Re: [ARSCLIST] humidification treatment for acetate tape (was Re: [ARSCLIST] old acetate tapes - curling/tape tension remedies?)

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

jeez Richard, have you ever done that? I feel safer with the old gauze-in-the-head-can trick. Yes, 
it wears extra-heavy on the head but it's OK for the occasional reel on a properly-aligned and 
polished head. I dunno if I'd try this trick with anyone else's tape, or for that matter any of my 
old curled tapes that are of value to me. But then I was very skeptical about baking until I finally 
worked up the nerve to try it with something that I cared about but couldn't play and lo and behold 
it works.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] humidification treatment for acetate tape (was Re: [ARSCLIST] old acetate 
tapes - curling/tape tension remedies?)


> I think this is the post you MIGHT be looking for. I have some more acetate-based Magnetophonband 
> up for treatment - most  in FAR worse condition than the one I treated.
>
> I would be very curious to hear Steve's approach.
>
> Date:         Thu, 6 Oct 2005 14:37:35 -0400
> From: "Richard L. Hess" <ArcLists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] old acetate tapes - curling/tape tension remedies?
>
> At 11:37 AM 10/6/2005, dave n wrote:
> > Hello all -
> >
> > I'm looking for information about how anyone here on the arsc-list has handled and transferred old 
> > acetate tapes that have begun to curl?
>
> Hello, Dave,
>
> Friedrich Engel, the retired BASF historian, gave me a present in a phone conversation (yes, to 
> Germany, his English was far better than my German). You can re-hydrate acetate tapes.
>
> The procedure I used, based on discussions with Engel, was to place the tape in a 100% humidity 
> atmosphere for about 24 hours.
>
> The subject in question was a 1935 Carbonyl Iron tape from the Jack Mullin collection. Too bad, 
> there were only a few tones on it, but it played.
>
> When I first got it, it behaved much like a carpenter's steel tape measure and you could hold a 
> foot or more of it extended. After the treatment, it felt like a satin ribbon.
>
> I placed the tape in an open container inside a sealed container. The sealed container had about 
> an inch of water in the bottom. The tape was up on spacers in the open container. This was room 
> temperature.
>
> I tried this again with a tape that spent several years behind a woodstove and it did soften it a 
> bit, but the tape was too blocked (adhered layer to layer by edge melting) and too fragile to play 
> either before or after this treatment, although the fragile pieces were much softer even after 
> this extreme.
>
> I would suggest trying this with one reel that is not as important to get the "feel" of the 
> process.
>
> If it works, thank Herr Engel, if it doesn't please let us know here and let us know your 
> experiences.
>
> I would think this is safer than trying to force the tape into contact by either tension or 
> pressure pad.
>
> I make no warranties as to the long-term effects of this treatment.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richard
>
> Richard L. Hess                   email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Aurora, Ontario, Canada       (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.