Removing ink from vintage photo

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Adam - just wondering, have many times have you used? And potential issues you encountered? I’m very nervous about doing anything.

PEC-12 was also my first thought. I have used it for years. It is for photographers and designed to clean photos and negatives. It also dissipates very quickly I have used it to remove pen, sharpie, editing crayon and the brown cast that appears on those early 1970's press photos. You can also use it to generally clean a photo to remove any dirt that is not obvious. A few things to remember: The indentation from the pen will not disappear. You need to be careful to make sure the emulsion of the photo is not cracked. If it is you clean gently and slowly as more aggressive rubbing could remove some of the emulsion and you have a white spot in your photo.

Due to it's chemical makeup there are now prohibitions in place as to shipping. It must be done by ground, or ship. From the Freestyle site:

Shipping Restrictions
GROUND Shipping Only. This item is classified as Limited Quantity for transportation. These items can only be shipped via GROUND in the Continental United States. They can not be shipped to PO boxes or Internationally. Limited Quantity items are non-returnable.

If you are on the East Coast try B&H photo in NYC. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

In the west I would use Freestyle Photo and Imaging Supplies a great company that caters to film photographers. https://www.freestylephoto.com/