So do I! Yes please post here.

Richard

On Sat, 7 Apr 2018, 22:32 CJB, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> "Please keep us posted. If the details are too boring for the list,
> please contact me directly via my website" - not boring but highly
> relevant to my own project. And I have some of those red cassettes in
> the pipeline!!! Chris B.
>
> On 07/04/2018, Corey Bailey <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Hi Eero,
> >
> > Your research is interesting. The one comment I can make is that you
> > need to allow more time for both the low temp. & and the desiccant
> > processes. You didn't say just how you protected the cassette while
> > freezing but, if you were able to play it the next day, you must have
> > done it right. The earliest research on Binder Hydrolysis indicated that
> > reducing the temperature and humidity to about 18 Degrees Celsius and
> > about 24% Relative Humidity for, at least, 3 Months will actually
> > reverse the problem. No mention was made about long term stability so I
> > would have to assume that problem tapes would need to be stored in those
> > conditions. I would think that the desiccant process would need a
> > similar amount of time to be 100% effective if 100% effectiveness is
> > achievable using thedesiccant processes. However you are on the right
> > track and some experimenting with the time it takes to make the cassette
> > playable would would be most interesting. Please keep us posted. If the
> > details are too boring for the list, please contact me directly via my
> > website
> >
> > Cheers!
> >
> > Corey
> >
> > Corey Bailey Audio Engineering
> > www.baileyzone.net
> >
> > On 4/7/2018 9:46 AM, Eero Aro wrote:
> >> Hi All
> >>
> >> The red labeled BASF LH Super Compact Cassette tape is suffering from
> the
> >> soft binder syndrome. Yellow, orange and green labeled LH Super
> cassettes
> >> don't seem to have the same problem, so they must contain other type
> >> of tape.
> >> I have been experimenting with the red labeled LH Super cassettes.
> >>
> >> The cassettes start squealing in the deck after less than a minute's
> >> playback. They
> >> squeal equally in single and double capstan decks. Cleaning the heads
> >> and the tape
> >> path helps for another minute of playback or so. The squealing causes
> >> modulation and
> >> disturbing sounds in the audio output. The tape needs dehydration.
> >> However, I don't
> >> happen to have a tape baking dehydrator at the moment.
> >>
> >> I first tried freezing a cassette in the deep-freezer in - 18 degrees
> >> overnight.
> >> In the morning the tape played without squealing for about five
> >> minutes. Better
> >> than the less than a minute without any operations.
> >>
> >> I have seen suggestions that the complete deck should be put in the
> >> fridge as well,
> >> but I wouldn't like to do that.
> >>
> >> I decided to try silica gel bags. I did two different versions. In the
> >> first I put a cassette
> >> into a small plastic box and padded it in between silica gel bags. In
> >> the other, I removed
> >> the tape from the cassette shell and put just the tape in between the
> >> silica gel bags.
> >>
> >> As untreated, the non-squealing playback time of these two cassettes
> >> was about two
> >> minutes.
> >>
> >> The complete cassette that had been in the silica treatment played for
> >> about five
> >> minutes without squealing.
> >>
> >> The tape that had been removed from it's shell played for 12 minutes
> >> after one night
> >> between the silica gels. After four nights silica treatment the tape
> >> played for 35
> >> minutes without squealing.
> >>
> >> Before each playback attempt I had cleaned the heads. The deck wasn't
> >> powered
> >> before the test to prevent it from warming up.
> >>
> >> I think that this may work so well because it's still winter in
> >> Finland and the relative
> >> humidity is low. It's about 54% outside right now. As we have the
> >> central heating on,
> >> it is even drier indoors.
> >>
> >> Fortunately, my test cassettes don't have any valuable audio content.
> >>
> >> Eero Aro
> >>
> >> -----------------------------------------
> >> https://www.tonfiks.fi/english
> >
>