Cleaning glass plate negatives.

[Roy]

Are there any recommended materials for cleaning aged exposed glass plates and would the dictum be to leave the emulsion side well alone or can that be cleaned too ?

[AF-ULF]

Hello Roy,

Check at the local library for Kodak's publication F-40, ISBN 0-87985-352-2, "Conservation of Photographs." The publication is very detailed and describes various approaches to cleaning glass negatives. The process varies slightly depending on if the plates are wet plates, dry plates, varnished or not. The book has tests for you to do to determine which type of plates you have.

[Roy]

Thanks.