Re: [ARSCLIST] A tape Vinegar Syndrome experience

[Karl Miller <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 9 Sep 2005, David Lennick wrote:

> By the way, I picked up a number of used reels of Kodak tape (7", 1.5 mil
> acetate) when CKEY disposed of them in 1970, and while I found them all to be a
> bit curly and prone to breaking, I've never encountered that vinegary smell on
> any of them.
>
> Looking at my shelves, I see a lot of odd brands from the 60s..RCA (generally
> considered to be pretty awful at the time, and I never hear anything about it
> today), Sarkes Tarzian (even worse..the oxide kept coming loose from the
> backing and winding itself around the capstan), Burgess (I don't think this
> lasted too long), and American....best thing about their tape, which came in
> odd lengths, was the ad showing Beethoven yelling "It's no use..I can't write a
> 1200-foot symphony!"

I have about a dozen reels of Kodak, which I bought new...just about every
problem you have ever encountered...however, I wonder if Kodak actually
made the tape. My guess is that someone on this list could probably
provide a compilation of who made what...
Irish
Burgess
Audiotape (much of which seemed to be like Scotch 111)
Concertape (sold by Radio Shack) a wide variety of formulations...as a
kid, all I could afford.
Radio Shack brand (those red and white boxes)
etc.

Was not Irish factory seconds of Scotch? And then there was the company
that recycled Ampex which I believe they said had been used by the
government?

Did not IBM in the early years use tape from 3M?

I don't recall that the Magnetic Recording Handbook has much history in
it...my copy is at home.

Does anyone know of a published history which would trace all of the
various manfacturers and brands?

Karl