How can I preserve vintage photographs from old scrapbooks?
The pictures are mostly from 1920-50, along with some through 1970, many have writing on the back, some are mounted in those old "magnetic" books that are sticky and not really photo-safe, and the oldest are mounted with photo corners in old scrapbooks (papers aren't acid free). The collection also includes old newspaper clippings and post cards.
I want to preserve the photographs so that no further damage is done to them, and I may put some into a new scrapbook.
I am making copies, but what should I do with the actual photos?
Some are stuck in the magnetic books, and the ones in the scrapbooks are brittle and difficult to remove.
Okay...I own a scrapbooking store so I know what I'm talking about. So here goes:
To remove the photos from the sticky magnetic album, you need an adhesive remover that will not harm the photos. Try a product called Undo which is sold in most scrapbooking stores.
Next I would suggest that you scrapbook them all and also make some high quality digital copies. Shop at a scrapbooking store if possible and if you buy anywhere else, do not buy anything unless you know the products are photo safe. Also, when buying glues and adhesives, make sure the products say on them "photo safe". Sometimes just being acid free and lignin free isn't enough.
If scrapbooking all of the photos isn't possible for you, you need to store them in an air tight and light free containment unit. You can purchase these through photography supply shops. You should also sepparate each photo from the other with photo sleeves so that they won't stick to each other.
Hope I helped!
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