Sticky Shed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Muckelroy
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Muckelroy

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I'm trying to decide the best master 1/2 track tape machine for.....masters. For what I'll be doing, quarter inch half-track will work just fine. Balanced or un-balanced inputs, either way it's all good. I've been looking at some Otaris, Studers, Revoxes, any ideas?

But here's another thing - I need the master half-track to have an all-roller tape path so that if I needed to re-pack a tape with sticky shed before baking it, I could take the headstack off, and slowly re-pack it onto another reel for baking, so that the oxide side of the tape has minimal friction agains stationary parts. (or, so that there are NO stationary parts touching the oxide on the tape path).

Thanks!
-callie-
 
Muckelroy said:
I'm trying to decide the best master 1/2 track tape machine for.....masters. For what I'll be doing, quarter inch half-track will work just fine. Balanced or un-balanced inputs, either way it's all good. I've been looking at some Otaris, Studers, Revoxes, any ideas?

But here's another thing - I need the master half-track to have an all-roller tape path so that if I needed to re-pack a tape with sticky shed before baking it, I could take the headstack off, and slowly re-pack it onto another reel for baking, so that the oxide side of the tape has minimal friction agains stationary parts. (or, so that there are NO stationary parts touching the oxide on the tape path).

Thanks!
-callie-
Click to expand...

First, you shouldn't "re-pack" a tape with sticky shed before baking it. I've seen that recommended in a couple places but that is incorrect. Running a tape with sticky shed will only do further and irreparable harm to the tape. Baking restores the tape to a safe condition; one in which it will not be torn to pieces on the tape path. The tape will be loosened by the baking process, so it must be respooled after baking anyway.

The Tascam 32-2 and 22-2 are both great machines. The Otari MX-5050 is another good one to keep your eye out for. The Fostex 20-2 is also very well made.

Tascam machines have the most parts available from the manufacturer. Otari parts and service are available, but much pricier. Fostex support and parts are virtually non-existent for many models.

-Tim
:cool:
 
we just keep running into each other, Beck

I was under the impression that improperly packed tapes would warp, and fringe along the edges when they're baked (?) At least I've always read that they should be evenly packed before baked.....never said why?
 
Beck said:
The Tascam 32-2 and 22-2 are both great machines. The Otari MX-5050 is another good one to keep your eye out for. The Fostex 20-2 is also very well made.
Click to expand...

The Tascam BR-20 is nice; its been a while since I used one but I preferred it to the 32 (not that I'm exactly an expert!).

I'm guessing that being a newer machine they're harder to find on the second hand market though.

Cya
Andrew
 
Muckelroy said:
I was under the impression that improperly packed tapes would warp, and fringe along the edges when they're baked (?) At least I've always read that they should be evenly packed before baked.....never said why?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that info got out there at some point and has been repeated enough that it has caused some confusion. The tape loosens during the bake and nicely falls into alignment against the bottom reel on its own. The physical damage from running a badly afflicted tape through a tape deck far out ways any other consideration. Sticky-shed is a chemical process, but the ripping and tearing that can result from playing a sticky tape is a physical process that cannot be reversed. You can literally end up leaving much of your high frequency info on the tape path with the outer most oxide layer; Or even worse, bits and pieces of tape, especially along the edges are pealed off eliminating whole tracks.

The 130 degrees or so temp is not nearly hot enough to deform the poly base of the tape. It only extracts moisture allowing the binder molecules to recombine.

The best procedure to follow is that recommended by Ampex and adopted by the Library of Congress, which directs that the first step in the process is to bake the tape. The exception is if the tape has mold. In that case it should be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide fist. :)
 
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