pixiamom
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posted on November 21, 2009 06:44:51 PM new
Edited to add: Don't rush out and try this until you read the whole thread!
I learned that most silvering on old photos and real photo postcards is easily removed by polishing the photo with Cape Cod Metal Polishing cloths (available from Ace Hardware or online). I saw a demo today at my postcard club meeting and the results were amazing!
[ edited by pixiamom on Nov 23, 2009 10:30 AM ]
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photosensitive
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posted on November 21, 2009 07:07:07 PM new
Pixiamom, Did the demonstrator say anything about the residual effect of the silver polish on the photograph? I would want to know if any tests have been done on the long term life of the photograph since it seems that it might well leave a chemical residue on the surface.
-----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o
“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
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pixiamom
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posted on November 21, 2009 07:20:35 PM new
No. She's been doing it 30 years and claims to have damaged only 1 photo in that time. She did say some photos purchased 10 years ago without silvering showed significant silvering now, which she has to treat. Edited to add: after she swabbed the photo with the wet cloth, she followed by wiping it dry with paper towels, probably removing much of the residue.
[ edited by pixiamom on Nov 21, 2009 07:36 PM ]
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pmelcher
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posted on November 22, 2009 04:12:27 AM new
WOW, that is great news!! I will try it on some of the next batch of photos I buy at auction. I have been reluctant to buy before because they were so badly silvered.
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jtomp
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posted on November 22, 2009 11:53:01 AM new
What do you mean by silvering? Thanks.
Jane
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niel35
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posted on November 22, 2009 12:10:51 PM new
I'm glad you asked that. I've been wondering......
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pmelcher
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posted on November 22, 2009 02:55:17 PM new
Other people will have a better explanation but it is when old photos (black and white) get a sort of 'cloudy' or 'shiny' look to them. That is the silver (salts I think) coming to the surface and the pictures are not as nice or clear as they were.
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photosensitive
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posted on November 23, 2009 05:16:45 AM new
It is called "free silver" and is caused by improper fixing or toning of the original print. It is more likely to happen around the edges or in very dark areas. Some of our real photo postcards from the early 20th century show it. It does not seem to happen in the earlier albumen prints.
A ring of free silver around the edge of a card does not bother me as much as the thought of whatever chemical is in that polishing cloth being in the paper of the photograph forever. It can't be archival.
This is a postcard of a strongman with silvering in our collection that show the edge silvering.
-----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o
“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
[ edited by photosensitive on Nov 23, 2009 05:17 AM ]
[ edited by photosensitive on Nov 23, 2009 05:38 AM ]
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CBlev65252
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posted on November 23, 2009 06:57:30 AM new
This doesn't "devalue" the photo since technically, it has been restored or altered from its original state?
Cheryl
http://www.youravon.com/cherylblevins
Now you can buy Avon from me from anywhere in the world.
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pmelcher
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posted on November 23, 2009 07:29:10 AM new
Thanks photo, I knew there was a better explanation than I gave. Love the strongman!
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photosensitive
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posted on November 23, 2009 07:47:57 AM new
Cheryl, It would devalue the card for a photographic collector if they knew it had been done. The problem for me is that it will likely not be stated, especially since it might pass from hand to hand and not be sold to me by the person who did the alteration. Would I never buy a photograph that had been "polished"? It would depend on how rare it was and the price. If I knew I would make a high resolution scan of it right away.
I remember a story I heard about a curator who worked in a photo collection. He had a large group of photographs by a famous photographer that showed spots of foxing. He did an experiment with Clorox bleach and found that it took out the spots. He put all the prints in a bath tub of diluted Clorox then washed them. They seemed fine but a few years later they started to crumble into dust!
We like to think that we are not so much owners as we are safe keepers of photographic traditions and take the best care we can of the images in our care.
-----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o
“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
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pixiamom
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posted on November 23, 2009 09:14:54 AM new
Well, you saved me the $4.50 I was going to spend on a pack of it. A few of my friends who have very expensive cards bought a polisher after the demo. I'll forward the caveat.
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kozersky
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posted on November 23, 2009 10:02:02 AM new
This is similar to polishing an old siver coin. A collector or dealer would never do so, as the value is diminshed.
Bill K-
William J Kozersky Stamp Co.
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CBlev65252
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posted on November 24, 2009 05:27:07 AM new
You are right about the coin. I learned that while selling a collection. Thankfully, I decided to learn about coins before deciding to do anything with them!
Cheryl
http://www.youravon.com/cherylblevins
Now you can buy Avon from me from anywhere in the world.
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