bud, boil distilled water in a saucepan fitted with a vented lid, or use a non-electric hob kettle.
Hold two photograph edges apart in distilled water steam for a couple of seconds. Remove from the steam and, very gently, ease the edges further apart. Hold them in the steam again for a couple of seconds. Repeat the steaming until you've separated the photographs. If the steaming doesn't work after the first or second pass, use another method.
Water
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Fill a developer tank or a flat-based bowl with cool water and put the photographs into it. Allow them to soak for an hour, and test to see if they float apart. If they are still sticking, leave them for another couple of hours and try again. Air dry them on a line secured with a paper clip, and when dry, put them on a flat surface with the edge of a book along each opposite edge to prevent them rolling.
If they continue to stick, use a couple of drops of a photographic fluid that reduces the surface tension of water, to enable the water to permeate a little better. This should help the photographs slide apart after more soaking.
Inkjet Prints
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If the inks used are pigmented, you can try both the freezer and the water soaking method. Dye-based inks are not water-resistant. There is little else that is likely to work with dye-based ink prints without damaging the print surfaces, although you can try placing the prints under a dry cloth and applying a warm iron for about 2 to 3 seconds and easing the edges apart. You might find that the ink peels, so only try this if you are willing to lose the photograph without taking it to a professional restorer.
Care and Caution
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If you're soaking photographs that are more than 50 years old, professional advice is advised to determine the type of paper and the coating on the print before you soak them. Be aware of mold on photographs of whatever age, as soaking mold will result in emulsion being destroyed and your prints being ruined. When drying photographs, never wipe them or use heat, as you will damage the emulsion; air drying is sufficient.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
