Print Restoration

[Axelwik]

Maybe someone here has some good advice.

I have on hand some prints by a famous local photographer in need of some kind of restoration. They're not sellable as they are due to yellowing along the edges where it appears that they were in contact with a window mat which may have caused the discoloration - maybe acid damage?

The photographer, now in his 90s and no longer prints himself, unfortunately did most of his later printing on RC paper when it became available and thought it was the cat's meow. Easy to print etc. I don't know if using RC paper had anything to do with this, but it probably didn't help.

These were probably printed within the last 20 or 30 years.

The prints aren't worth much as they are and I've been told that I can experiment with them as needed. I'll start with one - probably the least valuable to collectors, and try one thing first.

Here's what I'd like to try: Immerse the print in a tray with a weak solution of Photo-Flow and gently massage the discoloration to see if it has any effect, and then re-wash.

If that doesn't work, do you think I should try re-fixing, hypo clearing, and then washing?

If all that fails I have the option to trim away the damaged areas. If I do that I'd like to stabilize the prints - maybe with light selenium toning, but not enough to change the color.

Here are some photos of the damage. I'm open to suggestions.
https://i.imgur.com/du0eBrD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mtLKGr7.jpg

[koraks]

You may be right in that it could be damage from acid matte board, or it could be sulfur toning from the same source. A third option could be degradation of optical brighteners in the paper itself, although that shouldn't vary in density in unison with the image. In all three scenarios I highly doubt that your proposed fixes will have any effect. If it is some sort of dirt on top of the emulsion, you may be able to coax it off in the way you propose. I suppose you'll have to give it a try on a small corner to see if it works.

[Axelwik]

Yeah, probably a chemical change and not dirt, but I'll give it a try anyway.

[Jim Jones]

If the prints have any historical value, before doing anything to them do a quality scan.

[Mark Sampson]

This is not something to tackle yourself. Photograph conservation is an extremely specialized field; your prints may indeed be saved, but it will likely take an expert to do it. (I am married a photograph conservator, although she is not in private practice.) Look at www.conservation.us.org to learn a few things, and to find a conservator who can, at least, advise you.

[Axelwik]

If the prints have any historical value, before doing anything to them do a quality scan.
We have more than one of each of these prints, and the negatives now belong to the University of New Mexico. They've been scanned, and also appear in books and other publications.

[Axelwik]

This is not something to tackle yourself. Photograph conservation is an extremely specialized field; your prints may indeed be saved, but it will likely take an expert to do it. (I am married a photograph conservator, although she is not in private practice.) Look at www.conservation.us.org to learn a few things, and to find a conservator who can, at least, advise you.
Thanks for your input - I may consult with a conservator, but we sell these for only $400 to $500, so don't know if it's worth the extra expense.

[Drew Wiley]

Easier to make corrected duplicate prints either digitally or the old fashioned way by re-photographing them. In either case, since the stain is yellowish, it can be selectively countered with some level of color filtration to make it largely disappear in the duplicate. An amber or yellow filter series would lighten the stain, a complementary bluish of magenta filter would darken it. Or this kind of tweak could be applied post-scan. Pretty simple in principle. I've done it many times, but now no longer have a copystand. Refixing the prints won't help - that's an acid stain from either a mat or perhaps paper tape. Ctein published a good book on photo restoration the modern way, and there are excellent old Kodak guides for doing it with film.

[jnantz]

photoflo refixing and washing wont' do anything.

scanning, photoshopping and printing on film or with pigment, or on 900year fuji crystal archive would be new school and work
but rephotographing with filters like drew suggests would be old school and work too, if you want to have a self made negative and home made print.

[Axelwik]

They're not as valuable when not printed by the photographer; especially if printed by digital means, and we have more of the same prints. I'll try a few things, and if that doesn't work I'll simply trim away the damage and mount them. Thanks for the suggestions.