How to prepare a video tape for program recovery

Part of the "What Labguy Did On His Spring Break" series, episode #2. Paul Beck demonstrates his method for baking and cleaning old video tapes prior to recovering the video and audio content. Old tapes develop a condition called "binder hydrolosys" or more commonly, "sticky shed syndrome". This is where the binder, that's the glue that holds the metal magnetic particles to the Mylar or polyester film base, has decayed into a tacky coating. This crud will gum up the video tape recorder, clogging the guides and heads and sometimes even breaking the video heads. The preparation process consists of warming the tapes under a heat lamp for a week or more. Never exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit. An industrial dry air convection oven works well also. Then Paul cleans and lubricates the video tape, on a re-purposed Ampex 300 series tape deck, using dry silicone spray and simple paper towels. The spray is available at your local hardware store. Do not confuse dry silicone spray with WD-40. NEVER USE WD-40 on any tape recorder or tape!!!!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• +video
• +tape
• +recorder
• +sticky
• +shed
• +syndrome
• +archive
• +television
• +Ampex
• +Sony
• +Panasonic
• +JVC
• +Concord
• +Craig

[videolabguy]

To answer the tape baking question, Google for, "If I knew your were coming, I'd have baked a tape!"

[videolabguy]

Thank you very much Blaine. Your appreciation is appreciated. But, in that video all the praise must be heaped on my good pal, Paul Beck. I'm just the guy with a camcorder and too much time on my hands. :-)

[videolabguy]

The formal method sets a temp of 140 degrees F for eight to twelve hours. After baking you must still clean the tape. I will soon post a short video of a modified Umatic VCR that Paul uses to apply his method to 3/4 inch cassettes. The videography is worse than my usual home movie style on that bit of shooting. but, it will make the point. I have no video of formal tape baking yet.

[Boeing744andRCAquad]

How do you clean and restore the bigger 2-inch Quad tapes?

[KESSLERPARK]

Lab Guy:

I like your style, very helpful, and open. You are a born teacher.

Thanks much, Blaine

[firenzeprima2]

Thank you , from Florence.. firenzeprima2

[IPteevee]

Wow, Paul you work with tapes like my great grandmother used to cook: add "a pinch" of this, do "that" until it feels "just warm enough," and so on. Pulling a good picture out of ancient tapes is as much art as science and the intuitive way you handle those tapes is just awsome! And (bonus!) now I finally know what I'm going to do with my spare Ampex 350 studio deck that's missing the preamp!

[eyeh8nbc]

I have a few old (1978) Scotch Beta tapes that stick while playing- I will have to try a variation of this before I transfer them to DVD. Could you show the proper way to 'bake' a tape? I'm afraid to try that without seeing it done first.

[petesmith81]

Thank you for this video. This is a very interesting way to clean old tapes.