How do I loosen photographs stuck together by water?

Question

I spilled water on a stack of photos and now they won't come apart without tearing

Answer 1

The soaking answer is the correct one. Total immersion is the answer. This seems at odds with all we know about water and paper not mixing, but the only way to separate photos is to make the emulsion -- the layer of finish on the photo -- re-liquify. If you only steam them, you are going to lose a lot of surface pulling them apart, before finally realizing steaming isn't working.

I have done this and it works. Though, as the other poster says, the photos will never be pristine again. They will at least be viewable, which is good compared to what you have right now in them.

(By the way, they will want to curl up after you do this. Letting them curl up, and then flattening them, will crack the emulsion all to pieces. So pull them from the water, pat them dry with something lint-free and lay them under a book or something that will force them to flatten. Just make sure they don't restick to whatever you straighten them with. They will always retain a slight curl, probably.)

Good luck.

----ADDENDUM: Please note that Photo-flo is for use on negatives, not prints. Also, it is very toxic, and might be better avoided altogether if you have small children or pets around.

Answer 2

The correct answer is to submerge them in water and soak them till they loosen, but I would highly recommend you buy a product called Photo Flo by Kodak. Film developers should be very familiar to it, it is always put into the final wash when developing film. This will soften your water and prevent mineral deposits or water marks left on you photographs once they dry again. It's very inexpensive, a small bottle should be $5 or less, and you just need to add a cap full to the tub of water you are soaking the prints in.

Answer 3

I agree that your best bet is to submerge them in warm water, let them soak for a few moments and gently pull them apart. If they do not give easily, let them soak longer until they do.

There will likely be some damage and they probably wont dry flat, but it's better than a total loss, right?

Answer 4

very carefully submerge them in water again and they should loosen - peel apart with care once they start to loosen. i hope you have the negatives, though - they won't be as new...

Answer 5

You can try steaming them but they are probably already ruined.

Answer 6

have you tried steam