Bakeing old cassette's in the oven?

[C Hugo]

Has anyone ever heard of this practice?And if so what does it do and does it really work?And is there a certain type of tape that should'nt be baked like metal or can this be done to any tape?What should the oven setting be and how long should they be left in the oven? Thanks in advanced for any help..PEACE!

[A Reel Person]

My question would be, why would you want to do it? Has the tape broken down, like some reel tape has been known to do lately?

I don't think you could bake a cassette to the same advantage of baking a reel, because the plastic cassette shell would absorb most of the heat. The heat you'd need to affect the tape inside the cassette, would likely melt the shell.

/DA

[Wil Davis]

You could always try the "search" function - you might be surprised at what turns up:

e.g.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthr...threadid=18342

This thread refers to reel-reel tape. Cassettes tend to absorb less moisture as they aren't so exposed to the air, i.e. they are totally enclosed. I've never had a problem with cassettes, but have used the method described in the quoted thread to cure many reels of 1/4" tape. For 2400' of standard tape on a 10.5" spool, I bake for about 4 hours @ 155 deg F. When finished, allow to cool on a cooling rack, dust with confectioners sugar, and serve with your favourite dessert wine - mmm! tres yummy!

;>

- Wil

[matty_boy]

I like my baked tape with fries and gravy.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally posted by matty_boy
I like my baked tape with fries and gravy.

Throw some cheese on that and you got yourself "cassette au gratin."

In Quebec, that would be a "poutine au ruban"!!

"No honey, you CAN'T use the oven right now -- I'm baking some cassettes for the boys back at the control room - it's MY turn for treats this week!!!"





But seriously, Wil's right -- "tape baking" is not a practice done on cassettes!


Bruce

[Digital Reason]

actually this practice is quite frequently used to restore old 24 track 2 inch master tapes from 20 plus years ago. There is a studio in the city called Metalworks near by that has a "Oven Room" that is just there to bake old 2 inch tape reels.
You see if a tape is left in storage for long enough it becomes brittle and prone to breakage and quality loss due to the magnetic particles not "Sticking" to the tape anymore. By baking the tape you kind of melt the tape back together and make it ready to put back on the reels after 20 plus years without damage or much quality loss. This practice is usually used just before making a digital master of a multitrack 2 inch (you know that "Digitally remastered" logo) anywayz I have a producer guide by one of my former teachers when I was attending a studio class that goes through the process of baking tapes. I will post the specs for temprature and time in the near future.

Jeff
Saunavation Audio

[Blue Bear Sound]

Reels, yes.... but not cassettes!

Bruce

[Wil Davis]

Originally posted by Digital Reason
actually this practice is quite frequently used to restore old 24 track 2 inch master tapes from 20 plus years ago. There is a studio in the city called Metalworks near by that has a "Oven Room" that is just there to bake old 2 inch tape reels.
You see if a tape is left in storage for long enough it becomes brittle and prone to breakage and quality loss due to the magnetic particles not "Sticking" to the tape anymore. By baking the tape you kind of melt the tape back together and make it ready to put back on the reels after 20 plus years without damage or much quality loss. This practice is usually used just before making a digital master of a multitrack 2 inch (you know that "Digitally remastered" logo) anywayz I have a producer guide by one of my former teachers when I was attending a studio class that goes through the process of baking tapes. I will post the specs for temprature and time in the near future.

Jeff
Saunavation Audio

"Melting the tape back together..." (!) - Well, actually what happens is that the adhesive used to bind the magnetic particles to the tape absorbs moisture from the air, losing its adhesive properties, so that the particles no longer stick to the tape. Heating the tape (carefully) drives off the moisture, and the adhesive now works, and all is well. Tapes from different manufacturers do this to different extents - some are worse than others. I've found that 155 deg F works for the tapes I've done - even the ones on plastic reels - but you might not be so lucky with cassettes...

- Wil

[Digital Reason]

Originally posted by Wil Davis


"Melting the tape back together..." (!)
- Wil

melting the tape so to speak, I appologize if all my facts were not in order on this subject. Thanx for the info that straightened out my info, and YES, I also wouldn't use this technique on a cassette tape

Jeff
Saunavation Audio

[The Green Hornet]

Yo CHUGO:

Your thread has inspired me to write a new song.

"If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cassette."


I couldn't resist.

Green Hornet

[Beathoven]

Hey, are you from Québec, Blue Bear?!