50's Press Photo - looking for some guidance / opinions

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Hi Jake,
Most editor's ink on photos is quite easy to remove because it is water soluble. It is as simple as dampening a paper towel with regular tap water. Rub the ink lightly and the ink becomes fluid and adheres to the paper towel. Just remember to keep using a clean spot on the paper towel otherwise the ink smears. Often the area where the ink was is a bit off color compared to the surrounding area. This is because the water in the ink penetrated the photo surface and changed its composition a bit.

Few tips:

Don't oversaturate the paper towel or drip water on a spot on the photo were there isn't ink. The water may raise the surface of the photo in the shape of the drip. It'll look like a bump.

If the surface of the photo starts coming off as you rub, then stop; you may be rubbing too hard or maybe the photo's surface is of poor quality. Usually you don't see this problem with glossy photos.

When you removed the ink, dry the photo flat. A wet photo left to dry on its own will curl up at the edges. I put wet photos between two sheets of regular computer paper and then put between the pages of a larger book. The paper soaks up most of the remaining water and also keeps the ink of the book's pages from seeping onto the photo.

When you photo is restored back to its original state before the ink, take a step back and enjoy it...take pleasure in your job well done.

Don't be nervous, I do it all the time.