Sticky Shed Help Thread

WarmJetGuitar said:
Good some reels of half inch 3M 996 on my hands for 17 dollars/12 pounds each. There's some mixed opinions whether this tape has a shedding problem. Any way of identifying the bad rolls from the good ones? Unlike Ampex 456 there's a whole lot of confusion on this subject.

Would it be fine on a Fostex G16C? The owner have used it on a B16.
Click to expand...

The tape issue with 3M 996 is not sticky-shed per se, so baking will not help and is not recommended for that tape. It’s a heavier than normal oxide shedding on some batches. If you bought the tape used it could also be that an unscrupulous seller put 3M 226 or some other tape on the 996 reels… or someone honestly got the tape and reels mixed up. When dealing with opened and used tape one never knows.

At this point in time much of the confusion and conflicting information about sticky-shed is because people are basing reports on tape they purchased used, and thus they can’t really say with certainty what kind of tape they have. Information they provide regarding the nature of the tape in question is not valid. Although any tape maker can have bad batches (and they did), generally speaking 996 is a great tape with a good track record.

Also just a reminder... never bake tape to use for new recording projects, but only to recover previously recorded material you're trying to salvage. You can't fix sticky-shed. It will go bad again in a short time, and even right after baking is not as good as the same tape brand from the non-sticky era.
 
Sounds just great! I'll get it then. Thanks guys.

Wouldn't dream about trying to fix SSS-tapes for new recordings.

EDIT: Rereading your post you mention thhat "the tape issue with 3M 996 is not sticky-shed per se". Would it mean that there's other common problems with 996?
 
Last edited:
WarmJetGuitar said:
Sounds just great! I'll get it then. Thanks guys.

Wouldn't dream about trying to fix SSS-tapes for new recordings.

EDIT: Rereading your post you mention thhat "the tape issue with 3M 996 is not sticky-shed per se". Would it mean that there's other common problems with 996?
Click to expand...

I missed your edit before now.

Except for an occasional bad batch (Which all tape manufacturers have) there's nothing historically bad about 996. Oxide shedding is normal, and some tapes just leave more behind than others. It's not terminal like sticky-shed... just need more frequent cleaning of tape path and it usually gets better.
 
Last edited:
...

I believe that any case of tape shed could be exacerbated by improper reel tensions, and that most vintage decks, (Tascam 38 & the like which may never have had a full service), would tend to have improperly high tensions just from component drift, and thus would increase drag and shedding.

It sounds like our friend's shedding 996 is just tape break-in shedding. SSS is another more serious thing, altogether.

Q: Without reviewing any of the previous pages, what's the quick take on:

Ampex 456 s/n 91056, early 1991, where the Grand Master 456 logo is in the lower 1/4 of the box? It's NOS, and to me this tape looks fine, however I've not run any yet.

Thank you./DA
:spank::eek:;)
 
A Reel Person said:
Q: Without reviewing any of the previous pages, what's the quick take on:

Ampex 456 s/n 91056, early 1991, where the Grand Master 456 logo is in the lower 1/4 of the box? It's NOS, and to me this tape looks fine, however I've not run any yet.


Thank you./DA
:spank::eek:;)
Click to expand...

Odd... I've never seen that box style that early. Earliest I've seen it is 1994. Dave is it possible that the number is faded or somehow rubbed off and that 1 is really a 4? If it is indeed 1991 then it's unfortunately before they changed to the new binder, which was late 1994. :(
 
Interesting! That is the first tape I've ever seen of that box style with that early of a date. I had quite a few sticky-shed reels new right out of the box that were 92, 93 and even early 94 that still had the older box style... looks a lot like that one, but the label is in the middle. Of all the reels of every different size I've seen that is a first!
 
Oops!

I'd been looking thru many bins of tapes and I have several different varieties. I apparently got all the boxes confused. The tapes in question are 91056 and the label is in the "middle". I guess that solves the mystery! I will still put one or two up on the transport someday and see what it does!
:facepalm::spank::eek:;)
 
Yeah, I know,... I've been there, but...

the curious part of my is still dying to find out.
If it turns out as a textbook case, I suppose I'll dump the tape and sell the empty reels.
:spank::eek:;)

(In the same bin were some reels of 1/2" from 1995 with the label at the bottom).:facepalm:
 
A Reel Person said:
I'd been looking thru many bins of tapes and I have several different varieties. I apparently got all the boxes confused. The tapes in question are 91056 and the label is in the "middle". I guess that solves the mystery! I will still put one or two up on the transport someday and see what it does!
:facepalm::spank::eek:;)
Click to expand...

I figured it must have been something like that. Thanks for the update!
 
So I picked up Snackmaster FD-50 dehydrator mainly for baking tapes (and maybe for making some beef jerky too :D ).
This is an older model that they don't make anymore, but you can still find them, or a few of the newer models will work the same way. I think they just moved the heating elements/fan to the top of the new models, while the FD-50 has it on the bottom.

Anyway...this is the one I remember Eddie Ciletti recommending on his website Tangible Technology in his Analog 101 articles, so I just found the same model.
I ordered two extra tray since I new I needed to cut the rack out of them for use with 2" tape reels...and that way I had a 6-tray setup. It could accommodate three 2" reels, but I wanted to keep some room between the reels, so I just cut out two of the tray racks and that worked out well by letting me leave one empty tray below and between the two reels.

So here's a few pics that pretty much show how it all goes, and I'm currently baking a couple of reels and when they cool off back to room temp, I'll see how well the SSS has been dealt with. The first two reels I know had plenty of SSS, so they would be my test.
I decided to go for 6 hours at 135 degrees, and I was flipping them, every hour and also switching their positions top/bottom in the FD-50...that way they both got a nice even drying out.
After about an hour, once the reels come up to temp, they also help retain and maintain the temp...so by the 2nd hour, they metal is pretty hot to the touch...so careful when flipping them, especially with the heavier 2" reels.

TapeBake_01.jpg TapeBake_02.jpg TapeBake_03.jpg TapeBake_04.jpg TapeBake_05.jpg TapeBake_06.jpg TapeBake_07.jpg TapeBake_08.jpg
 
Nothing beats Nu Finish!!! :thumbs up:

I've been baking all weekend....I hope I win first prize at the fair. :)

The Snackmaster FD-50 is great for this....and yes, the size is perfect for 10.5" reels.
If you were only baking 1/4" or 1/2" tape, you could fit one per tray....but for 1" and 2" you need to cut one tray to use as a spacer per reel.
If I had a lot of 2" tapes that needed baking, I would have picked up a couple of more tray, since you can go up to 12 trays high with one FD-50...but I only had about a 10 older 456 reels that I wanted to resurrect....though I may never use them, since I have plenty of 499 and 996 reels to last me a long time, and the deck is set up for 499/996.
Of all my 499 and 996 reels, I only had maybe a couple of each that had some mild stickiness (probably due to poor storage by previous owners -- these are used tapes)....but the rest are all good, and I must have 3-4 dozen reels stocked up at this point.

The main reason I got the FD-50 was to future-protect my tapes in case any start to go in say 5-10 years, and when there isn't too much new/used stuff to be had anymore on eBay or wherever.
It was one of those impulse purchases. I was reading some stuff online about tape decks, and once again came across the Eddie Ciletti Analog Tape 101 articles he wrote a few years back. In there was mentioned the Snackmaster FD-50.

When I went to see how much they cost and where to get one....I found out that the no longer made that model, but had other ones. I figured if the FD-50 was perfect for the job per Eddie Ciletti...I would try and fine one....and there was one on eBay, basically NIB that someone bought and never used. For $60....it was worth it.
The two spare trays were $15....so for a total of $75 I got my tape baking solution.

I already baked a bunch of tapes. Tomorrow I'm going to spin up a few and see how well the process worked for the SSS. I'll post back......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top