TAPE CARE GUIDE

The Report from Ampex and is part of a lengthy artical on the subject that can be found here

Ampex Guide to the Care and handling of Magnetic Tape.

Practical Life Expectancies

Those accustomed to storing paper and microfilm may be annoyed by the relatively short life expectancies (ten to thirty years) of magnetic tape materials. Some gold plated/glass substrate digital optical disc technologies promise 100-year lifetimes. However, a 100-year life expectancy is irrelevant when the system technology may be in use for no more than ten or twenty years (or less)

Recommended Practices

  • Tape should be handled only in no smoking, no food, clean areas.
  • Do not let tape or leader ends trail on the floor.
  • [Do not drop or subject to sudden shock.]
  • Keep tape away from magnetic fields. Don't stack tapes on top of equipment.
  • Tape storage areas should be cool and dry. Never leave open reel or cassette tapes exposed to the sun.
  • Avoid subjecting tapes to rapid temperature changes. If storage and operating area temperatures differ by more than 15° F (8° C), allow an acclimatization time within the operating area of four hours for every 18° F (10° C) difference.
  • Store open reel and cassette tapes with the reels or tape packs vertical. Reels should be supported by the hub. [Tapes should be stored like books on a library shelf - on end. They should not be stored laying flat.]
  • Use high quality reels or cassettes, boxes/containers, and accessories.
  • Return tapes to their containers when they are not in use.
  • Cut off damaged tape or leader/trailer ends from open reel tapes.
  • For open-reel tapes, use protecting collars if available.
  • Do not use general purpose adhesive tapes to secure the tape end or for splicing. If necessary, use adhesive products designed for the purpose.
  • Minimize tape handling.
  • Do not touch the tape surface or the edge of the tape pack unless absolutely necessary and then wear lint-free gloves.
  • Clean the recorder tape path thoroughly at the recommended intervals.
  • Discard tapes with scratches or any other surface damage, which causes significant debris to be left in the recorder tape path.
  • Ensure tapes to be reused are thoroughly bulk-erased before they are put back into service.

  • Some illustrations follow showing how Tape Paths work and damaging agents effecting the Media.

Tape cross section

 

 

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Audio Tape

 

Debris

Tape Distortion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tape Reel

Tape Video Heads

Tape Storage