20. My old reels squeak. Why does this happen, and can I fix it? (Old Time Radio)
Description
This article is from the Old Time Radio FAQ, by Lou Genco webmaster@old-time.com with numerous contributions by others.
20. My old reels squeak. Why does this happen, and can I fix it? (Old Time Radio)
There are at least two causes for "squeaky reels" on a reel-reel
tape recorder. (1) The tape edge may be rubbing against the rim of a
distorted take-up reel, or (2) the oxide may be sticking to your
erase (or other) heads. If the former, the least frustrating
alternative is probably a new take-up reel. If the latter, Fred Korb
left this note:
If you have any squeaky reels that you would like to
recover, I will be glad to send you more information
on how to do it. Just send me a stamped self addressed
# 10 envelope and I will respond. Send your request
to: Fred Korb, c/o Oldtime Radio Collectors and
Traders Society, 725 Cardigan Court, Naperville,
Illinois 60565-1202. I am willing to help you preserve
the sounds of radio days gone by.
[Editor's note: Fred's method consists of a kit by which a
lubricating film can be automatically applied to the tape as it is
played. I tried it. Although temporary, it does indeed work! I'd
recommend it for those squeaky tapes that you wish to re-record onto
newer reels.]
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Richard Fish (lodeston@bluemarble.net) also left this helpful info
about an alternative method:
HYRDROLYZATION is the culprit. The tape material -- the
backing, or the binder compound used to stick the magnetic
particles to the plastic backing -- has absorbed water
from the air. The water molecules actually make the tape
expand a bit, so it doesn't fit the machined tape-guides
properly anymore; and they can interfere with the
lubrication impregnated into the tape; and it is theorized
they can even interfere with the polished smoothness of
the tape surface.
WHY SOME TAPES AND NOT OTHERS? It depends on the
formulation of the plastic backing and binder. In the
mid-70s, both 3M (Scotch) and Ampex, the two major tape
manufacturers, started experimenting with their formulas.
They thought they were introducing major improvements,
but instead created a tape much more prone to
hydrolization than anything had ever been. The problem
did not show up for years, and the formulas did not get
corrected until sometime in the mid-'80s. Theoretically
any tape could get hydrolyzed over a long period of time,
especially if stored in a high-humidity situation, but in
practice most squeaky tapes were made (roughly speaking)
between 1975 and 1985.
WHAT'S THE FIX? Tom Lopez at ZBS (the most prolific and
entreprenurially successful producer of radio drama in
the US today) gave me his formula and I've done it many
times now and it works:
Bake the tapes in a convection oven for 8 hours at 130
degrees Fahrenheit. It is entirely possible to bake a
tape twice if the first time doesn't do the trick. You
get about a three-week "window", sez Tom, before the tape
starts to re-absorb water. So the best deal is to bake
the tape and immediately make a copy. But if you forget
to do it and it re-hydrolyzes, you can bake it again.
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