tracks visible on tape

It is not possible to see the magnetic variations on the tape. Any pattern on the tape would either be mechanically generated (rubbing, abrading) or some sort of contamination I would say that a really dirty head, or one with excessive wear might "pattern" a tape....
Never seen this. :eek:
 
Yep, tape should be smooth. I've only seen lines on very old multi-pass tape and/or tape used on a machine with severe head wear.

Your heads should also be smooth to the touch.
 
BOJAX said:
hey,
is it normal to see the acual track paths on the tape after rec or playback?
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In normal operation you would not be able to see any "tracks". If your heads are worn such that the magnetic poles are not at the same level as the rest of the head you "might" see the track pattern due to wear on the tape (And just how many passes would that take?).



FYI

There is a way to "develop" the magnetic patterns by putting a fluid onthe tape . Actually there are a number of ways to "see" the magnetic patterns. THis is not something that most of us have access to but is used to recover audio and data off of tapes and disks that are otherwise unreadable.

This is why (as an aero-space contractor) we always used a thermite furnace to destroy old mag tape and disks. For what it is worth never take any magnetic recording material into a secure area. The only approved way to get it back out is as slag....
 
when I rub the tape with a q-tip it kinda comes off. like i said the heads are clean. I don't know if it is possible for them to be any cleaner.
 
BOJAX said:
when I rub the tape with a q-tip it kinda comes off. like i said the heads are clean. I don't know if it is possible for them to be any cleaner.
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What brand is the tape, and when was it made? (For Ampex, the date code is like '92115', being the 115th day of 1992. For Quantegy it's like '2005115' since they switched to 4-digit years.

I would say get any important recordings off the tape ASAP and sling it.
 
BOJAX said:
when I rub the tape with a q-tip it kinda comes off. like i said the heads are clean. I don't know if it is possible for them to be any cleaner.
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If this is the (potentially) 35+ year old Sony tape you mentioned in the other thread I'm afraid that the best option is to bin it and get some fresh tape. I've never had an issue with tape that old actually disintegrating, especially Jap tape, but there's a first time for everything. Quantegy 407 or Maxell 35-90B (if you can find it).
 
jpmorris: I think all the tapes I have now are 25+ years old :O
it would suck if I had to get rid of the sony ones, they were unused

arjoll: what exactly is the shelf life of tape? These were unused so there must be some life in it. Is there? :(
 
BOJAX said:
arjoll: what exactly is the shelf life of tape? These were unused so there must be some life in it. Is there? :(
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It depends on storage and the brand. I have a heap of tapes here that I'm going to (eventually) get around to transferring to a more convenient medium. The only ones I've ever had trouble with are a couple of reels of 80's Ampex - fortunately they're only production beds that a friend sent me 10 years ago.

The others - some easily 40 years old, brands such as Zonatape (became Zonal I think), BASF, Scotch, EMI, Teletape (one pass ex-BASF from the late 60's) etc - all appear ok, the issues being old splices falling apart etc. All of the 70's Maxell is good, all of the 90's Maxell and Ampex is good (but watch this - there are reports of early 90's Ampex with sticky shed). Even the acetate tape I have appears ok, although the fragility of that stuff makes me nervous.

This has all been stored in a temprate climate indoors for at least 35 years - it would be unusual for it to be below 5C or above 25C and humidity isn't high. If your tape has been stored in extremes then its less likely to be in good condition. The other issue is sticky shed - search this forum for heaps of good info - which will affect tape even when unopened. The adhesive binding the coating to the polyester base degrades and oxide literally falls off - this is more of a problem for US tape (especially Ampex), but I have never heard of issues with non-backcoated tape and acetate doesn't have the problem (it just gets vinegar syndrome - a very serious issue affecting acetate based film or tape).

If your tape does have 'sticky shed' then 'baking' it in a closely temprature controlled environment (e.g. a food dehydrator) might help. I think for the price of a new reel of tape its worth at least confirming that there are no other problems with deck/alignment etc.

cjacek - where do you get 1/4" 35 micron (1 mil) tape in your neck of the woods?
 
BOJAX said:
jpmorris: I think all the tapes I have now are 25+ years old :O
it would suck if I had to get rid of the sony ones, they were unused

arjoll: what exactly is the shelf life of tape? These were unused so there must be some life in it. Is there? :(
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Not if it's breaking down chemically. You might be able to 'bake' them back to life, but I'm not sure I'd want to use resurrected tape for anything permanent. If you just plan to make loops or something, it might be okay.

If you decide to go down this route, you'll need a special kind of oven to do it. Search for 'tape baking' and you should find the info you need. If not, well, you can probably find a use for the spools.
 
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