[78-L] question on tape baking

[David Lennick]

Actually, you can expect to have problems with virtually all Shamrock tape 
except brown oxide 1.5 mil (smooth back)..most of the black oxide smooth-backed 
tape won't respond to baking but might have to be cold-played (see below). It 
may be the same as Ampex 291, which was sold as for educational use.

Shamrock was known by other names including Emerald (similar green boxes) and 
Brentwood (black boxes, sold by Woolco). And Radio Shack sold a lot of it in 
the early 80s as Concertape.

An ARSC Journal from 2008 has a lengthy article by Richard Hess about various 
forms of tape degradation, complete with photos..one of them showing a Revox 
inside a refrigerator, with a jug of milk beside it. Next time I'm shopping for 
a fridge I'd better make sure it can accommodate a tape recorder, let alone a 
pizza.

dl

Michael Biel wrote:
>  From: Dan Van Landingham <danvanlandingham at yahoo.com>
>> When I had my reel to reel set up,I had alot of those cheap tapes
>> I recorded on.I got them dirt cheap.Shamrock,as I recall,was made
>> by Orradio in Alabama. Their top of the line tape was Shamrock.
>> I have never heard of "tape baking".Just what is it?
> 
> The topic itself is not off-topic (the jokes were) so I removed the ^
> from the subject.  Tapes that had carbon backcoating from the mid-70s
> thru the 80s into the 90s are now often showing something called "Sticky
> Shed Syndrom" where the binder has become gooey and causes the tape to
> squeal, shed gooey oxide on the machine, and a host of other problems. 
> The binder can usually be re-solidified for about 30 days if the tape is
> baked in a convection oven at about 125 degrees F for maybe six hours.  
> 
> Shamrock was made in the Opelika Alabama factory that originally was
> Orradio, but had been sold to Ampex around 1960.  Shamrock, along with
> Emerald, Irish, and a few other brands were the "white box" cheapie
> tapes.  The regular tapes were branded Ampex, of course, but had been
> Irish prior to the sale to Ampex.  The black oxide carbon backcoated
> tapes are the problem tapes.  Brown oxide and non-backcoated tapes are
> usually OK.
> 
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
>  --- On Sat, 8/22/09, Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>  
>  
>  From: Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
>  Subject: Re: [78-L] question on tape baking^
>  To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>  Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009, 8:19 AM
>  
>  
>  simmonssomer wrote:
>  > ----- Original Message ----- 
>  > From: "Julian Vein" <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
>  > To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>  > Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2009 6:53 AM
>  > Subject: Re: [78-L] question on tape baking
>  > 
>  > 
>  >> David Lennick wrote:
>  >>
>  >>> The stuff done on Shamrock or other white-box brands from the same
> source 
>  >>> may
>  >>> not be okay though, and often that stuff doesn't respond to baking.
> It 
>  >>> actually
>  >>> needs to be played from inside a fridge..think I'm kidding?
>  >>>
>  >>> dl
>  >> ========
>  >> Doesn't the light go out when you shut the door?
>  >>
>  >>       Julian Vein
>  >>
>  > 
>  > Light? What light?
>  > 
>  > Al S.
>  >