A Different "Sticky" Problem

[gordonb]

Hello,

I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across this site. I've been creating a digital archive of my families photographs over the last few years. I've been avoiding my grandfather's photo album but after 1500 other images I think that now is time for the task.

The album consists of 30 or so black construction paper pages approximately 11x17" in a 4-ring binder. The prints are all small (~ 1 1/2" x 2 1/2") and range from 1910 through 1940. The problem is they are all held in with ancient cellophane tape that is now quite yellow and rather than being dried is oozing gum. Some enterprising person has inserted sheets of waxed paper between the pages to stop the prints from adhering to each other. The tape, for the most part, is on just the borders.

What, if anything can I do once I dismount the pictures to reduce the stickiness?

Once scanned what might be an approach to protect the prints better?

What is the best solution (Absolute Ethyl?) to clean the scanner's (EPSON 4990 Photo) platen after placing these sticky images on it?

Thank-you for any assistance in this matter.

Regards,

Bruce

[Swampy]

Hi, Bruce! Welcome to RetouchPro! Explore and Enjoy!

I don't think you can do much to harm the glass surface of the scanner. Just be careful not to spill or dribble the cleaner into the working parts.

As far as fixing the discoloration that you are probably going to have after scanning, it would help if you posted a fairly large sample (but keep it under 100K) for the restorers to take a look at. Be sure to scan in color so that you can get the most information possible.

I know there has been discussion about scotch tape residue so a search of the forums on something like "tape" might give you some ideas for fixes.

[TommyO]

Bruce,
I would also check with Epson to ensure they have not coated the glass with anything. Rare, but could be, especially with a consumer level product.

Also, another idea that I often recommend is to decide which photos are worth restoring, and scan just those. All the others could be photographed.

Photographing images with a high res camera produces a very nice image, more than adequate for archiving and comparable to many scanners. It's also very fast. Once set up, you can photograph about 20 per minute. Then, with a bunch in the camera, you can dump them all to a folder and rename all at once - versus renaming scanned images one at a time, or renaming them later with a batch routine. The other advantage is convenience:
- you don't have to unmount the images;
- you don't have to clean the scanner;
- you don't occupy the computer during the process.

[gordonb]

Originally Posted by Swampy

...As far as fixing the discoloration that you are probably going to have after scanning, it would help if you posted a fairly large sample (but keep it under 100K) for the restorers to take a look at. Be sure to scan in color so that you can get the most information possible. ...

Swampy,
Thanks but I'm not too worried about the restoration part as most of these are sepia tinted and will require minor levels adjustment in the channels before scanning and then just a wee bit of dust magic & minor cloning. As I mentioned for the vast majority the sticky tape is just on the borders so I'm not worried about it impacting restoration (and yes, I did search first ;-) but I haven't found anywhere on the forums that discusses cleaning still tacky residue off prints (or just leaving it) and how to preserve them (I'm looking to see if PrintFile or any of the other archival suppliers has some form of neutral glassine envelope).

Originally Posted by TommyO

... Photographing images with a high res camera produces a very nice image, more than adequate for archiving and comparable to many scanners. It's also very fast. Once set up, you can photograph about 20 per minute. Then, with a bunch in the camera, you can dump them all to a folder and rename all at once - versus renaming scanned images one at a time, or renaming them later with a batch routine. The other advantage is convenience:
- you don't have to unmount the images;
- you don't have to clean the scanner;
- you don't occupy the computer during the process.

Tommy,
I've seen you post about this - Interesting idea. My concern is that these images are fairly small and I'm very fussy about my photography. I'll give it a whirl but with my DSLR, the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod, extension tubes and the copy stand I doubt I'll be able to shoot 20 per min! I'd also be shooting tethered
so I would be using my computer.
Regards,
Bruce