Restoring old cracked surface print

[Pherdinand]

Hi,
I have a few interesting old prints (press photos) from ww2 era that have cracked gelatin surface all over. They are not representing any museal value🙂 but i like them and would like to make them more viewable,enjoyable.
Is there a way to smoothen them out without damage to the image or to the paper? Like with heat, or wet wiping them, or such?

 

[mfogiel]

Investigate putting some transparent liquid on, which will not damage them, press with clear glass, so that the liquid will cover up everything uniformly ( akin to wet scanning) and photograph taking care to use a polariser to get rid of unwanted reflections. Alternatively, you can try this upside down directly on a flatbed scanner platen and press the back to hold everything flat.

 

[Pherdinand]

Thanks. Maybe my intention was not clear. I didnt mean to obtain a useable scan of the prints, i'd like to restore the surface of the original print itself...
Re-coating it with stg transparent that would then dry flat and smooth might indeed be an option.

 

[rramig]

If it's a press photo from the 40's, it is probably on fiber paper and glossy surface. One might try soaking it to soften the gelatin and ferrotype it again to seal the cracks and stick the loose edges of the cracks back to the paper.
fer•ro•type

(ˈfɛr əˌtaɪp)

v. -typed, -typ•ing,
n. v.t. 1. to put a glossy surface on (a photographic print) by pressing on a metal sheet (fer′rotype tin`).

See: http://www.rdrop.com/users/tedpet/ferrot.htm