Corey,
I understand and appreciate the conservation ethos, but a "known
consequence" of the age of sound recordings is the inability to play it
back. The question becomes: what is more valuable, the recorded content or
the physical artifact?

Steve

Steve Greene
Audiovisual Archivist
Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
National Archives and Records Administration
(301) 837-1772

On Mon, Jun 11, 2018 at 5:41 PM, Corey Bailey <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Not wanting to start a flame war here but: Because I do work for museums
> and other institutions, I cannot use anything that has unknown
> consequences. Any chemical that evaporates will leave behind a film or, at
> least, a measurable amount of residue. This can be a big No-No for
> archivists. The chemicals & procedures that I use for the cleaning of media
> have to be cleared by the institution that I am doing the work for.
>
> Cheers!
>
> Corey
>
> Corey Bailey Audio Engineering
> www.baileyzone.net
>
>
> On 6/11/2018 12:25 PM, Steve Greene wrote:
>
>> D5 has lubricants and other additives and about 95% volatiles, so no big
>> improvement over a silicone mold release agent on that score. Of course,
>> never apply anything like that directly. Wet a swab first, then apply
>> sparingly, letting it dry for a few minutes.
>>
>> I think Richard's "order of operations" has it about right: possibly
>> destructive steps should be the last alternatives, not the first.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> Steve Greene
>> Audiovisual Archivist
>> Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
>> National Archives and Records Administration
>> (301) 837-1772
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 11, 2018 at 3:01 PM, Richard L. Hess <
>> [log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>
>> On 2018-06-11 2:47 PM, Dan Gediman wrote in part:
>>> I received the suggestion from another list member, Jay Bruder, suggested
>>> that sometimes on these cheap cassettes, the actual hubs can cause the
>>> squealing and said he had in the past spliced new hubs and leader to old
>>> cassette tape and then put it in a new shell with new lubrication sheets.
>>>
>>> That is why I put THE TAPE into new shells. This has the advantage of not
>>> mis-adjusting the cassette mechanism.
>>> http://richardhess.com/notes/2006/03/06/loading-c-0-cassettes/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have some additional quetions:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I’m willing to try Richard’s refrigeration gambit. Do you actually run
>>>> cables into the fridge and play it while both deck and tape are
>>>> refrigerated?
>>>>
>>>> Exactly! I have a four pair snake running from my jackfield to my
>>> fridge.
>>>
>>> I’m also willing to try baking, though I don’t own a dehydrator. How
>>>
>>>> important is it to have one vs. using a standard oven.
>>>>
>>>> Very important as the ovens' elements may produce a magnetic field AND
>>> their low temperature control (54C max) is often not great. They are
>>> inexpensive, but I've only found a few cassettes that benefit from
>>> baking.
>>>
>>> Steve Greene suggested an alternative lubricant to D5, which he referred
>>>
>>>> to as a "silicone spray mold release agent.”
>>>>
>>>> Most silicones and other lubricants do not evaporate. D5 evaporates.
>>>
>>> Corey Bailey suggested I read this post about lubricating RTR tape, but I
>>>
>>>> couldn’t find a recommendation on what kind of lubricant to use, and
>>>> how it
>>>> could be applied in a cassette situation:
>>>> http://www.baileyzone.net/LUBR
>>>> ICATING%20POLYESTER%20AUDIO%20TAPE.htm <http://www.baileyzone.net/LUB
>>>> RICATING%20POLYESTER%20AUDIO%20TAPE.htm>
>>>>
>>>> I think he uses the LAST FACTORY lubricant, and I thought it was
>>> mentioned
>>> in his post.
>>>
>>> Finally, does anyone have a suggestion for an order of operations (i.e.
>>>
>>>> try this first, then this, then this)?
>>>>
>>>> Play
>>> Reshell if problems
>>> Play
>>> Cold Play if problems
>>> Lubricate if problems
>>> Think long and hard. Ask the list.
>>> Bake if problems
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Richard
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks again to everyone who has opined on what I should do in this
>>>> situation. I truly appreciate it.
>>>>
>>>> All the best,
>>>> Dan
>>>>
>>>> Dan Gediman
>>>> 502 299-2565
>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>> www.dangediman.com <http://www.dangediman.com/>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
>>> Aurora, Ontario, Canada 647 479 2800
>>> http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
>>> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>