RE: [AV Media Matters] tape baking

[smolians@erols.com]

This brings up a larger issue.

Tape is not tape, just as we have learned that bits is not bits.

The formulation used for audio is presumably different than that for video.

Audio tape divides into paper backed, aucetate backed and polyester backed
(in the US).

Any and all comments relating to tape baking, cleaning, etc., should
specificy which tape family is being discussed.

The polyester-based audio tape baking work I've done has been uniformly
successful using an environmental chamber and some understanding of the
media being restored.  All folk fables and confusions to the contrary, I've
yet to find a reason based on real life events to consider another method.
This one works.

Steve Smolian

Moderators Comment:
Steve is quite right in that tape is not tape, and even within one tape
type - batches vary widely, and binder systems as well as particle systems
all vary widely - which goes to my point that one solution does not solve
all problems, and that is why we use several techniques here  - one does not
solve all problems.  The pellon technique does indeed work - and as many of
you know I am not espousing black art here nor is this new news... machines
made by both Tapeography in Toronto and RTI in Chicago all use this basic
technology. It is also used in tape manufacture at several points I am
told - including when tape is loaded into cassettes - so this is a proven
material - and as I mentioned we had our specific techniques tested by the
Smithsonian in a joint project. Now how we SPECIFICALLY use it is
proprietary - but pellon does indeed work and is specifically manufactured
for tape cleaning.

I think that there are many reasons not to bake tapes - here are a couple

Often tapes are contaminated - this can occur because of a natural disaster
(flood) or in the course of handling over the years. The restorer does not
know the history of storage of tape in most situations - so baking with out
knowing the specific conditions that the tape has been in can be a very poor
decision.

Most often we are concerned about the material that is recorded on the tape
but not about the artifact itself - but that is not always the case. In some
cases there is great value to the original artifact - and baking any
artifact or doing other types of things like this is a major issue in the
conservatorial world.  I had the fortune of working on Andy Warhol's
original videotapes.... if there were nothing on them - they still had
artifact value.  Is it appropriate to bake tapes such as these?  That is an
open question and I would be interested in hearing what people think.

Here is another.  How about no research.  Sorry folks - but all we know is
simply anecdotal. What is the long term impact of baking on the life of the
media?  There has been no testing that has been published (any PHD
candidates on this list - a great dissertation lies in wait!!) You may say
that the life is already over - so what is the issue.  This may or may not
be the case - and baking may preempt other future options for treatment. If
there are other treatment options is it wise to consider only one??
Hopefully other treatment techniques are in development also - so let us
hope that the story is not over here. Bottom line - we know way too little.

This is not an attempt to bash baking on my part - rather to point out some
other ways of looking at a specific treatment plan - and to point out that
there are other issues here that are worth discussing. As far as I am
concerned - the more techniques that are available the better - it helps us
do a better job to have choices.

jim
Jim Lindner - President
VidiPax - The Magnetic Media and Information Migration Full Services Company
Telephone 212-563-1999
www.vidipax.com
Moderator of A/V Media Matters@topica.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Graeme Jaye <gjaye@retemail.es>
To: AV-Media-Matters@topica.com <AV-Media-Matters@topica.com>
Date: Wednesday, December 22, 1999 9:11 AM
Subject: RE: [AV Media Matters] Newbie to list question - tape baking, is it

>At 08:48 21/12/99 -0800, you wrote:
>>Challenging
>>a patent is an expensive activity - so the patent is very much real -
>>and do not laugh too hard. It can be very serious business.
>
>Don't get me wrong, I would not disagree with that statement one little bit
>(having been involved in more than one patent challenge over the years).
>
>>Saying that the Ampex patent was only done as a defense to poor product
>>is a bit on the unfair side - binder degeneration is a problem that has
>>caused problems for virtually all vendors at one time or another.
>
>True.  However, my view is that Ampex *had* a perfectly good product which
>was changed without proper accelerated life-testing (which would have shown
>up this problem quite quickly) and that to try and patent a 'cure' for a
>problem they introduced was pushing their luck a bit :-)  Since they have,
>apparently, never enforced it (in fact, I never realised it *was* a
>patented process until the other day) my guess is their legal department
>probably takes the same view.
>
>>If you have never gone
>>though the process of researching and reading a patent or two - I
>>strongly recommend it - quite educational.
>
>Been there, done that.  Can be interesting indeed.
>
>>Finally - one of the techniques we use at VidiPax is proprietary - but
>>uses a material called pellon which is a spun polyester material that
>>removes contamination when applied properly.  There are actually many
>>different ways to clean tapes - some work better then others - some only
>>work in specific cases - there are many different options - one only
>>needs to be.......
>>inventive!!
>
>I was thinking of specific ways to overcome this particular problem (rather
>than cleaning tape in general) - where baking is the only one I have found
>which works.  Are you saying that this pellon stuff can solve it as well?
>
>
>Graeme Jaye
>gjaye@retemail.es
>
>Audio CD stuttering?
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>
>No Problem - Check this out!!!
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