sabfish

A relative send me a box full of very old (75-90 years old) and very badly curled black & white photos. Many of them are very small (4x3 and smaller). Does anyone have a good suggestion how to flatten them?

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Re-soak in print flattener and rinse. Then dry in a heated drum press. Good luck.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Kodak Print Flatting Solution. Here is a source(S) of information on this item.

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=xFK0XpuRDYHg-gTZ6JCwBQ&q=Kodak+Print+Flatting+Solutio&oq=Kodak+Print+Flatting+Solutio&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIECAAQDTIGCAAQFhAeOgIIADoFCAAQgwE6BwghEAoQoAE6BQghEKABOgYIABANEB5QtCZY04wBYK6TAWgAcAB4AIABsgKIAcwZkgEINy4yMC4wLjGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwibg6qfsKLpAhUBsJ4KHVk0BFYQ4dUDCAw&uact=5#spf=1588875993291

sabfish

Thanks. I don't have a "heated drum press" Used to have one years ago when I had a darkroom. Any other suggestions for drying?

sabfish

Thanks, this helpful.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Good for B&W Fiber based photographic paper. NEVER use it with B&W Resin Based Paper. NEVER soak any colored paper prints in Print Flatting Solution. The color products are treated as a last step to help condition and preserve the color print dyes. B&W are ok to display, but color should be copied and the originals held in a dark acid neutral container, (this is true for negatives and slides, the only safe storage for slides and negatives are in photographic Mylar holders, get these from photo suppliers like B&H Photo as one example of suppliers.

Jim21

sabfish

This is a helpful link. Thank you.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

At my studio, we do quite a bit of photo restoration work for museums, archives, and private customers. Some of the original prints are so badly curled that it is nearly impossible to get them on a copy stand or scanner. This is what we have found to be effective and what not to do.

Rewashig is dangerous- the entire emulsion can come off the paper base. if the print is brittle or beginning to crack, worse cracking can occur.

Print flattening solution is not meant for old prints- it is formulated to use as a pre-drying bath to avoid curling when heat drying or if the paper is dried too rapidly in areas where the relative humidity is extremely low and curling may result without the treatment. It will not work well on RC papers- it was originally intended for fibre base materials.

Some colour prints can be reimmersed in stabilizer, but again it can be risky.

Moderately curled prints will oftentimes straighten out if placed between clean photo blotters or ordinary bond paper under heavyweight.

STEAM to the rescue! I have uncurled badly curled and brittle prints by using steam. I simply boil a kettle of water and gently steam the BACK of the print. Then I place it between sheets of waxed paper under not too heavy weight. After steaming the emulation side of the print may become very adhesive- avoid contact with any other surface until it is dry.

Colour prints may temporarily discord with a bluish tint when steamed but will normalize when dry.

Avoid forced heat drying of any kind- let the prints air-dry overnight.

This is not my invention. Years ago both Kodak and Pako made print flattening machines for application on prints that were over dried or dried too fast. It consisted of a transport apron and a steam generator. After treatment, the price had a nice slight reverse curl.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Little known but is a method. Perfect surfaced glass and old Ferro Typing Metal plates can be used with room temperature. This will also leave the print perfectly flat either newly printed or vary old. The print is immersed in Kodak Print Flattening solution as directed (Pako print ferrotyping solution can be used a well). The print is then placed face down to dry. It will take from 24 to 48 hours to dry. To separate the print from drying surface you must lift (carefully) one corner from the drying surface, it will appear quite difficult to lift and separate due to the intense static adherence effect, but it will lift off. The print will have a super gloss effect to the surface when separated.

There are two critical things to know about this. First and foremost the glass and Ferrotyping surface MUST be completely de-greased. This can not be over stated, you must strictly de-grease either surface in use. The second point is that the mirror surface effect can easily removed to a beautiful smooth velvety sheen by placing the print between two pieces of real linen cloth using an electric iron set on the silk or lowest position. The mirror sheen of the surface of the classic glossy print is removed.

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Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

However you dry them, you might weigh them down under books for a day or two to form a flat memory.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Try to spray the back of them with some water and put them between 2 pieces of glass in the sun.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Put them in water, I used to have a century old press and put them between sheets of specialized heavy stock, I would put each between these and press the living daylights out of them.
Dryers can re curl them if your not careful. Today I would use non glazed heavy paper stock and weigh them down with some big heavy photo books.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

The restoration methods can do wonders. But it would probably be both effective and easier to flatten them onto a good flatbed scanner and press the Scan button.