Re: [ARSCLIST] Moldy Tapes

[Eric Jacobs <EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve,

The low RH environment may relieve some of the SSS symptoms
sufficiently to perform cleaning.  If you're lucky.

Ziplock freezer bags with silica gel packs are a cost-effective
means of driving the mold into dormancy.  I also use dessication
chambers when dealing with larger lots or larger reels.

Once dormant, cleaning moldy tapes is a whole other discussion.
Mold spores - dormant, dead, or alive - still pose a risk to
your health and the environment.  A biohazard hood/chamber is
a good place to start for handling moldy material.


Eric Jacobs
Principal

The Audio Archive
tel: 408.221.2128
fax: 408.549.9867
mailto:EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Steve Puntolillo
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 9:31 AM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Moldy Tapes


Hi Peter --

Peter @ specsbros wrote:

> To drive the mold into dormancy, it is necessary to remove
> moisture from the mold, itself, and the tape.  This can take
> up to 8 - 10 days of holding the tape in a controlled
> environment of around 30% RH.  It can be done somewhat faster
> at lower RH and can take quite a lot more time if the RH is higher.
> (Note: baking is not recommended as, while it can sometimes
> work, it can also cause problems with moldy tape- depending
> on the type and amount of mold, baking can harden the
> mold-related residues and "bake" wraps together).

So, it sounds like you are recommending a low-humidity exposure at normal
temperature for several days followed by cleaning.

What if the tape also has a bad case of SSS? It seems as though you would be
stopped. You can't spool it to clean it because it has SSS and you can't
bake it to spool it because it has mold.

What do you recommend?

Thanks,

-- Steve

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Steve Puntolillo
Sonicraft A2DX Lab - Ultimate A_nalog 2 D_igital X_fers
http://www.sonicraft.com
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