Unless we wanna wear the moon suits for kicks! ;) Thanks all. After seeing the 2inch I'm also concerned about what the crystals will do to the tape path too. Lots of cleaning then! Sent from my iPhone > On 21 May 2015, at 07:28, John Haley <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > I'm not disagreeing with anybody, just pointing out that most mold is not > particularly dangerous to human beings (assuming it is not ingested). It > makes up a huge part of the biosphere and has been on the planet far, far > longer than our little species, which has survived alongside it for several > million years just fine. Mold spores are everywhere--in what we breathe > and touch every day. There are a few people with a particular mold allergy > that get a bad reaction, and there are different kinds of mold. The kind > that invades the walls and ceilings of damp buildings in the Southern US, > particularly with modern construction methods, is nasty but harmless to the > vast majority of people. I did a legal article about mold infestations > back in the 1990's when that was a very popular form of lawsuit, with > class-action hoopla and big insurance implications. The wild assumption > made by a number of juries, of course promoted like crazy by the > plaintiffs' bar and based on junk science, was that mold was making > everybody sick. I am not advocating living with mold infestations, just > pointing out the facts. The chemicals in tape stock may be a different > story, but cleaning gunk off a tape should not result in inhaling or > ingesting them. I like the idea of good ventilation but I don't see the > need for wearing moonsuits. > > Best, > John Haley > >> On Thu, May 21, 2015 at 1:41 AM, Marie O'Connell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> I have had quite a few of these! In a safe zone and wearing a full mask as >> described by Richard and latex gloves, I will dismantle the reel and have a >> clean reel at the ready (this can only be achieved with reels using >> screws). I soak these in a diluted mixture of hydrogen peroxide to kill >> the mould and then leave then to dry. >> >> I vacuum both sides of the platter using a circular motion and a hepa >> vacuum. After that I give the tape on both sides of the platter a wipe >> using hydrogen peroxide and dampened cotton balls. Once the tape is clean >> put it back on the cleaned reel and re-assemble. >> >> Then I will attempt the pellon wipe as the others have described. Then I >> bake the tape for at least a week. >> >> I've had good results thankfully. >> >> And just remember to keep yourself safe as the spores are not good for our >> health. >> >> Good Luck! >> Marie >> >> On Thu, May 21, 2015 at 12:32 PM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> >> wrote: >> >>> I encountered this once on a couple reels of 456. I went about it pretty >>> much as Richard describes, and I agree with all of his warnings. I took a >>> further precaution of running the dehydrator in the garage (it was early >>> fall, so the ambient temp wasn't that different from inside), and then >>> opening the doors for a couple hours the next day to air the space out. I >>> think I did a careful wipe on the outside of the tape pack with >> isopropynol >>> before baking, and I think that took off most of the little chunks like >>> shown in Richard's photo. After baking, I ran the tape through my >>> no-headblock wind-off transport gently pinching a pelon wipe to the tape. >>> The wipe did end up with a good bit of crud on it, I changed which part >> of >>> it was touching tape often. The tapes then transferred just fine. >>> >>> The stuff on the tapes I dealt with was more crystalline powder than >> gooey >>> or fuzzy mold-type crud. >>> >>> -- Tom Fine >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard L. Hess" < >>> [log in to unmask]> >>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 5:38 PM >>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] White spores on Ampex 456 >>> >>> >>> >>> I generally only handle 1/4 inch tape with mold and other crud and do >>>> that in my garage wearing a NIOSH certified respirator (cartridge type), >>>> but I make NO GUARANTEES that is safe. I'm still alive and my airways >> are >>>> doing better now that I'm out of LA and getting more sleep. >>>> >>>> Please be careful. None of this stuff is really good for you. >>>> >>>> Also be careful pulling apart a tape that needs baking (like 456) before >>>> you bake it as you can pull the mag coat off in some instances. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> Richard >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> On 2015-05-20 5:17 PM, analogue alec wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Thank you Richard, >>>>> >>>>> I knew there had been some discussion over the years and possibly most >>>>> recently on cassettes. The mess on your picture looks terrible... can >>>>> you >>>>> remember how it turned out? >>>>> >>>>> Ive now found some 2" that has more and on the oxide too. I'll >> probably >>>>> be >>>>> taking these apart so will pass on anything out of the norm. >>>>> >>>>> I was wondering about health concerns over breathing any of this in >> once >>>>> it >>>>> starts rewinding etc. >>>>> >>>>> All the best, >>>>> alex. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 20 May 2015 at 21:52, Richard L. Hess <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Hi, Alex, >>>>>> >>>>>> Peter Brothers's response to my 2005 query on ARSCLIST is here: >> http://www.cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/arsclist/2005/12/msg00073.html >>>>>> >>>>>> My image is back up where it was, but because people had been >>>>>> hot-linking >>>>>> my images, you'll need to copy the URL and paste it into your browser. >>>>>> It >>>>>> didn't click for me from the cool website. Pasting the link into the >>>>>> browser should allow you to see the image. >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.richardhess.com/tape/tape_crystal.jpg >>>>>> >>>>>> Good luck! >>>>>> >>>>>> Cheers, >>>>>> >>>>>> Richard >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On 2015-05-20 3:42 PM, analogue alec wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> Hello all, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I've received 3 reels of Ampex 456 1/4" that have some white growth >>>>>>> that >>>>>>> seems more 'salty' than 'mouldy' and wondering if anyone has some >>>>>>> ideas on >>>>>>> whats going on here? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I have posted a picture of tape on the reel here: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> https://plus.google.com/101414541131106448556/posts/5jXceWGa9nm >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The tapes were recorded in Dallas in 1977 and have been (i believe) >>>>>>> non-environmentally controlled storage ever since. The boxes are the >>>>>>> old >>>>>>> 406 type and dont have any growths at all. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I look forward to reading your comments. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Many thanks, >>>>>>> alex. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>> 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. >>>>> -- >>>> 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. >>