Re: [AV Media Matters] Re-Evaluating Tape Mastering Stock

[Jim Wheeler <Jimwheeler@aol.com>]

Stuart

Tape slitters are not knife blades, they can be as thick as 1/4
inch.  One arbor of "blades" is above the sheet of coated polyester
film and the other arbor of "blades" is below.  The cutters are 2
inches to 3 inches in diameter when new.  We alway referred to the
cutter blades as wearing not as getting dull but I guess the term
"dull" could be used.

I developed a method for monitoring the slitting quality--both
straightness and rough edges.

When there was a noticable edge problem, the arbors would be
disassembled and each cutter would be machined.  How long an arbor
lasted depended on how abrasive the tapes were as well as the
thickness.

The width of the stock rolls of polyester is 25 inches.  1/2 inch on
each side is discarded after slitting so there is 24 inches of tape
per roll.  The length of the rolls varies.  15,000 feet is the
longest I have seen and that was an Instrumentation tape.

You mentioned Ernie Sorenson.  I was hired into the Instrumentation
Division to replace Ernie.  It didn't take me long to figure out
that no sane person could replace Ernie.  When Ernie ran
environmental tests he always had one chamber set to about 40 F with
a couple of six packs in it.  He covered the window and put up a
sign that read something like "Top Secret".

Jim Wheeler