Kinda urgent: Wet Tape Salvaging
- vivalastblues
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Kinda urgent: Wet Tape Salvaging
So this is kind of a freak story, but basically some 1/2" tapes got left outside for 2 days, and it may have rained a bit. The reels were in their RMG cardboard boxes, and inside a larger box which tightly housed the 4 individual boxes. I am going to pick them up in about an hour so I don't know the exact condition of them yet, but if they are wet, what should I do? Do I need to take them to a lab to be baked, just to be safe?
- Gregg Juke
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- vivalastblues
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- vivalastblues
- steve albini likes it
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I don't know whether or not this would be adequate as I've never experienced this...but I don't think it would be a bad idea to take the tapes out of their boxes and put them in a room with a dehumidifier for few days... Maybe put them in a food dehydrator?
You may get lucky and the tapes are still in their plastic wrapper inside the boxes.
Obviously if the tapes are remotely damp I don't think you should try to run them.
You may get lucky and the tapes are still in their plastic wrapper inside the boxes.
Obviously if the tapes are remotely damp I don't think you should try to run them.
- vivalastblues
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With amps and such, when they get wet, I've always heard (and have done) that placing it in the sun and open air is a good way to dry it.
Thing is, direct sunlight on metal is different than on plastics, so mebbe outside but in the shade ...
But the dehydrator idear sounds best; this one is under US$50.
Thing is, direct sunlight on metal is different than on plastics, so mebbe outside but in the shade ...
But the dehydrator idear sounds best; this one is under US$50.
- joelpatterson
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You can't. A little moisture usually creeps into the tape, and it takes playing them back to see if the tape sheds at all, or is in any other way messed up.vivalastblues wrote:Well they look totally fine to me. I have no idea how I would go about knowing if they're damp or not?
All you can do is open the reels up, and let them be in a dry warm environment for at least 24 hours before playing them. DRY is they key, if you don't have a dry environment, then just don't do it.
Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.
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Here's some info on baking, ...just in case:
http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html
These guys are pro's: http://www.sonicraft.com/
http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html
These guys are pro's: http://www.sonicraft.com/
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They are probably just fine. I agree with Tony.
Tape is more resilient than most people think, and a few drops of water over a couple of days is not likely to have harmed them.
Regards
David Ollard
www.thinbrownline.com
Tape is more resilient than most people think, and a few drops of water over a couple of days is not likely to have harmed them.
Regards
David Ollard
www.thinbrownline.com
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