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RE: R2R - Oxide out wound, how to deal with?

Hi CactusCowboy,

There are multiple issues to consider here.

1. What is the vintage and type of tape? Before you do ANYTHING, you need to cover that base. If it's 70s-80s vintage high-output tape, you need to bake it before you do ANYTHING. After that...

2. As Ironbut said, make sure the oxide side is out. Some backcoated tapes may *look* like they're reversed, but aren't, since the backcoating side is generally dull-looking - like the oxide side. However, this is usually fairly easy to determine if you look at the tape closely. The backcoated side will inevitably have a duller finish.

3. Do NOT run the tape through the guides/heads. This can damage the tape by exposing the oxide side to parts which it isn't intended to contact, such as the pinch roller and stationary guides. Rather, run it (in PLAY mode) directly from the supply reel to the take-up reel, bypassing all other transport components. You will likely need to keep a finger on the supply side to ensure that it doesn't start to pick up too much speed and cause an accident. You might also have to fool a tape sensor in the normal path.

4. While running the tape from one reel to the other, be VERY aware of any point in the tape where it has gotten twisted. It could well be that part of the tape is "oxide side out", and it later twists back to the proper "backing side out". You MAY be able to see this in advance by visually closely examining the tape for any little incongruities in the tape "pack" (especially if it's on a clear plastic reel), but that is NOT certain, so keep a close eye on it while winding! Note that if there is a twist somewhere in the tape, there will be a momentary drop-out at that point, AND, the signal level will be noticeably higher. Note the exact point where that happened. That is an issue to deal with.

5. Once you are confident that you have a proper new pack; if you've followed my recommendations, it will have an uneven pack because of the uneven tension placed on the supply reel. Rewind the tape THROUGH the heads and tape guides. THEN play it. The first time through, it probably won't be perfect. Rewind it again, and then play it again. Leave it, and all tapes, in a "played/tail-out" condition.

hth

:)


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  • RE: R2R - Oxide out wound, how to deal with? - Inmate51 15:24:04 03/13/14 (0)

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