RE: [AV Media Matters] Newbie to list, Pellon

[Peter Brothers <lists@specsbros.com>]

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

At 08:48 21/12/99 -0800, you wrote:
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?

Pellon is basically a non-dusting wiping tissue used on many commercially
available cleaning machines to remove debris from the surface of the tape.
The key to using pellon or any other wiping tissue is to make sure that the
portion of the tissue that has collected debris is constantly removed from
contact with the tape before the debris can be redeposited.

There are three primary concerns that you must address when using pellon to
remove oligomer debris(sticky-shed).  First, if the tape is badly degraded
and whatever mechanism you use to replace the pellon allows a build-up of
oligomer on the tissue, the oligomer debris can score or strip portions of
the recording layer.  Second, oligomer residue collected on the tissue can
be redeposited on the tape in large clumps.  Third, wiping tape with a
tissue requires that the tape be unwound.  If there is sufficient (adhesive)
oligomer debris to cause adjacent wraps to stick together, attempting to
wipe a tape without some other pre-treatment can rip off sections of the
recording layer that are adhering more strongly to the adjacent backcoat
than to the basecoat.

Pellon is no more a magic solution to sticky-shed than any other method.  It
is simply a good wiping tissue.  The key is in how you use any given
treatment and knowing when to apply it.

By the way, there are at least three other methods of treating sticky-shed
that don't employ either baking or pellon.  Each has its own positives and
negatives.

Peter Brothers
President
SPECS BROS., LLC
peter@specsbros.com
web-site: http://www.specsbros.com
TAPE RESTORATION AND DISASTER RECOVERY
SINCE 1983