[rfeenstra]

RodB - Many older tapes from before the early 70's play fine. The acetate tapes play fine. I am told that the problem came about in the mid 70's because of a change in the binder used to hold the oxide. "They say" that it was about then that Ampex, 3M and others had to stop using whale oil as part of the binder and switch to some sort of synthetic lubricant. Turns out this stuff is hydroscopic so tapes stored where the binder can absorb humidity are now giving the problem. I've had oxide flying all over during a rewind process. My tapes have been stored in the basement next to the concrete wall. Not a good place, unbeknownst to me. A sometimes temporary solution is to bake the tape at about 140 degrees for quite a few hours in a dehydrator to get rid of the moisture and reconstitute the binder. It has worked to some degree. I have been able to play most of the master tapes with only some garbled sound as the oxide comes off. Have to clean the heads often!