Tintypes

[Doug T.]

Hi all!
Could anyone out there give me some tips as to how to go about cleaning a tintype? I picked one up at a rummage sale for 25 cents, It an older one, but it's hard to make out the picture, it's very dirty.
It also looks like it's been hand tinted as well.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Doug

[mickeyobe]

Doug,

I just checked 'Cleaning Tintypes' on google and have come to the conclusion that you are better off leaving it alone as different emulsions were used that might be damaged or even removed. As well, the base was often iron and may be badly rusted and could crumble.

It seems that Tintypes were inherently dark and nothing could chemically lighten them.

The best suggestion seems to be to take a digital photo of it and enhance it in Photoshop. You could increase saturation and brightness and contrast.

Mickey

[Deleted]

Tintype of me taken in 1956 at Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. The camera was an original tintype camera and made four wallet-size images on one plate.

I just checked. The studio is still there and the building looks just like I remembered it when I was 11,

[Doug T.]

Mickey,
I thought that maybe I could just get some of the dirt off.
I'll try a digital enhancement to see how it comes out.
Wayne,
Good thing you mentioned that it was taken in 1956, judging from the chair, I would have guessed it was a LOT older than that
Thanks fellas !

Doug

[photax]

Hi Doug,

I have some of these in my collection too. We call them Ferrotypes here. I once cleaned one with a damp cloth. But as Mickey said, I also would avoid to clean them with anything else. I hope you`ll show us the picture.

Wayne, the same eyes, the same smile !

MIK

[Doug T.]

Hi MIK!
You're right, Waynes' appearance doesn't seem to have changed much
Wayne,
If the studio is still there, maybe they also have the furnishings, etc., stored away somewhere.

Doug

[PeterW]

Wayne,

I just checked. The studio is still there and the building looks just like I remembered it when I was 11

Seems a long way to go just to check on a studio ...

... "Won't be long, Honey. Just popping across to Michigan to check on something."

Or have I got things all wrong from this far away?

Something I've been meaning to ask you for some time. You remember way back you posted a picture of rows of locos parked up in a siding because of the fall-off in rail traffic.

Were they ever put back in commission, or are they still slowly rusting away?

PeterW

[Deleted]

Peter:

I just checked out Greenfield Village on line. It was established by Henry Ford. They moved the building used by famous inventors from all over the country to the site. Edison's Menlo Park lab is there as well as the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop. I think the studio still operates during tourist season.

Thanks for the compliments. If only I felt as good now as I did in 1956.

As to the locomotive there are probably half as many now as there were. Don't know if they have been put back into service or scrapped. I would guess the latter as I haven't noticed much more rail traffic and scrap metal is worth top dollar now and a lot of the locomotive that were there were fairly old.

Wayne