Re: [ARSCLIST] If I knew you were coming I'd've baked a tape...

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dick Spottswood" <dick@xxxxxxxx>
> I don't know much about this topic but I know it remains of interest here,
> so I'm forwarding it.
> Hank forwarded your email to me. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any
> info specifically about cassette tapes, but because of the plastic casing
> and much smaller surface area than other tapes, I'd experiment first with
> a cassette that you don't care that much about.  Otherwise, this piece by
> Eddie Ciletti is about as in depth as any I know of on tape baking:
> http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html
Having accidentally "baked" a cassette by leaving it on my dashboard on a
sunny day (the result was a severely mis-shapen case; I salvaged the
content by putting the tape, "reels" and all, into a similar case and
dubbing it) I suspect that any temperature sufficient to process the
coating would play hob with the case!

If the case is assembled with screws, the tape could be removed from
the case and "baked" separately.

However, I've never run across "sticky shed" with cassettes; they
seem mainly to accumulate dirt and crud, as do the rollers and
mechanical bits in the player (especially auto players) until
the tape sticks to the mechanism and gets "eaten." These tapes
can be spliced, but there is usually some tape that gets
stretched beyond playability...and at 1-7/8 ips, a very short
damaged area is usually audible!

Steven C. Barr