Re: [ARSCLIST] Tapes and Mold

["peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In my reply I indicated that tapes could be sealed in plastic bags "with
chemical desiccants".  Tapes should NOT be sealed in plastic bags without
desiccants.  Even if the mold is inactive, sealing the tape in plastic
without a desiccant can re-activate the mold.

Actually, there was one experiment I know of where tapes were effectively
protected by sealing them in plastic without desiccants.  Of course the
experimental process required that the tapes be staged in a vacuum for 30
days to remove any residual moisture before being sealed and the actual
sealing process was performed under vacuum conditions.  All in all, while
the process seemed to work, it was considered to time-consuming and
cumbersome to be practical. 

Peter Brothers
SPECS BROS., LLC
973-777-5055
peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tape restoration and disaster recovery since 1983

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Christie Peterson
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 11:00 AM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Tapes and Mold

I was assuming that he had inactive mold.  You're right about active 
mold -- sealing up that nice, wet environment in a plastic bag is not a 
good idea.  Is there any risk with inactive/dry/old mold, though?  I 
would still think that bagging those items would  be prudent.  In any 
event, "isolation" is the key, regardless of how it's done.

Christie Peterson
Project Archivist, Muskie Archives & Special Collections
Bates College
70 Campus Avenue
Lewiston, ME 04240-6018
 (t) 207-753-6918
 (f) 207-755-5911



Steven Smolian wrote:
> There may be further damage to the tapes when placing them in sealed 
> bags.
>
> It is better to isolate and chill them to 37-40f but not freeze them 
> until they can be dealt with.  Dealing with them means contacting Safe 
> Sound Archive or Specs Brothers.
>