I would like to let you know of a newly published open-access article 
(that means no paywall!) in the MDPI Journal "Heritage"

And, as they say, please excuse the cross posting.

https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/2/2/97
"Chemistry for Audio Heritage Preservation: A Review of Analytical 
Techniques for Audio Magnetic Tapes"

"...The aim of this review is to collect the literature concerning the 
analytical determinations and instrumental approaches that can achieve 
the chemical identification of the components in the tape and the 
degradation state....."

This paper was the brainchild of Dr. Federica Bressan who I met at the 
AES Archiving Conference at the Library of Congress in Culpeper, VA, a 
year ago. She brought together two of her chemistry colleagues from the 
University of Padua (Padova) and I became a link between users and 
researchers.

We hope this article provides useful information and pointers additional 
useful information. The more one analyzes magnetic tapes, the more 
complex they seem to become due to chemical interactions among the 
various components. This article has different levels of accessibility, 
which was intentional, in order to be useful to a wide range of readers.

Here are some notes about the authors:

Dr. Federica Bressan is a Fulbright scholar and Marie Curie alumna. 
Currently she is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, Belgium, 
and appointed Professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Nova 
Gorica, Slovenia. She holds an MD in Musicology and a PhD in Computer 
Science. The vision underlying her research concerns the co-evolution of 
technology and culture. Her main expertise is in the field of multimedia 
preservation, with a special attention for audio and interactivity. She 
is active in science popularization, and she is the host of the podcast 
Technoculture (http://technoculture-podcast.com/). More info at: 
http://research.federicabressan.com

Dr. Roberta Bertani is, since 1988, an Associated Professor in Chemical 
Bases of Technologies at the School of Engineering (University of Padua) 
teaching chemistry and applied chemistry for different Courses 
(Informatics, Material, Mechanical, Aerospace, Electronics and Civil 
Engineering). She is co-author of more than 200 scientific papers, 
included patents, in the fields of organometallic chemistry, catalysis, 
fluorinated materials, analytical chemistry, new materials and polymers.

Dr. Paolo Sgarbossa is Associate Professor at the Department of 
Industrial Engineering at the University of Padua since June 2015. He is 
currently responsible for the Strategic Investment Project SID2017 of 
the Department of Industrial Engineering (University of Padua) on 
“Dielectric Magnetic Composites: Tailored Ferrite Nanoparticles in 
Composites for Plasma Source Applications”.

I have worked in broadcast engineering (with my BS in communications) 
starting at ABC-TV in 1975, joining McCurdy Radio as Director of 
Engineering in 1981, and working at National TeleConsultants 1983-2004, 
where I ended up as Principal Consultant. Since 2004, I have run my own 
audio tape restoration business.

Cheers,

Richard


-- 
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.