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Last time I spoke with her she said that due to patent process they can't
reveal or sell the chemicals but if a tape is sent to them they will work
on it.

Cheers
Shai Drori
Expert digitization services for Audio Video
Hi Res scanning for film 8mm-35mm
www.audiovideofilm.com
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On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 3:44 AM, Hood, Mark <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Nadja Wallaszkovits has presented some research (at both the AES and ARSC
> conventions) that she and her colleagues at the Vienna Phonogrammarchiv
> have done to reconstitute the mechanical integrity of catastrophically
> degraded acetate-based tapes.  The results were dramatic, physically and
> sonically.  Perhaps for intellectual property reasons, they have not yet
> fully revealed the details of the chemistry and workflow of this process,
> but it might be worthwhile for you to contact her directly to see if they
> have any insights or suggestions.
>
> Best,
> Mark
>
> Mark Hood
> Associate Professor of Music
> Department of Recording Arts
> IU Jacobs School of Music
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 1/29/16, 7:13 PM, "Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List on
> behalf of Eric Jacobs" <[log in to unmask] on behalf of
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> >We have a 1/4-inch open reel tape (TDK Synchrotape ca 1966 Japanese stock)
> >that is quite literally disintegrating and cannot hold any tension.  The
> >very slightest amount of tension causes the tape to snap.  The tape cannot
> >even hold a leader without snapping.  We¹ve turned the tape tension way
> >down
> >on our Studer A820, but it can¹t be pulled through the transport without
> >snapping.
> >
> >The tape is heavily curled along the edges (only the center 25% is flat)
> >and
> >is anything but straight from exposure to presumably high temperatures
> >over
> >the past 50 years.  The outer wraps have bonded to each other.  We can
> >deal
> >with the edge curl and the age-induced country-laning by using a custom
> >mechanism that gently increases the tape wrap around the PB head (forces
> >the
> >tape flat) and additional edge guides fore and aft of the PB head that
> >keeps
> >the tape centered on the head.  We can even separate the outer wraps,
> >albeit
> >in 1-inch segments that would need to be spliced together ­ this seems
> >like
> >a bad idea, but I don¹t see any other choice if we want to get past the
> >outer wraps.
> >
> >But it¹s the fragility of the tape (lack of tensile strength) that is the
> >central issue.  If it were possible to ³back² the tape, it might keep it
> >from snapping.  But how do you efficiently and reliably ³back² 1200 feet
> >of
> >tape that snaps with the slightest bit of handling?  And what do you back
> >the tape with?  Splicing tape? It might be easier to apply backing to the
> >centerline of the tape rather than the full width because of tape
> >shrinkage
> >and edge distortion, but then the resulting tape pack would probably be
> >quite poor, especially if the backing doesn¹t stack precisely on top of
> >the
> >previous wrap.  Also, a narrow backing (like cassette splicing tape) may
> >or
> >may not affect the ability to force the tape flat at the PB head ­
> >essential
> >for a quality transfer.
> >
> >Looking for ideas and suggestions.
> >
> >~ Eric
> >
> >   Eric Jacobs, Principal
> >   The Audio Archive
> >   1325 Howard Ave, #906, Burlingame, CA  94010
> >   Tel: 408-221-2128 | [log in to unmask]
> >   www.theaudioarchive.com <http://www.theaudioarchive.com/>
>
>