How To Clean Glass Negs?

[Mark Stahlke]

A friend of mine, who collects such things, recently acquired a glass plate negative of Adm. Byrd. The negative has some fingerprints and other dirt and my friend wants to clean it. I have no idea how to clean glass plate negatives so I thought I'd ask here.

What's the best way to clean a glass plate negative?
The negative is approximately 4x5 in case it matters.

[jp]

I'd personally make a nice scan and clean it in photoshop.

It's not mine and I have nothing to lose, but I'd probably clean it in distilled water or alcohol like regular film, but don't ask me.

Nearby, Penobscot Marine Museum has rescued many thousands of glass negatives from flooding from burst pipes. I'm sure they have some skills.

http://www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org/photo-collections/collections-index.html

[Jim Noel]

Which side of the negative has the fingerprints? If on back it should not be a problem.

[Peter Gomena]

Just use some ammonia-free cleaner (alcohol based) on the base side of the plate and leave the rest alone. Consider scratches, dirt, flaws, and fingerprints on the emulsion side part of the plate's historical record. It adds flavor to the image.

Peter Gomena