Hi Richard and others:

For tapes with squealing problems, I have used the wet play system that 
was started by, I believe, Marie O'Connell. I use an ATR-100 customized 
by ATR services, with a drip bag and jig I built to distribute 100% 
isopropyl to the tape. The deck is on it's factory rolling rack and is 
positioned down at roughly a 45 degree angle so that the extra run-off 
of iso does not hit the boards or any other important 
mechanical/electrical components. The excess alcohol drips off the head 
block and out through the open audio board access door on the front of 
the deck onto a drip pan I place on the floor.

I have no experience with D5. Could the same setup use D5 instead? Would 
D5 be better to use than iso, as far as to minimize any long-term 
effect/damage to the tapes? Has anyone done testing to determine the 
effect D5 has verses iso on tape? Does anyone have suggestions other 
than these two chemicals?

Regards,

John Schroth
Media Transfer Service, LLC


On 8/14/2012 5:08 PM, Richard L. Hess wrote:
> Hi, Ted,
>
> That's one of the reasons today why I keep D5 
> (Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, CAS Number 541-02-6) on hand. It 
> ultimately evaporates and it solves problems quickly, when needed. It 
> is safe in that it is used to provide the slipperiness to personal 
> care products and is also used in dry cleaning.
>
> On 2012-08-14 4:48 PM, Ted Kendall wrote:
>> With the usual caveats, this worked on a reel of Shamrock under 
>> extreme duress (many years ago, I may add) :
>>
>> The tape in question was a dub of ETs of Buddy Holly's hometown radio 
>> station on the day of his death, and was required yesterday for a TV 
>> production (aren't they always?). I had a Revox 700 to hand, but 
>> could not stop the tape squealing. In desperation I sprayed the tape 
>> with WD40. Instant success! - followed by instant failure as the 
>> lubricant passed on and the squeal returned. Eventually, however, I 
>> found that wedging some cotton bud tip betwixt erase head and fixed 
>> guide, in contact with the tape, and dousing it every three seconds 
>> with the WD40 enabled silent playback. Of course, it created a 
>> b-awful mess of tape and machine, but this cleaned up all right, and 
>> in any case the job sometimes has to come before the tool!
>>
>