PHOTO STUCK TO THE GLASS?

Uh oh!  Stuck? … According to Kodak one should never attempt to remove a photograph that is stuck to the glass inside the picture frame.  The best course is to have it duplicated (today there are many methods of doing this) and reframe the piece.  If however, you insist, the following processes have been used but the things that could go wrong need to be considered. Process: Soak in cold water. Theory:  This will moisten the emulsion and unstuck the photo. What can go wrong:  The water gets behind the emulsion layer and the photo is ruined. Process:  Soak in Photo-Flo solution. Theory:  Photo-Flo is used in the developing process when the film is wet.  It is made of an emulsifier and wetting agent.  It may release or make it release. What can go wrong:  Photo-Flo is designed to be used to make film dry evenly with no spots.  It is also made for black and white film and not designed for colour photo paper or colour film. Process:  Un-Seal, Adhesive Release or some other solvent. Theory:  This product unsticks stuff. What can go wrong:  These solvents soften adhesives.  The emulsion is stuck to the glass without any such adhesive and solvents can eat their way through many different materials. Process:  Heat up the front of the glass. Theory:  The heat will soften the emulsion and the photo can be peeled off without damage. What can go wrong:  You can soften more than the stuck emulsion and be worse off than when you began.  You might just bake the emulsion sure ruination) or you could break the glass and there by further harm the photo.                    <<Back