Reel-to-Reel care?

From: Kevin Handy <kth_at_srv.net>
Date: Tue Dec 9 10:17:36 2003

Ken Campbell wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> Does anyone have some "care and feeding" tips for vintage reel-to-reel
> tape drives? I've recently purchased a couple nice 9 Track drives, and
> want to make sure they (and the media) last as long as possible.
>
> I've already given the heads, rollers and guides a good cleaning with
> 99.9%
> anhydrous Isopropyl Alcohol using 'fuzzless' cotton cleaning sticks,
> and plan
> to do so on a regular basis. Is there such a thing as too much
> cleaning? ;)

Watch out for old tapes that are losing their oxide. They can really make
a mess of the heads, which can be a &^%_at_# pain to clean off.

>
> What other tips and tricks should I know? For example, should I
> always unload
> and store the tapes in their carriers immediately after I'm done
> using the drives,
> or can I safely leave them loaded for an extended period (oxidization?
> de/magnetization?
> deterioration?). They definitively look cooler with tapes loaded :)
>
Leaving the tapes mounted means that there is always tension on the tape,
which may cause it to stretch. If you leave the tapes mounted (under
tension),
the drive will probably be a major source of noise (vacuum/fans
running), and
the filters will fill with dust.

If the reels are open to the world, expect dust to collect on the tape
over time,
unless your system is in a clean-room. One reason for the 'tape-wrap' or
cannisters is to protect the tape from dust.

You can pick a "scratch" tape to leave on the drive (on that you don't
expect to actually use for anything) if you just want the look, but I
wouldn't leave a favorite tape on there for too long.

> Thanks,
>
> Ken C.
>
Received on Tue Dec 09 2003 - 10:17:36 GMT