B&W photos have spots

[Fay Bradford]

Sorry, I can't find a suitable forum for my issue so hoping you knowledgeable people will be able to help, or, if not, steer me in the right direction. Photos in an album have yellow spots. I assume it's from humidity. Can they be cleaned?

 

[webestang64]

Assuming this is a "wet" print...... Bad processing, most likely improper fixing times and/or all of the fixer was not washed out. Not sure if rewashing/fixing will help. Might have to be scanned and fixed with Photoshop.
There is a company here in St. Louis that restores original photos/paintings, maybe contact one, if there is one, in your area.

 

[Fay Bradford]

Thank you for your response. The photo is 35 years old. Only the black and white photos in the album are affected. Following your advice, my plan is to scan first and then try to fix with water before working with photoshop.

 

[480sparky]

Looks more like fungus to me.

 

[Fay Bradford]

It could be from humidity but only the black and white photos are affected.

 

[webestang64]

Sparky might be right......Some good info here..... Taking care of your prints

 

[Ysarex]

View attachment 202912 Sorry, I can't find a suitable forum for my issue so hoping you knowledgeable people will be able to help, or, if not, steer me in the right direction. Photos in an album have yellow spots. I assume it's from humidity. Can they be cleaned?

Sorry the damage is permanent. You have one of the best textbook cases of colloidal silver corrosion I've ever seen. If I was still teaching B&W darkroom I'd ask permission to use that image in class. Sorry that's no consolation.

If you want to better understand what happened here's some references:
FilmCare.org
Caring for photographic materials - Preventive conservation guidelines for collections - Canada.ca
Toning and Permanence of Silver Gelatin Prints

search those websites with the term "colloidal silver" -- the third link does a good job explaining what happened.

Joe

 

[Fay Bradford]

Thank you. I feared as much. I gave the album to my daughter in the last 10 years so will have to check her storage area. Meanwhile back at the ranch, i tossed the negatives at the end of 2020 in a downsizing frenzy. Sob!!