With all respect, I don't think I would use Undo on photographs for fear it would take the emulsion right off the paper backing. I have used Undo to take labels off bottles and it requires a fair amount of scraping and rubbing to get all the gunk off. First, I suggest visiting a 'real' camera store to see if anyone there has any suggestions ... or check the yellow pages for someone who does photo restoration. Or try your local library to see if they know someone who might be able to help. Or go online to the Popular Photography website and see if they have a usergroup that might be able to answer your question. Failing all that ... and as a last resort ... I would choose one sheet as a test case and soak it in room temperature water to see if the backing would separate from the photo without too much difficulty. Do NOT use hot water. Remember; the photo was developed and fixed in a liquid bath, and then washed in water to remove the chemicals, so the water alone should not damage the photo. But hopefully it WOULD cause the backing to soak off. If this works, then place the pictures between sheets of paper towels ... with a weight to keep 'em from curling while they dry. Keep replacing the wet towels with dry ones ( let the wet towels dry out and reuse them later ). This is, of course, a last resort. But this is what I would try if faced with your problem. Then in the future, use archival plastic sheets for photo storage. You can get them at that 'real' camera store or you can find them online. Print File is one brand that I use and Clear File is another. They are 8.5x11 and have pockets to hold photos ( or negatives ) of various sizes. These are 3-hole punched, so you can put 'em in special photo albums ... or in regular notebooks. I store mine on the shelf with the rings at the top so the pictures & negatives can hang freely and are not scratched by being stacked one on top of another. Be sure they are 'archival'. And never use those 'magnetic' album pages. My wife inadvertantly bought such an album a few years ago, but I was able to get her to throw it away rather than put any of our valuable pictures in the thing. It looks like such a good idea, but it can be harmful to the pictures. Good luck!! DICK FOLKERTH Dallas, Texas --- Kay Price <[email protected]> wrote: > Try "Undo" found at your local Wal-Mart type stores > or a craft or > scrapbooking store... > Kay Price > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bonnie McCroby Wuensche > [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2004 10:55 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Maryland] Photo Help > > > I have a cousin who is just crying over her pictures > she stuck in those > sticky album papges years ago as her dad dictated > the names, etc. They were > supposed to be magnetic, but they are really stuck, > now, and she can't get > them out without peeling the backside of the photo > off. Has anyone had any > experience with this, or can you recommend someplace > on the web where we can > find soem suggestions? > > Thanks, so much! > > > ==== MD Mailing List ==== > For helpful information on how to use this list more > effectively, as well as > links to other helpful related information, click > on: > http://lists5.rootsweb.com/index/usa/MD/misc.html > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the > new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click > to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > > > ==== MD Mailing List ==== > Want to post to this list from work or elsewhere? > Send a note to the List Administrator, give him the > e-mail address you want to add, and ask him to add > you to the "Accept List." You will then be able to > post from that address without subscribing a second > time. > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the > new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click > to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >

Nobody has mentioned it, but before you possibly ruin the pictures trying to remove them, you should scan them. With an inexpensive scanner, doing a little reading about what resolution and settings to use to make good prints, and some practice, you can probably copy the pictures right from the album. They won't have the sentimental value of the original, but you'll still have the images. I've borrowed several relatives' old albums and scanned all of the decent pictures in them, many of which could not be removed. I put them on CD's and make copies for all of my cousins. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Folkerth" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 5:58 PM Subject: RE: [Maryland] Photo Help > With all respect, I don't think I would use Undo on > photographs for fear it would take the emulsion right > off the paper backing. I have used Undo to take > labels off bottles and it requires a fair amount of > scraping and rubbing to get all the gunk off. > > First, I suggest visiting a 'real' camera store to see > if anyone there has any suggestions ... or check the > yellow pages for someone who does photo restoration. > Or try your local library to see if they know someone > who might be able to help. Or go online to the > Popular Photography website and see if they have a > usergroup that might be able to answer your question. > > Failing all that ... and as a last resort ... I would > choose one sheet as a test case and soak it in room > temperature water to see if the backing would separate > from the photo without too much difficulty. Do NOT > use hot water. > > Remember; the photo was developed and fixed in a > liquid bath, and then washed in water to remove the > chemicals, so the water alone should not damage the > photo. But hopefully it WOULD cause the backing to > soak off. > > If this works, then place the pictures between sheets > of paper towels ... with a weight to keep 'em from > curling while they dry. Keep replacing the wet towels > with dry ones ( let the wet towels dry out and reuse > them later ). > > This is, of course, a last resort. But this is what I > would try if faced with your problem. > > Then in the future, use archival plastic sheets for > photo storage. You can get them at that 'real' camera > store or you can find them online. Print File is one > brand that I use and Clear File is another. They are > 8.5x11 and have pockets to hold photos ( or negatives > ) of various sizes. These are 3-hole punched, so you > can put 'em in special photo albums ... or in regular > notebooks. I store mine on the shelf with the rings > at the top so the pictures & negatives can hang freely > and are not scratched by being stacked one on top of > another. Be sure they are 'archival'. > > And never use those 'magnetic' album pages. My wife > inadvertantly bought such an album a few years ago, > but I was able to get her to throw it away rather than > put any of our valuable pictures in the thing. It > looks like such a good idea, but it can be harmful to > the pictures. > > Good luck!! > > DICK FOLKERTH > Dallas, Texas > > --- Kay Price <[email protected]> wrote: > > Try "Undo" found at your local Wal-Mart type stores > > or a craft or > > scrapbooking store... > > Kay Price > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Bonnie McCroby Wuensche > > [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2004 10:55 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [Maryland] Photo Help > > > > > > I have a cousin who is just crying over her pictures > > she stuck in those > > sticky album papges years ago as her dad dictated > > the names, etc. They were > > supposed to be magnetic, but they are really stuck, > > now, and she can't get > > them out without peeling the backside of the photo > > off. Has anyone had any > > experience with this, or can you recommend someplace > > on the web where we can > > find soem suggestions? > > > > Thanks, so much!