Expert: Don Wood - 7/3/2003

Question
I hope you can Help Me, I have Pictures that i have stacked on top of each other and shown the newest ones on top and now they are stuck together Is there any way I can get them apart with out messing them up? I would greatly appreciate any help you can give me.

Thank you Mahala

Answer
Take a large pan of tepid water, you could even put a drop or two of a dishwashing liquid in the pan of water. Put the stack of pix into the water and let them soak. Gently start peeling them apart one by one. You might have to loosen one corner, let the liquid penetrate, peel some more, let it penetrate. Patience is a virtue. Don't be afraid of ruining the prints with the liquid, during the processing, they go thru at least 3 sets of liquids. The trick is to be gentle, don't tug at the reluctant prints wanting to stick together. They may even have to soak overnight. Eventually they will come apart. After you separtate each print, immerse it into another tray of water, you could even have water running into the tray and out. After 3-4 mins. of washing, remove the prints and hang them up to drip-dry. I have clothespins hanging from a line that I hang mine on. You could also use a sponge to wash off the major water drops.  Biggest problem you'll have will be to be patient with your job.
If the pix are b/w or antique types, you must be extra careful in peeling them apart as the emulsions on old pictures can be more fragile than the modern ones.
Good luck, keep me posted as to your results. You may wish to view my photo questions/answers at http://pixdw.bravepages.com/ Click on the non-Star Trek link. Thanks for the questions.
Don