Cleaning of the Emulsion
From Conservation of photographic negatives
| Conservation Treatments |
(NORRIS, DEBBIE HESS, 1998)
Surface cleaning shouldn’t be a standard treatment. Every treatment should be tested first on a small spot under magnification.
Contents |
[edit] Possible reasons for cleaning treatments
- Improvement of legibility of information and detail
- Improvement of stability due to removal of deteriorating adhesions
- Protection of the surrounding materials
Extreme caution with:
- Molded or otherwise degraded material
- Lifted emulsion
- Varnished (partial or complete) negatives
[edit] Typical cleaning treatments
- Mechanical treatments should be carried out very carefully: soft brush together with a vacuum device, sulfur-free vinyl-eraser as a powder or similar is also possible
- Solvent cleaning (e.g. distilled water, ethanol, acetone, trichloroethane: very toxic, can damage protection varnishes) applied by cotton swabs, cotton balls or cotton pads
- Chemical sponges
- Saliva
- Commercial film cleaning agents: can contain chlorinated hydrocarbons or ethyl acetate
- Bathes in aqueous solutions
- Ultrasonic bath (trichloroethane, 5 minutes at 25°C)
(GILLET et al., 1986)
[edit] Collodion Emulsions
- Extremely sensitive against mechanical damage (can be polished by eraser)
- Soluble in acetone and ethanol
- Treatment could contain cleaning with a soft brush, saponified bath, water, air drying
(MOOR, I., 1976/7)
[edit] Gelatin Emulsions
- Solvent cleaning with a mixture of ethanol and water: ethanol can dehydrate the gelatin, water can swell, soften and solve it especially if the emulsion is already degraded
- 0.1% solution of ammonium hydroxide in water: can swell the protein binder, ammonia can complex silver salts which could lead to decreased density
- Silver mirror shouldn’t be removed as a side effect of surface cleaning, only if removal by itself is an aim of conservation
[edit] References
- GILLET et al., 1986. Gillet, Martine; Garnier, Chantal; Flieder, Francoise. Glass Plate Negatives. Preservation and Restoration. Restaurator, 7(2), 49-80
- MOOR, I., 1976/7. The Ambrotype. Research into its Restoration and Conservation. The Paper Conservator, 1, 22-25 (part 1), 2, 36-43 (part 2)
- NORRIS, DEBBIE HESS, 1998. Surface Cleaning of Damaged Photographic Materials; Current Practice and Concerns. In S. Clark ed. Care of Photographic Moving Image & Sound Collections, 20th-24th July 1998, York, England. Institute of Paper Conservation. 96-101
