Re: [ARSCLIST] To bake or not to bake?

[Robert Hodge <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>]

I did a little test on some new old stock 226 last week.

The tape was still on a core. I held the core vertically after removing
the hold down tape, allowing the end to fall free. After a couple of
turns came off while turning the hub, there came a time when the weight
of the free end would no longer pull off another turn. 
In fact the tape would reverse itself on the pack continuing to take
itself back up in reverse.
Puting the pack on a machine and shuttling it between the pack and a
reel caused the exhuded binder to adhere to the heads and guides of an
Ampex 350 head nest. 
I would consider this to possibly be a reasonable initial test for SSS
without having to put the reel on a machine and see what comes off on
the guides or heads.
The  test was repeated with four other hubs of the same stock with the
same results.

Bob Hodge




Robert Hodge,
Senior Engineer
Belfer Audio Archive
Syracuse University
222 Waverly Ave .
Syracuse N.Y. 13244-2010

315-443- 7971
FAX-315-443-4866

>>> dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx 8/14/2006 12:47 PM >>>
Lou Judson wrote:

> With my small scale tape transfers, when I get radio airchecks (from
a
> small nonprofit I used to work for) I always bake them before even
> trying them (just the other day I had one the had unbranded Shamrock
> junk spliced to Scotch 176, so I would have needed to bake half the
> reel), but now I have a few reels and woudl rahter not bake if not
> needed, as they are record label masters.
>
> Ampex 456 from 1988
> Scotch 206 and 207 from mid 70s
> Scotch 226 mid 80s
>
> What say the experts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Lou

456 from 1988 MAY be in the "good" period..anyone know for sure? I'd
heard that
1968 to 1982 was the bad time for back-coated Ampex, but now I've had
reels
from the late 80s that feel sticky (my method is to thread a reel
outside the
head assembly, hold up one tension bar and fast forward the tape
between my
fingers..answer provided almost immediately).

Scotch 226 from any period should probably be baked, and I've never had
a
problem with 206 or 207.

dl