From roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com Mon Apr 24 15:38:39 2006 Received: from mail.rootsweb.com (mail.rootsweb.com [192.168.65.34]) by admin.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id k3OLcdjb007718; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:38:39 -0600 Received: from roots-l.rootsweb.com (roots-l.rootsweb.com [66.43.16.22]) by mail.rootsweb.com (8.13.4/8.13.4) with ESMTP id k3OLcbjE007428 for ; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:38:38 -0600 Received: from roots-l.rootsweb.com (roots-l [127.0.0.1]) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id k3OJ5eFI015974 for ; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:05:41 -0400 Received: (from roots-in@localhost) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.8/Submit) id k3OJ5eCp015973 for roots-approved@rootsweb.com; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:05:40 -0400 Received: from lists5.rootsweb.com (lists5.rootsweb.com [66.43.27.41]) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with SMTP id k3OAi5FI015064 for ; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 06:44:05 -0400 Received: (from slist@localhost) by lists5.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) id k3ODGoWp030094 for roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 07:16:50 -0600 X-Envelope-From: nanapaco@swbell.net Mon Apr 24 07:16:50 2006 Received: from mail.rootsweb.com (mail.rootsweb.com [192.168.65.34]) by admin.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id k3ODGojb030081 for ; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 07:16:50 -0600 Received: from smtp102.sbc.mail.mud.yahoo.com (smtp102.sbc.mail.mud.yahoo.com [68.142.198.201]) by mail.rootsweb.com (8.13.4/8.13.4) with SMTP id k3ODGm0A012605 for ; Mon, 24 Apr 2006 07:16:49 -0600 Received: (qmail 18234 invoked from network); 24 Apr 2006 13:16:44 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO desktop1) (nanapaco@swbell.net@69.150.153.78 with login) by smtp102.sbc.mail.mud.yahoo.com with SMTP; 24 Apr 2006 13:16:44 -0000 Message-ID: <002c01c667a1$4fd0d700$6401a8c0@desktop1> From: "Eileen Davis" To: Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 08:16:34 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2869 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2869 X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.52 on 192.168.65.34 X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.52 on 192.168.65.34 Subject: [ROOTS-L] Re: vintage photos & black paper Sender: roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com In an article about preservation of old photos, I read that scrapbook black paper could be "soaked" off old photos with plain water as that was how those photos were developed from the negatives or film. I tried this after first digitizing the photo in case of failure and it worked wonderfully! I simply removed as much of the paper as possible and then placed the photo in a shallow basin in clean tap water. Checked it often as I didn't want to leave it in any longer than necessary. When I got all the black paper scraped off, I placed the wet photo between paper towels to blot the water. I placed a weight (a book usually) on the paper towels and photos as the photos will curl. And then I just let it all dry naturally. The wording on the back of the photos, particularly that in pencil, stayed on the photo. I can't say for sure about ink - I do know that none of the photos I did ran ink. But my guess is that is possible and that one should proceed with caution with ink. I did this with both vintage studio-printed photos (portraits) and with snapshots from a home camera. And I did it with photos from the museum/research center where I volunteer. My guess is that you can do this with photos processed up through the late 1950's or early 1960's. I'm not certain when film processing changed from a water operation to whatever it has become. An additional hint to folks who might be having trouble removing photos from those awful old "magnetic" photo albums. If the pictures are difficult to remove, simply use a handheld hair dryer to warm the photo and page. Gently lift a corner of the photo and keep the dryer pointed at the underside of the photo. In minutes you can usually get the photo loose. Magnetic photo albums are very destructive to vintage photos and they should be removed and remounted in archival materials as soon as possible. Good luck! Eileen Matzek Davis ----- Original Message ----- From: "Colleen" Subject: Re: [ROOTS-L] Vintage Photographs pasted to black scrapbook paper > Going through my grandmother's scrapbook photos, all pasted on that > miserable black paper, is what got me started in genealogy. I picked > all the black paper off around photos for the ones that wouldn't come > off easily. I've read that there are things you can do to try to help, > but I was too chicken to try them, not wanting to damaage pictures. > The pics that were back to back on the paper and wouldn't come off, I > put in clear, archival quality plastic sleeves (made of polypropylene > or mylar) so they could be seen back to back. I scanned them into my > computer to use in my digital scrapbook program that I've been playing > around with. > > > > On 4/23/06, lynne227 wrote: >> Does anyone know of any way to get the old black scrapbook paper off the >> back of photos without harming them?? I just inherited a whole scrapbook >> full of family photos with photos taken in the 1800's. Family members >> were professional photographers. Most of them, mother had written names >> under or on the photos but some that I have already pulled off have >> handwriting on them but the black paper obscures important parts of name, >> etc. Lynne in Texas