2" Scotch 996

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wkrbee

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Hello all.I have acquired a few rolls of NOS 2" 996.I know they have been stored properly since new in their original plastic cases.Does 996 have the SSS problem? I want to sell them,(need .5" tape), but don't want to sell if they are bad.
Thanks
 
What are you looking to get per reel (I'm assuming they come with the plastic cases)...and what kind of 1/2" tape are you looking for?
 
I have had SSS issues with 996. It wasn't major, like oxide peeling off (so no shed...just...tacky I guess, so TTS :p), but binding in the tape path of my Ampex MM-1000. I was having speed fluctuations and I couldn't figure out what the issue was. I had some 499 on hand and somebody suggested I try that so I did. Problem gone. The 996 was binding enough in the tape path to lug the capstan down which is like a truck on the MM-1000. It wasn't constant so just sections of the tape were binding. I tried the other reel of 996 I had and same thing.

I have a video somewhere of this.

The important thing to not here is ANY tape can go bad if improperly stored, but the 996 I had came from a known and trusted source, the tape could be verified as 996, and came from a very dry part of the country.
 
Yeah....I've seen it too.
I have several reels of 996, and most are smooth-n-clean running, but there were a couple that exhibited minor tackiness and some small amounts of shed after RW/FW. I let them RW/FW a couple of times while gently applying a dry, anti-stat, 1-ply extra low-lint paper wipe (made by Kimbery-Clark, Kimwipes EX-L) that I roll up on a pencil, and I hold the pencil vertically in one spot against the tape as it RW/FF with the eraser end down on the deck which helps keep the pencil anchored (a little tricky at first, but works like a charm once you get the hang of it). I do both sides of the tape twice, rolling off used paper as it gets dirty, and that gets most of the loose stuff off.

I agree, it's all in how well they were stored and where over the duration...and sometimes it's just an oddity with some reels you don't expect any issues from.
I mean....in many cases, we're dealing with 20-30 year old spools of tape, and it's not always obvious what conditions they lived under for all that time.

I also agree, that the 499 is my preferred choice and what my machine is set up for....though I've also run across the occasional 499 reel that has minor issues. Right now I'm tracking on a reel of 499, and generally it leave ZERO residue on the transport, but at RW/FF, I will occasionally see some very light "droppings" at the outside tape guide by the headstock.
It looks like small slivers, but when you go to pick it up with your finger, it just turns to brown powder. I've done a few hundred RW/FW passes as I'm tracking a few songs on it...and have yet to hear a single dropout or other audible issue from it.

I also believe the 996 is just a pinch more abrasive/stiffer than 499 (Beck...?)...and may not be the better choice for some machines. It plays fine on my MX-80 but I think I would have to redo my transport tension specifically for it even though electronically it should be about a 50/50 swap with the 499.
I have maybe 3 times as much 499 as I do 996, but at some point when I run out of the 499, I will switch over to the 996, but for now I'm not bouncing between formulations.
 
Yes 996 is thick and heavy as 1.5 mil tape goes and you can always get a bad run of tape. However, technically 996 does not have SSS because this is not the Urethane binder problem that is known as Sticky-shed Syndrome. 996 along with 966/986 introduced the new 3M binder that fixed their SSS problem. 966/986 replaced the SSS prone 226. Baking 996 does not fix any problems it may have and is not recommended.

I like Ampex/Quantegy 499 too, but we nicknamed it, "Rusty" back in the day because it generally has heavier than normal oxide shed, but not its SSS either. It's a powdery dusty shed that gets better with use. Always had to clean the tape path more often with 499 than when running 456.

The cleanest running tape I know of is Qunategy GP9, and they used 3M 996 as the basis for it, but tweaked it for better runability. Actually 3M engineers started the process, but Quantegy acquired 3M Magnetics before it was finished. So Quantegy ended up releasing another +9 tape to compete with its own 499 formulation, which is kinda weird from a marketing standpoint.
 
Awesome info, Tim. Thanks. I'll be interested to see how the 986 works. I have a 2" MRL for the Ampex that uses 986 and I was told to "watch out". I was told to bake it for sure before using. Based on what you are saying should I not bake it?

I've also heard GP9 is the bomb as far as reliability goes for older tape stock, which is part of why I was so jazzed to get two cases of NOS 1/4" x 2500' pancakes a couple years ago for $30 shipped. :p
 
You're welcome Cory. Right, no need to bake 986 and it might do some harm since it does not need it. I see a lot of people out there doing broad cautions for any older tape because they still don't know the sticky ones from the good ones or that there is a science to it... not simply guess work. It's too much for most people to remember the details, but unfortunately you can do damage to good tape with heat. Granted baking temps are relatively mild (120 to 140 degrees F) but still exceeds the official storage temp of most tape.

Yeah, you made out like a bandit with that GP9 score. :p
 
I've had to transfer a few reels of 996 (one 1" and two 1/4") with SSS-like problems. The issues were remedied by leaving the reels in an oven overnight with a 100watt bulb on in place of the appliance bulb. I kept a thermometer/humidity gauge in the oven and positioned the tapes away from the bulb.
The people who own the 1" tape say that one year later it's still playing fine. Montreal has a bad climate for tape storage (extreme summers and winters; high humidity) so perhaps that played a role in the tapes going sticky.
All of my personal 996 stash (stored in basement with a dehumidifier) is SSS-free. I suppose it's also possible that the tapes I had to transfer were really some other stock that ended up in gold 996 reels.
 
My limited experience with a couple reels of 996 is that it's not stable -- I don't think it's actually SSS (as Beck notes above), but it had something like a cross between excessive (not dry) shedding, and some kind of white stuff coming off. It played and recorded okay, but this was enough for me to not try it again.
 
The general consensus is it either will have little or no problems,with a few negative experiences I'll put up a reel on Ebay-with full disclosure, and see how it goes.Beck has always been a good source for tape issue,so I respect his observations on tape.
Thanks for all your input.
 
Slight bummer update:
I bought a box of 1/4" 996 pancakes in 2009. They all worked fine at the time but I tried using the last remaining one yesterday and I'm very sad to say it was sticky in a way that's very similar to bad Ampex 456 (thought it didn't completely jam the transport like severe SSS 456 does, it just slowed it down severely). I'm positive this is no mixup as the end tab ID's the tape as 996.
I baked it last night, it's just cooling right now. I'll report back soon whether or not the baking helped.
 
Yeah...I spun up a used reel of 996 i picked up the other day, and it was a bit sticky, but I ran it in RW/FW about 6-8 times, using my cleaning method I described in my last post, and between each pass I would clean off the lifters and guides. By the last couple of passes all the stick had just about dissapeared. I do both sides of the tape, not just the recording side.

The tape had been sitting somewhere for a long time, so it hadn't been moved at all....but the way it is now, I wouldn't hesitate to use it, and I'm sure after a couple of more passes it will be almost as smooth as new.
 
That's interesting Miroslav. In my case, it wouldn't allow the machine to fast wind at anywhere near full speed.
Just a little update: It did respond to baking. Unfortunately a few mixes were ruined by the drag caused by stickiness.
 
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lonewhitefly said:
My limited experience with a couple reels of 996 is that it's not stable -- I don't think it's actually SSS (as Beck notes above), but it had something like a cross between excessive (not dry) shedding, and some kind of white stuff coming off. It played and recorded okay, but this was enough for me to not try it again.
Click to expand...

Interesting. This sounds like the kind of shedding I've seen only with Scotch 226. It does make me wonder how corrupt the used tape trade has become at this point. I've seen a lot of tape that has been put on different reels accidentally or on purpose. God knows how much of this went on during the "Tape Scare" in 2005 when Quantegy first filed for bankruptcy.

Sellers like "TapeandTape" and other eBay sellers wanted to sell whatever would fetch the highest price. 996 and GP9 were going for stupid money, so if a guy had empty reels and boxes for those tapes I'm sure the temptation was great to put whatever pancakes they could find on those reels. Could be old discarded 226 or 456... or possibly bad runs of 996 that should have been destroyed by 3M when returned for replacement, but found its way back on the market.

Well anyway, just remember... if it's not sealed its not new, and may not be the tape that the reel and box says it is. ;)
 
Beck said:
Interesting. This sounds like the kind of shedding I've seen only with Scotch 226. It does make me wonder how corrupt the used tape trade has become at this point. I've seen a lot of tape that has been put on different reels accidentally or on purpose. God knows how much of this went on during the "Tape Scare" in 2005 when Quantegy first filed for bankruptcy.

Sellers like "TapeandTape" and other eBay sellers wanted to sell whatever would fetch the highest price. 996 and GP9 were going for stupid money, so if a guy had empty reels and boxes for those tapes I'm sure the temptation was great to put whatever pancakes they could find on those reels. Could be old discarded 226 or 456... or possibly bad runs of 996 that should have been destroyed by 3M when returned for replacement, but found its way back on the market.

Well anyway, just remember... if it's not sealed its not new, and may not be the tape that the reel and box says it is. ;)
Click to expand...

that's true -- it may very well have been 226. It was in 996 boxes & gold reels, circa '91. I only happened to get them with a tape machine I bought ... it was 1/2". But it did seem hotter output than 456, so I assumed it was 996. It was a few years back and I moved away from hot tape since.
 
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