RE: [AV Media Matters] Regular winding/rewinding of tape and film

[Jim Wheeler <Jimwheeler@aol.com>]

The idea of rewinding tapes every six months or so came from a report written
for NASA around 1960.  In my 40 years of experience as a tape engineer, I
have never seen anything to support rewinding.

In a study that Ampex made for the U.S. Air Force in 1978, we concluded that
backcoated tapes did not require rewinding.  For non-backcoated tapes stored
at a low temperature, rewinding was not required.

If you properly rewind the tape when you first put it in your archive AND
your archive is cool and dry, I believe you should never rewind it.

The reason the old report recommended rewinding tapes was to prevent
layer-to-layer blocking and pack distortions.  The 1978 study showed me that
blocking does not occur if the tape tensions are not excessively high and
pack distortions can be countered.

Jim Wheeler

Moderators Comment:
I fully agree with the other Jim on this (wow). My experience is that if
periodic rewinding is done it is normally done with the worst piece of
equipment in the facility - the one most likely to have been beaten to
death in an editing facility, worn guides, and not able to work in a more
profitable way - and therefore sent to rewind purgatory.  Often using this
type of equipment will create more damage then if things were left alone.
My feeling is - "if it ain't broke don't fix it".... if a tape is examined
and determined to have a bad wind, then it should be corrected on a
properly working machine in good repair - otherwise it should be left alone.

jim