EP1227370A1

EP1227370A1 - Method for restoring black-and-white photographs

Info

Publication number: EP1227370A1
Application number: EP01300795A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Takao Murabayashi
Original assignee: Photo Murabayashi Ltd
Current assignee: Photo Murabayashi Ltd
Priority date: 2001-01-30
Filing date: 2001-01-30
Publication date: 2002-07-31

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of restoring a black-and-white picture which has undergone aging phenomena, the method including wiping with ethyl alcohol, allowing to dry, subsequently dropping a silver mirror removal liquid onto a silver part of the image, washing in water and drying.

In the further embodiment, the method includes cleaning with water, whereby the surface becomes wet, spreading hardener on the surface such that gelatin of the picture is hardened, removing the hardener by washing in water, bleaching the discolouring silver compound of the image and silver mirror part using a bleach solution, removing the bleach solution by washing in water, decomposing any bleach solution which remains in the image part which cannot be removed by washing in water using a cleaning solution, removing the cleaning solution by washing in water, exposing halogenated silver which is produced in the bleaching step, with sufficient light to decompose the halogenated silver, developing the image with developer solution, fixing the developed image by using a stop solution followed by a fixing solution, whereby halogenated silver which remains is decomposed by the fixing solution, removing the fixing solution by washing in water, decomposing and removing the fixing solution remaining by a fixing solution removal liquid and washing in water to remove any compound remaining after which the photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture is allowed to dry.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method of restoring the black-and-white picture under aging phenomena, the method restoring the aging phenomena such as silver mirror ("Gin Kaburi" in Japanese), discoloration or the like of the photograph dry plate, negative film or black-and-white picture which is taken a picture of the black-and-white and is preserved for a long term.
In the conventional photograph dry plate, negative film or black-and-white picture taken the black-and-white picture, silver formed the image comes to shoot metallic luster on the surface of the image and it changes to the silver mirror by the preservation of a long term so far, and the silver mirror appears remarkably in the shade part of the image. Accordingly, the decrease in the picture quality is invited, and there is a fault of ruining original consideration to which the photograph is involved and the meaning

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide the method of restoring the black-and-white picture under aging phenomena that can be made an original black-and-white picture, photograph dry plate or negative film with silver which makes original in the silver part black by disarranging a metallic uniting the removal or silver and replacing the silver part on the surface of the image of the black-and-white picture changed.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated as an example.
It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a view of a process showing a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an explanation view of a process for wiping by ethylene alcohol;
Fig. 3 is an explanation view of a process for removing silver mirror;
Fig. 4 is an explanation view of a tail end process;
Fig. 5 is a view of a process showing a second embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is an explanation view of a preprocessing process;
Fig. 7 is an explanation view of a process for spreading hardener;
Fig. 8 is an explanation view of a process for removing hardener;
Fig. 9 is an explanation view of a process for bleaching;
Fig. 10 is an explanation view of a process for removing bleacher;
Fig. 11 is an explanation view of process for exposuring;
Fig. 12 is an explanation view of process for developing;
Fig. 13 is an explanation view of a fixation process;
Fig. 14 is an explanation view of a process for removing hypo;
Fig. 15 is an explanation view of a tail end process;
Fig. 16 is a view of a process showing a third embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 17 is an explanation view of a tail end process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below referring to the accompanying drawings.
An understanding of the present invention may be best gained by reference Figs. 1 to 4. Figs. 1 to 4 illustrates the method of restoring the black-and-white picture under aging phenomena of a first embodiment of the present invention. The numeral 1 is a method of restoring the black-and-white picture under aging phenomena of this invention. The above restoring method 1 is composed of ethylene alcohol wipe process 3, silver mirror removal process 5, and tail end process 6.
The ethylene alcohol wipe process 3 is proceeded to wipe the surface of photograph dry plate or negative film 2 which are taken a picture of the black-and-white picture and preserved for a long term by ethylene alcohol 3a and allow it to dry.
After the ethylene alcohol wipe process 3 is proceeded, the silver mirror removal process 5 is proceeded to wipe and drop the silver part 4 of the surface of the image of the photograph dry plate or negative film 2A by the silver mirror removal liquid 5a.
After the silver mirror removal process 5 is proceeded, the tail end process 6 is proceeded such that the photograph dry plate or negative film 2B which removed the silver mirror of the removal process 5 is washed in clear water by water or stream 6a and it can be dried.
In the ethylene alcohol wipe process 3, the dirt of the surface of the photograph dry plate or negative film 2 is washed by the wipe material 7 such as cotton, cloths including absorbent cottons to contain ethylene alcohol 3a enough. Then it dries the ethylene alcohol that adheres to the photograph dry plate or negative film 2 with natural seasoning or a heater, etc.
In the silver mirror removal process 5, the wipe material 7A such as cotton and cloths including the absorbent cottons contains a small amount of the silver mirror removal liquid 5a. The silver mirror part 4 is wiped until the sliver mirror can be removed and dropped.
The silver mirror removal liquid 5a used in the silver mirror removal process 5 is a mixture - one to ten part methanol and one part solution of salt of 0.5 to 25 percent.
The tail end process 6 is proceeded to remove the removal liquid 5a used in the above-mentioned removal process 5, the removal liquid 5a is dried by natural seasoning in the place without dust and where it is well ventilated after it washes in clear water to flush the silver mirror removal liquid 5a in stream 6a.
Other embodiments of the present invention will now be described referring to Figs. 5 to 17. Through the drawings of the embodiments, like components are denoted by like numerals as of the first embodiment and will not be further explained in great detail.
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 5 to 15. It is distinguished from the first embodiment by the fact that the restoring method 1 is replaced from another method including a head end process 8, process for spreading hardener 9, process for removing hardener 10, process for bleaching 11, process for removing bleacher 12, process for exposuring 13, process for developing 14, fixation process 15, process for removing hypo 16 and tail end process 6A.
In the head end process 8, water 8a cleans up the surface of photograph dry plate or negative film 2 and this process 8 makes the surface thereof to contain water. The process 8 is proceeded in about two minutes.
After the head end process 8 is proceeded, the surface of photograph dry plate or negative film is spread hardener 9a or the photograph dry plate or negative film itself dipped into the hardener 9a in about eight minutes such that the gelatin of the photograph dry plate or the image of the negative film 2C is hardened in the hardener spreading process 9.
After the gelatin of the image hardens in the hardener spreading process 9, the hardener 9a is removed from photograph dry plate or negative film 2D by washing in clear water about ten minutes in the hardener removal process 10.
After the hardener removal process 10 is proceeded, the silver compound in discoloring discoloration of the image and silver mirror part are bleached at bleacher 11a in the bleaching process 11 about two to five minutes.
In the bleacher removal process 12, the bleacher 11a is removed by washing in clear water about three minutes, and the cleaning solution 12a washes in clear water for about thirty minutes, after the bleacher 11 a which remains in the image part which cannot be removed by the washing in clear water is decomposed by cleaning solution 12a about five minutes.
In the exposuring process 13, the halogenated silver produced in the bleaching part according to the bleacher removal process 12 is exposed at the state that light is applied and exposed enough.
After that, it develops with develop solution 14a used in general in the development process 14 at about two to three minutes.
In the fixation process 15, after the development process 14 is proceeded, the exposed negative film soaks to stop solution 15a for about thirty seconds, the develop solution 14a is neutralized, and halogenated silver which remains on the photograph dry plate or negative film is decomposed for about five minutes by fixing solution 15b. After that, the fixing solution 15b is removed by washing in clear water for about three minutes.
After the fixation process 15 is proceeded, hypo ("hypo" means for sodium thiosulfate) which remained on photograph dry plate or negative film 2E is decomposed and removed by hypo removal liquid 16a at about six minutes in the hypo removal process 16.
After that, in the tail end process 6A, after the compound that remains on the photograph dry plate or negative film is removed almost completely by washing in clear water for about thirty minutes or more and it dries generally or naturally.
A restoring method according to the second embodiment may be proceeded.
In addition, the hardener 9a, as used at 20, which is the liquid used by this restoring method in processing temperature is composed of sodium sulfite of fifty gram, glacial acetic acid of twenty milliliter, and potassium alum of fifty gram.
The bleacher 11a is composed of A liquid which adds potassium permanganate of five gram to water of one liter, B liquid which adds hydrochloric acid of 100 milliliter of thirty-five percent to the water of one liter at the same amount of the A liquid, and liquid making to mixture liquid of twenty liter which mixes three to thirty-eight times is added to hydrobromic acid of 0.2 to 2 milliliter.
Cleaning solution 12a is potassium metabisulfite of one to ten percent by weight.
Developer 14a uses the one used in general.
Stop solution 15a is the glacial acetic acid of three percent by weight.
Fixing solution 15b is the mixture that sodium thiosulfate (hypo) of 240 gram is added to the water of one liter.
Hypo removal liquid 16a is sodium metasulfate of two percent by weight.
A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 16 and 17. It is distinguished from the second embodiment by the fact that the tail end process 6A is replaced from with another method 6B. In this method 6B, a similar process of the second embodiment of the above-mentioned is done by using black-and-white picture 3, the black-and-white picture 3A which is naturally dry is placed between two flat pressurizing boards 17 and 17, and it pressurizes with a weight 18 or the like and is flattened.
A restoring method with the tail end process 6B according to the third embodiment may be proceeded.
As set forth above, the advantages of the invention are as follows:
(1) Method of restoring black-and-white picture under aging phenomena includes ethylene alcohol wipe process proceeded to wipe a surface of one of photograph dry plate and negative film which is taken the black-and-white picture and preserved for a long term by ethylene alcohol and allow it to dry; silver mirror removal process proceeded to wipe and drop a silver part on the surface of image of the photograph dry plate and the negative film by silver mirror removal liquid after the ethylene alcohol wipe process is proceeded; and tail end process proceeded such that one of the photograph dry plate and negative film which removed the silver mirror in the removal process is washed in clear water by water or stream and it can be dried. Accordingly, the silver mirror part on the surface of the image of the photograph dry plate and the negative film of the black-and-white picture under aging phenomena is removed, or a metallic uniting silver is disarranged, and the silver mirror part can be replaced with silver which makes original black. Therefore, it is possible to restore it to the photograph dry plate and the negative film that obtains an original black-and-white picture.
(2) As discussed above, because it is possible to restore it to an original black-and-white picture in the ethyl alcohol wipe process, the silver mirror removal process, and the postprocessing process where dryness of washing in clear water is done, the work is easy comparing it, and it is possible to do in short course.
(3) Method of restoring black-and-white picture under aging phenomena includes head tail process proceeded that a surface of one of photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture is cleaned up by the water and it makes the surface thereof to contain water; process for spreading hardener proceeded that the hardener is spread on the surface of one of photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture or receives one of the photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture such that gelatin of one of the photograph dry plate and an image of the negative film is hardened after the head tail process is proceeded; process for removing the hardener proceeded that after the gelatin of the image hardens in the hardener spreading process, the hardener is removed from one of the photograph dry plate and negative film by washing in clear water; process for bleaching proceeded that, silver compound in discoloring discoloration of the image and silver mirror part are bleached at a bleach solution after the hardener removal process is proceeded; process for removing the bleach solution proceeded that the bleach solution is removed by washing in clear water, and cleaning solution is removed by washing in clear water after the bleach solution which remains in the image part which cannot be removed by the washing in clear water is decomposed by the cleaning solution; process for exposuring proceeded that halogenated silver which produced in the bleaching part according to the bleach solution removal process is exposed at the state that light is applied enough; process for developing proceeded that develops with develop solution after the exposuring process is proceeded; fixation process proceeded that the develop solution is neutralized by stop solution, and halogenated silver which remains on one of the photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture is decomposed by fixing solution, and after that, the fixing solution is removed by washing in clear water; process for removing hypo proceeded that, hypo remained on one of the photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture is decomposed and removed by hypo removal liquid after the fixation process is proceeded; and tail end process proceeded that compound remains on one of the photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture is removed almost completely by washing in clear water and then allowing to dry after the hypo removal process is proceeded, so that it is possible to replace it with silver which makes original black by removing the silver mirror part on the surface of the image of the photograph dry plate of the black-and-white picture changed under aging phenomena, the negative film, and the black-and-white picture and the silver compounds.
Therefore, it is possible to restore it to the black-and-white picture, the photograph dry plate and the negative film that obtains an original black-and-white picture.

Claims

A method of restoring a black-and-white picture which has undergone aging phenomena, the method including wiping with ethyl alcohol a surface of one of a photograph dry plate, black and white negative film and black and white picture which has been preserved for a long time and allowing to dry, subsequently dropping a silver mirror removal liquid onto a silver part of the image on the photograph dry plate, negative film or picture and wiping the silver mirror removal liquid over the surface of the image of the photograph, dry plate picture or negative film; and a tail end process wherein the photograph dry plate, negative film or picture from which the silver mirror has been removed is washed in water and is dried.
The method of restoring a black-and-white picture which has undergone aging phenomena according to claim 1, wherein the silver mirror removal liquid is a mixture of 1 to 10 parts by weight methanol and 1 to 10 parts by weight of a solution comprising 0.5-25% by weight sodium chloride.
The method of restoring a black-and-white picture which has undergone aging phenomena according to claim 1, wherein the photograph dry plate, negative film or picture is washed under flowing water.
A method of restoring a black-and-white picture which has undergone aging phenomena, including:

a head process, wherein a surface of one of a photograph dry plate, negative film and black-and-white picture is cleaned up by water, whereby the surface becomes wet; spreading hardener on the surface of the photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture such that gelatin of the photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture is hardened;

after the gelatin of the image is hardened in the hardener spreading process, removing the hardener from the photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture by washing in water;

bleaching the discolouring silver compound of the image and silver mirror part using a bleach solution;

removing the bleach solution by washing in water;

decomposing any bleach solution which remains in the image part which cannot be removed by washing in water using a cleaning solution,

removing the cleaning solution by washing in water;

exposing halogenated silver which is produced in the bleaching step, with sufficient light to decompose the halogenated silver;

developing the image with developer solution;

fixing the developed image by using a stop solution followed by a fixing solution, whereby halogenated silver which remains on one of photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture is decomposed by the fixing solution;

removing the fixing solution by washing in water;

decomposing and removing the fixing solution remaining on the photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture by a fixing solution removal liquid;

and tail end process, wherein any compound remaining on the photograph dry plate, negative or black and white picture is removed substantially completely by washing in water, after which the photograph dry plate, negative film or black and white picture is allowed to dry.
The method of restoring a black and white picture which has undergone aging phenomena according to claim 4, wherein the tail end process occurs before a natural seasoning.