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Damaged photos

weaselwatchr

weaselwatchr

Viva, Las Vegas!
Pollywog
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Apr 13, 2013
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Last year our basement flooded. Lots of stuff got ruined. Over the weekend I was looking through a box that was what I thought uneffected, only to find out that it had gotten water damage. In said box were photos from highschool specifically a jr prom. So in my hand i had a stack of photos all stuck together in a nice photo slab. I was very sad and also disapponted that as a scrapper I had these in the basement to begin with, but they were in a random box of stuff. I do feel a little silly since they were photos with people I no longer keep in touch with, but they were happy memories nonetheless. I am currently soaking them in water, and have managed to peel away four photos which two were salvagable. They were in an envelope and the envelope is what so far has caused the most damage to the photos themselves. Just wanted to share my disappointment and small victory. Wish me luck that I can salvage some more of them.
 
Yay for a small victory Danica! I hope you're able to salvage more.

We had our basement flood in our last house so I feel your pain!
 
Oh Danica, I am so sorry... I was going to suggest water as an option, but it looks like you have tried this. What I read said to soak them overnight for photos that don't want to separate. Another recommended adding baking soda to the water & swishing it until it became soapy, then soak the photos for about 5 minutes.

Here is another recommendation from the internet:
Freeze them. Simply put the photos in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. This will dry out the photos. Leave the photos in the freezer for an entire day before slowly peeling them apart. Keep in mind that some freezer times may require up to a week depending on the severity of the attachment.

I have also seen using a hair dryer on them.

I am assuming that these were processed in photo labs, before digital was available. Thinking of you.
 
On no! So sorry Danica!
It’s the good times and fun moments captured! Any loss like that for a scrapper will make us sad. Hoping you continue to be successful!
 
Oh no! This is horrifying. I swear one of the things that is most heartbreaking is losing the things that can’t be replaced. I’m glad you have at least had some success! I hope you are able to have a few more wins!
 
We had water damage from a hurricane and I lost wedding cards and some other memorabilia . . . it was in an area of an extra room that I didn't realize had gotten water damage. I feel you on this. I hope you are able to restore all them!
 
gonewiththewind said:
We had water damage from a hurricane and I lost wedding cards and some other memorabilia . . . it was in an area of an extra room that I didn't realize had gotten water damage. I feel you on this. I hope you are able to restore all them!
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This is exactly what happened here. The room slopes downward and it was higher up. I know the sump pump was also spraying water around (spray isn't quite the right word, it is more forceful.) So maybe that's what happened here.
 
mcurtt said:
Oh Danica, I am so sorry... I was going to suggest water as an option, but it looks like you have tried this. What I read said to soak them overnight for photos that don't want to separate. Another recommended adding baking soda to the water & swishing it until it became soapy, then soak the photos for about 5 minutes.

Here is another recommendation from the internet:
Freeze them. Simply put the photos in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. This will dry out the photos. Leave the photos in the freezer for an entire day before slowly peeling them apart. Keep in mind that some freezer times may require up to a week depending on the severity of the attachment.

I have also seen using a hair dryer on them.

I am assuming that these were processed in photo labs, before digital was available. Thinking of you.
Click to expand...

Thanks Marilyn! I think we read the same article. I am on day three of soaking right now. They completely dried together. I keep changing the water out a couple times a day too.
 
Oh no! Ugh. That's not a fun discovery after so much time. I wouldn't have even thought to try anything to fix them or get them apart and would have probably just thrown them away. I hope your soaking method helps and you're able to salvage some of them at least! Maybe you could post on FB too and see if any of your old high school friends had the same or similar photos that they maybe scanned?
 
Karen said:
Oh no! Ugh. That's not a fun discovery after so much time. I wouldn't have even thought to try anything to fix them or get them apart and would have probably just thrown them away. I hope your soaking method helps and you're able to salvage some of them at least! Maybe you could post on FB too and see if any of your old high school friends had the same or similar photos that they maybe scanned?
Click to expand...
I thought about just tossing them, but I figured what’s the worst that could happen, they are already ruined. They are still soaking and hubby is helping out by making sure the water doesn’t stop covering the photos. The batch that’s in there now became unemerged and the opposite side is now sticking.
 
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