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

[shubha@arce.ernet.in]

There is an interesting article on this by Dietrich Schuller in
the IASA bulletin. According to him print thru takes place in the
first 24 hours after a tape is recorded. He suggests various
measures to avoid this at this stage. According to Schuller and the
Technical Committee of the IASA rewinding is not required for
avoiding print thru if your storage is cold and dry enough.

>Okay, Jim & Jim and everybody.
>
>Now that this one is on the table, I have a related
>question--unless it's covered in your answer and I simply
>didn't understand it.
>
>I've been led to believe that another(?) reason for
>rewinding tapes periodically is to leseen/avoid
>"print through" of the signal between adjacent layers (at
>least on audio tapes).
>
>Is this actually a separate issue to be concerned with--or
>no more likely in backcoated tapes that don't receive
>periodic rewinding?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Jeff
>**********
>Jeff Clark
>Director
>Media Resources (MSC 1701)
>James Madison University
>clarkjc@jmu.edu
>540-568-6770 (voice)
>540-568-3405 (fax)
>
>On Mon, 14 Jun 1999 14:19:22 -0700 Jim Wheeler
><Jimwheeler@aol.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> 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