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Author Topic: If ignorance is bliss why aren't I smiling?  (Read 6638 times)

ceved

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If ignorance is bliss why aren't I smiling?
« on: January 13, 2008, 10:49:00 AM »
With regrets in advance for my lack of knowledge (LOK), here goes.
I have plunged into RTR with abandon.
Unlike some who like the hunt, I indulge in the overkill.
Consequently I have amassed an instant collection of prerecorded tapes.
I am not bragging.  The only thing good about a bad habit is if you pursue it consistently, and I am darn consistent.
I have several reconditioned RTR machines Otaris, and Tascam, but my listening room is gutted so I am stockpiling software.
I am a music listener, not an engineer, or tech.
That was background, here is the question(s).

I have purchased several tapes which appear to be visually OK except the first 5 feet or so of the tape appears to be dry and curled; lacking in elasticity, or flexibility.  Sort of reminds me of my wife's first attempt to grille vegatables; er let's move on.

This condition cannot be favorable; for the tape, not the vegatables.
Is it reversible?  If so how?
How do you know when to bake tapes?
When you buy these older tapes, do you just play them and hope for the best, or is there some preferred procedure to follow?
I am beginning to have a panic attack!

I really do not want to drag the Forum down with really basic material which is of little value/interest to the more experienced members.
Is there another source that I can refer to while I learn a bit more and not waste your collective time?
Perhaps  RTR for the Uniformed or TRT 101 would be a good Forum Thread where there would just be general info/topics and links to data that would be helpful to folks such as myself.  For your collective sake I hope there are not too many folks like me out there.
I have tried the Search function, but perhaps my information needs are too broad.
There are so many things I need to know, I almost don't know where to start.
At least if my questions are annoying, I will attempt to deliver them in an entertaining fashion.

Thanks.
CEVED
 

Offline rbwtapeinterlink-Bob

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Re: If ignorance is bliss why aren't I smiling?
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2008, 11:56:01 AM »
Sir,

We are very pleased to have you as part of this forum. It appears I am the first to respond to your request for information so I want to welcome you. I am not going to be able to repond to your question and concerns. However, there are some real "Heavy Weights" on this forum and you will begin hearing from some of them real soon. Finally, there is no such thing as a dumb question or question with little meaning. This is the forum where you need to be to get all of your questions about tape and tape recorders answered. This is an outstanding forum of loving people who believe in the art of tape recorded music. Hold on! You'll begin to get feedback shortly. Thank you for joining us and you will soon be smiling.

Bob W.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2008, 11:58:04 AM by rbwtapeinterlink »
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Offline ironbut

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Re: If ignorance is bliss why aren't I smiling?
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2008, 12:18:38 PM »
Welcome to the forum Charles. There's any number of problems you might encounter with prerecorded r2r tapes but most of them stem from the former owner/s lack of care with them. More than likely, that's the source of the problems with the first few wraps of tape that you mentioned. After playing a tape, it should be stored after being wrapped in play rather than fast forward or rewind. The sides should look even and shinny which shows that there isn't wraps that are high or low compared to the rest of the tape. These exposed edges want to curl   and collect dust or mold easily. The probable cause of the bad 5 feet is that the end of the tape wasn't secured properly before storage. Just like the exposed edges, if the whole width of the tape isn't wrapped, it will also tend to curl and deform. In addition to the backings(acetate or newer plastics) natural tendency to return to the disposition that it was originally manufactured ( straight),  jarring of the tape itself  will make it slowly unravel. The wrap inhibits the natural "gassing out" of chemicals in the backing and the oxide. Just like any other piece of plastic, in time it will become brittle. Some oxides contains lubricants which will be lost. The oxide is bound to the backing by a binder (imagine that!) and that is the focus of SSS (sticky shed syndrome). In the late '70's , the binders were changed on some popular tape formulations. Over time, these binders absorbed moisture and break down. The result is a sticky residue which migrates from the tape to every surface it comes in contact with (heads,guides). This results in squealing as the tape vibrates across these sticky surfaces (think of a violin, the heads are the string, the tape is the hairs on the bow, the SSS is the resin)These are the tapes that need baking.
As far as restoring the deformed first 5 feet, try adding about 5 feet of leader tape (something that the original owners should have done to avoid this problem in the first place) and wrap it correctly. This will help a little. Maybe in time, it would help a lot but remember, it took 30 years to get like that. You might try the Last tape preservative. It's a tape lubricant. I have a posted info on this over on the General forum titled a "weekend of Tweaking".
I guess my main advice is to find tapes that have been well cared for. I look for people that are selling large collections. I look at the pictures to see if the tape is well wrapped and secured at the end. Then I buy a couple to see how they play. If all seems well, I go for it. I miss out on lots of good tapes by this method, but I get very few that are unplayable. There are folks that make a living restoring media and they know much more of the details of getting a good single play out of some trashed tapes for archiving. Here's a link to one of the best.
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/index.htm
steve koto
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