buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

I'm hoping someone here has an answer to the question: How to remove photos from old albums that were originally placed onto pages having 'sticky strips'.
Each page has 2 to 7 photos glued (using those sticky strips) on both sides of each page.

I've used the UHH search function in an attempt to find a solution but from what I've read the subjects primarily deal with copying old photos but not how to get them, undamaged, from album pages.
Contemplating attempting to slice the pages thru the page thickness to get two single sided pages then carefully cutting out each photo to scan it.

(Problem 2) Another thought would be to scan each page and then select each photo thru the scanner software to copy. When the photos were originally put into the album, some photos overlap others so it would mean attempting to remove the overlapped photos. I've had limited success in doing this by microwaving a page which softens up the glue on the sticky strips but I have to be very careful as it can affect the photos if zapped too long.

Can anyone recommend a course of corrective action for these problems?

Thanks

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Set up a copy stand with an appropriate lens and lights and use your camera.

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

Good suggestion and one which I will try on photos that stand alone. The pages having overlapping photos cover probably 90% of the pages so I have to remove many photos....somehow.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Rather than destroy a (priceless?) album, why not try cropping and cloning in Photoshop. In other words, save the best parts of the photo and not necessarily worry about the parts that are covered by another.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

For the stand alones, forget the copy stand. I just tape them to a wall near a window that has good light using a tripod. I just sit in a chair and go to town on them. I've done hundreds that way.
I only scanned 1 and knew scanning was NOT for me. That took FOREVER and came out CRAPPY!
Maybe you can set up some kind of jig to do the album on the wall as well. Good luck!
SS

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

Good idea , but......
My wife's 3 brothers, each want the original albums, of which there are three with approximately 500 photos in each, dating back about 75 years. She is the arbitrator/administrator/keeper of the albums, and I'm hoping to help her solve a presently unsolvable problem by copying the photos so that they will be better than looking at the originals. Then we can let everyone have 'better than original' albums.

I can just lift the edge of some photos that are on top of others and see enough to know I must copy the whole underneath photo. As you can imagine, great grandparent pictures aren't to be cropped, at least without endangering my well being.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Can you take photos of the entire page and print to the same size? You might preserve the albums and get a more "realistic" representation of the album maker's idea of what it should look like. You could even put the "new" pages in a similar album binders.

Any any case, you have a problem that can go very bad quickly. Wills, executors, arbitrators and administrators all have jobs with little reward and lots of risk.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Jeez Buck, you must be I absolute L❤️VE with those greedy brothers to do THAT much work for them!!! LoL
SS

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

Actually I'm doing it (at least trying) so I can have more peace in the house. My wife does not want to give one album to each brother and then deal with solving THAT problem. Wife's family is from the Appalachian area of Virginia and it seems that everyone from there has a very very strong connection with family.

So I have to go back to my original msg. of learning how to copy pictures in old photo albums. Got to be a solution....

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I turned on my oven set it to lowest temp. let it heat up, then turned it off and let it sit for a few minutes. Then put the first album page in, in a few minutes
I took it out and the pic came away from the page. The glue heated up and released the photo. My second album, that didnt work nothing worked.
so give it a try,just dont cook them.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I did this Google search for you:
https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-1380809541018084%3A4766785855&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Removing+Stuck+Album+Photographs&sa=Search#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Removing%20Stuck%20Album%20Photographs&gsc.page=1
You do the rest! (And good luck!)

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

Good idea, bdk. I tried something similar using a microwave oven but it was hard knowing when to remove the album page and try lifting the photo. It worked but it was 5 seconds at a time and feeling the photos for just the right amount of heat. Scared me a little bit as I didn't want to microwave the pictures.
The oven sounds like a better idea.
I'll start tomorrow.
Thanks

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

RWR, I am always amazed how someone (yourself) can choose just the right words to get Google to spit out the correct answer to a problem. I tried using Google but apparently didn't use the right words in my search box to get the results you did. Apparently, in many cases, waxed floss can be used to separate the photos from the paper pages.
I think I have a plan of action to remove the photos now.
One very interesting thing I read was the acidic nature of the cover film over the photos which will destroy the photos over time. Thats a big help in answering the question from each of the brothers, "Why can't I have an original album". Answer from your google search: in a few years there will not be any recognizable pictures in the original album.
Much thanks

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

Sharpshooter, I'll use your suggested method of photographing the photos on a wall after I get them all off of the album pages. My back won't handle leaning over my tripod for the approximately 1500 pictures I'll have to shoot.
I'm sure not looking forward to this work.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Buck, even a blind hog can sometimes find an acorn. I just typed in "Stuck Album Photographs" and that’s what came up. As for the "priceless" albums, just give the family what’s left after you have removed the photographs!
I’m sure you’re aware that even lighting is important when copying the photos. When they’re on a wall I like to back up a bit with a 135 or 150mm lens, flash pointed straight up with a white reflector at 45°.
Again, good luck!