Dear Ben, The correct technical term for "sss" is binder hydrolysis. A convection oven at 130ºF or a fruit desiccator are the usual devices for "baking" tapes. I have never done so except with aluminum reels and flanges but have never heard of the technique damaging 3M plastic reels; by all means experiment if it would reassure you. DDR On Sun, Aug 19, 2012 at 2:24 PM, James Roth <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hello again, > > I have one more question about baking audio tape. > Should it be indirect heat and how far from the filament (heat source) > should the tape be? > What about the plastic reels? These are 7-inch reels holding Ampex 407 > tape. > > Maybe I should try baking an empty reel at 130 degrees Fahrenheit before I > try to bake the tapes in the reels. > > Please comment ASAP. > > Thanks, > Ben Roth > > -----Original Message----- > From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto: > [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of James Roth > Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2012 1:05 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] AMPEX 407 TAPE > Importance: High > > Dear Richard, > > Thank you for answering my email. > > No, I did not bake it. I did not know about baking tape. > Please tell me in what I should bake it, at what temp and for how long? > > Also, what is "SSS"? > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto: > [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard L. Hess > Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 5:41 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] AMPEX 407 TAPE > > Ben, > > Did you bake this tape prior to attempting playback? > > This is classic SSS where the mag coat pulls off. > > The reason it happens closer to the hub is there is more pressure there. > > Please folks, don't try and play known SSS tapes without baking. > > Regards, > > Richard > > > On 2012-08-17 5:08 PM, James Roth wrote: > > Greetings everyone. > > > > I'm having some trouble with peeling Ampex 407 tape. > > The magnetic coating on the inner 100 or so feet is peeling like crazy. > > When I play it, the static electricity causes the tape to cling to the > layer just next to it (still on the reel). > > It's not crackling - just peeling. The tape is from around 1977 and was > kept in a fairly cool/dry place. > > > > Ben Roth > > > > -- > Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] > Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX > http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm > Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes. > -- Dennis D. Rooney 303 W. 66th Street, 9HE New York, NY 10023 212.874.9626