Photo and Discharge paper degrading....

[PlaceOfBayonets]

The Discharge paper was rolled up and crinkled. For now I've put it in a book to straighten it out. What should be the next step?


Also a very long rolled unit photo looks like maybe 4 companies. As you see the photo is tearing.

What is the best thing to do with such a photo. Both are part of a large Grouping I bought and turned into a mannequin display. FYI.

William

[norwegian]

What if?

What if you framed it in an ordinary frame or between two glass plates and then kept it in the dark when your not using/watching it.
I think ultra violet radiation destroys colours and writing så darkness would help here and framing /glass plates would protect it from some pollution.
However i'm not an expert but it probably won't be long before one comes by

[Michael Fay]

somehow get it flat

I want other more expert opinions for you, but I can not see anything else but that it has to get flattened and kept flattened--as Norwegian's plates of glass would do, but i dont know how safe is glass when touching such photos, and there is 'archivally safe glass(saw on a movie poster framers website) and regular glass that may be not so good.



I dont want to get more specific as , again, I want better opinions from experienced photo handlers

[Paul R.]

I was a photographer before I got into 3 D artifact conservation. This is what I would recommend for this photograph. I would not attempt to flatten out the photo. I would find a photographer who deals in photo conservation and photo restoration.
This person could re photograph this image with black and white film using a fine grain film emulsion especially for re photographing prints. They can make a custom new print of this image with an approximate size as the original. The photographer could photo shop the cranks line out of the image, or airbrush them out. The photo could lightly sepia tone to come close to the original print tone. This type of photo conservation photographer could also handle framing.
Of course this process is not cheap, but done correctly the results would be very close to the original image. I use to do this type of work years ago and had some great results. It a slow process and cannot be rushed if you want a good job. Just make sure that the photographer is trained in this type of work or could result in a bigger problem.
As for the document I would look for a paper conservator to restore the paper properly. As I stated above find a professional to do the work.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

#1 problem for me is no budget for this. Plus I am not worried about viewing the photo by having a re shot photo I could gaze at. I as just interested in how to keep the photo from further degrading.

I'll put the discharge paper in glass.

[Paul R.]

I understand but there is really no way to put back together a damaged photograph. Once the photo is torn and curled, and becoming brittle there is no way to un does that damage. Forcing the photograph down flat with a glass panel. This action most likely result in more cracks in the emulsion causing even further more damage. You would never want to dry mount this image, or glue it down to a cardboard backing. Dry mounting and gluing will further destroy the photograph turning the image yellow and brittle. I don’t know of any cheap fixes that would not result in causing more damaged to this image. Without costing some fund to professionally correct the problem. You can seek advice from any local picture framer shop in your area. I believe they would tell you about the same information. Sorry can’t erase time.

As for the document again no real cure. I would not advise trying to iron out the creases, or just adding humidity. The paper fibers need to relax more than forcing heat and humidity on to it. There is a professional process that it would have to go through. There is no home cure for the problem that would fix it.

Of course these are your items to do with as you see fit.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

No problem then, I'll just leave the photo alone and in the cardbord roll it's been in for decades.

W,

[blinky]

The sad truth is you can't save everything. You should find a professional to create a high quality copy of the photograph and not worry about restoring the original. In a case like this, is it more important to save the original or save the information the original contains? You spend $500 to save a $20 photograph or spend significantly less to save the image itself in a way where you could have a hard copy as well as a copy saved electronically. It's a matter of historical triage, save the big bucks for the important items and make the decision to save the information on the less important items then worry about conservation.