Tape restoration

[MAzevedo]

For 2" I tend to do a long bake at a low temperature. You need to make sure you get all the moisture out all the way through the pancake. Something like 6-8 hours at 120º F. You need to make sure there is plenty of airflow around the tape in the oven. Make sure the end of the tape is taped down securely so it doesn't unravel. I would usually take the flanges off the reels, but that is optional. I'd put wooden paint stirrers under the reels when I did that in case things loosened up in the bake, with a 1/2" hub under each reel to space it off the rack (if it is the bottom reel) or the reel below it.

That is the basics, there is a lot more that is hard to say without seeing the tape. There are a lot of plastic leader tapes that can't be baked safely. Bunch of other stuff that just comes with experience. Baking is usually a very straightforward process, but when it goes bad it gets really ugly. Good luck!

[shmasterer]

for 2" I believe 24 to 48 hours is what they do at Abbey Road, 6 to 8 hours is for quarter or half inch, its hard to overcook as long as you don't go over 130 deg. f.

_sh

[Greg Reierson]

In addition to what has been said, Bill Lund from 3M is emphatic about a slow cool down process.

GR

[wado1942]

I do 130F as 120 doesn't seem to do much good. Time depends on how bad it is. DO NOT USE A CONVENTIONAL OVEN! The temperatures are nowhere near stable enough.

[Rick Sutton]

Back in the day Ampex spec'd 8-10 hours at 130 degrees F plus/minus 5
in a Farberware convection oven. They specified a specific model, which I purchased, but I doubt that it would be possible to find these days. They emphasized the importance of using a convection oven that was capable of maintaining a tight temperature variance at low temperatures.
I've baked 100's of tapes successfully with this formula.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Frank Wells did a mod on a convection oven when he was at Masterfonics/The Tracking Room that was widely adopted among people that I knew around Nashville. I suggest that you ask around and shop the work out to someone who has done it before. And as soon as you can, make the transfers. It is a temporary solution.

[wado1942]

I just use a NESCO food dehydrator that I modified. You can usually get them for about $35-$40. Get a good meat thermometer, drill a hole slightly smaller than the shaft just below the bottom tray and stick it in there. I broke the bottoms out of the rest of the tray rings, insulated the surrounds (it no longer comes apart except for the lid) to make it more efficient. It works so well, I was hired to make some for the library.

[neilwilkes]

Originally Posted by chytz

Looking for advice from somebody with experience from 2" tape restoration. I have have tapes from the 80s that needs baking. Time? Temperature? Anything else to think about...?
Best
Chytz

Get someone who specializes in this to do it for you!
I always send out to FX Copyroom, as they charge for the transfer & the baking is included in the (very reasonable) prices.