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A framed photograph had been damaged with a cracked glass frame; and to make matters worse, the image had then also been exposed to extreme heat in the back of a car, causing the emulsion to stick to the glass. The original photograph (negative or digital file) was not available any more.
With projects like these, I always tell the customer upfront that I cannot guarantee success.
I always proceed with caution - in this case by first scanning in the photograph behind the broken glass. I had to scan the image in two sections due to the size of the print.
The emulsion sticking to the glass surface caused some discoloration (gray cast where skin tone should be visible).
Since photographic emulsions are processed "wet" (with chemicals in water solution), I decided to soak the print in water. The process took several weeks but with the help of a razor blade and little by little I was able to detach the print from the glass shards.
I was able to scan the salvaged print one more time.
The resulting digital image was very usable, and, after minor retouching, I was able to provide a clean good-quality image at the original size to the happy customer.