Quoting "Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]>: <SNIP> > As to The Last Factory tape products, I found I > had to use much more than recommended and with > cassettes and reels that were not back coated but > squealed, I got minimal results. Hi Richard, I also found that I have to use much more than recommended in the white paper provided by LAST. Basically, I soak a Texwipe with the lubricant and apply it to the oxide while rewinding or forwarding the tape VERY SLOWLY. By slowly I mean roughly 5–7 Ips. While applying the lubricant, I use an eye dropper to keep the Texwipe wet. I will stop as often as necessary to re-fold the Texwipe and wet it again. The lubricant does evaporate from the oxide, however I have encountered no adverse effects from the layers winding onto the reel before the lubricant has evaporated completely. While I don’t drench the tape, I do make sure that the coverage is such that the oxide gets wet. Because I’m coming in direct contact with the fluid, I wear rubber gloves for the application process. I’ve also had excellent results using this procedure on 16mm & 35mm magnetic film. The studio where I work does agree that the process is viable but is reluctant to adopt it as standard due the cost of the lubricant so it is reserved for the most problematic of media. The Engineering Dept at this same studio, noting my results, has tried it on some sticky Hi-8 video tape with mixed results. LAST Factory claims that treating magnetic media with their lubricant will increase shelf life. I have no evidence to support that claim. Until Richard’s post, I was unaware of Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and somehow missed it in all of his writings but I will look into it and compare notes if I'm able to try it. Cheers! Corey Bailey Corey Bailey Audio Engineering