two photo's glued together ,must separate.x

[Eilleen]

I have a photo from about 1912,

it is stuck with a few blobs of glue on top of another photo ,

I need to see the underneath photo , ( love a mystery ) x

any ideas how to get them apart.

Eilleen.

[Gadget]

How tight is the join?  If there is a gap it might be possible to use a scalpel and cut through the glue only and separate them but be careful not to tear the photos.

[Eilleen]

Thank you Gadget,

it looks like 5 blobs of glue have been used ,

so not covering the whole area .

[Gadget]

Can you take a pic of them showing the edge so we can see how close they are together.

[Milliepede]

Old glue like yellow/brown glue?  It might have hardened and got brittle and will snap or crack to help you separate or poke out the bits of glue but try other suggestions first as would hate for you to damage the mystery photo.

[Treetotal]

Before you attempt to do anything to them,  I would suggest that you get a good scan or photo of them first. Then try Gadget's suggestion.
Carol

[Chris Doran]

Do you think the glue is water-soluble?  Stamp collectors use a "sweat box" which you can make from a tight-sealing sandwich box with a little water in the bottom and a platform half way up on which you put the photos. Leave for a day or so to soften the glue, separate gently, and dry the photos between paper towels with a heavy book on top to prevent curling. Experiment with an unimportant photo of similar date if you fear the process may damage the emulsion.

[Gadget]

Don't use water on these. There will be danger of the emulsion layer being irretrievably damaged. If you can't part them using the dry method, I'd advise going to your local college that has photography courses and talk to a lecturer there.

I  have studied photography and taught the subject in the old chemical days.

[Gadget]

If there is a gap between the two photos, as an alternative to a scalpel, you could use unwaxed dental floss or cotton thread to try to separate them but there's a danger of damaging the emulsion (tearing, scraping, etc) so be very careful and check all the time.