RESTORATION, PRESERVATION & ARCHIVING

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Cleaning a photograph that has great sentimental value but unfortunately became covered with smoke residue should be left to the professionals photo restoration specialist who will exercise outmost care and use proven methods and proper solvents to restore the photograph and to prevent the further damage.

CLEANING A PHOTOGRAPH FROM SMOKE RESIDUE

Over time, tobacco smoke residue build-up containing nicotine and other harmful chemicals can ruin valuable paintings and photographs. The ugly, yellowish-brown sticky film would coat any surface, making photographs lose their original appearance and destroying the photo emulation layer.

Cleaning a photograph that has great sentimental value but unfortunately became covered with smoke residue should be left to the professionals photo restoration specialist who will exercise outmost care and use proven methods and proper solvents to restore the photograph and to prevent the further damage.

As with most restoration projects the process begins with making a high resolution scan of a photograph or an art print to record the condition that the item was in prior to cleaning, and to assure that if cleaning fails to restore the image to the original colors and condition it could be restored using digital technology. Then, per restoration and best practice guidelines, a small area is selected for testing a number of cleaning solutions to determine which one can be safely used without possibility of causing additional damage to the item.

Ones all the preparations are made, the cleaning process begins with careful application of cleaning solution and removal of surface residue layer. By gently rubbing off dust, dirt, and smoke residue layer the original image is slowly brought back. Extra precautions and special care are taken of colorized photographs, since the oil or tempera paint used to give colors to black and white photographs may react to cleaning solutions differently then the photo emulation.

With cleaning process completed and with any additional treatments performed, a photograph is placed into an archival folio storage box or mounted and framed to protect it from possibility of further damage and deterioration.

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