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Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes

While anybody that has worked with audiotape will confirm that acetate tape can deteriorate and give off an acetic acid odor, I think what we are missing is a clear definition of vinegar syndrome in audiotape and its effects. In film, VS results in the degradation of a film to the point where it can't be handled in the transports of conventional projectors and printers because of warping, curling, and changes in dimension such that it needs specialized treatment and storage.

I'm not on one side or the other, but is the presence of an acidic smell enough to say we have VS in audiotape, or is it just a funny smell? While I've smelled a lot of vinegary audiotape, in my limited experience transferring tape I haven't encountered an acetate tape that couldn't be played because of dimensional changes resulting from the breakdown of the acetate base. I haven't found transport issues to be a problem as audiotape doesn't have sprocket holes and it is so much thinner than film that it flattens as it plays. We know from the research done at RIT/IPI that there is an autocatalytic point in film and when reached the film will self-destruct over time and we have a test (A-D strips) that will tell us if it has passed this point. While we have a nose test for audiotape, I have no reason to believe that using A-D strips on audiotape tells us much about the condition of an audiotape such as whether it's reached the autocatalytic point (if there is one) and when it should be transferred and how it should be stored.

Anybody with more experience with tape or a chemistry background care to comment?

David Seubert
UCSB

----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Smolian" <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 10:03 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes


This is from Del re: 3M 111. He's not a list member and his posting was rejected, so I'm forwarding it to the group.

Steve Smolian



Steve,

I've never seen vinegar syndrome on any acetate based audio tape, #111
or others.  It's been our opinion that unsealed storage, typical of
audio tape storage, would keep this deterioration from developing.  If
these rolls "smell" as they describe, then the tapes must be
experiencing some problelm, but I'd expect them to still be playable
and thus transferable.  I also don't believe that there's any need to
panic and condemn ALL of the #111 tape in their archive.  A good
examination of condition and playabliity
of the rolls in question is definitely called for.  A sampling of the
other #111 in their archive might be a good idea, if they find some
"real" problems with the questionable rolls.  The lipnus paper test for
acidity isn't very accurate as described and may not correlate to any
real problem.  when one starts "smelling" things, it becomes extremely
difficult to be objective and consistent, also.

These are my first thought off the top of my head.  I hope they are
useful.

Del Eilers


-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Eilers Del <daeilers@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:11:00 -0500
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes

   The tapes you mention are Scotch 111. From some boxes I've seen
(I've some Israeli 111 in house at the moment), they may have also
manufactured tape outside the U.S. for European and, perhaps, African
distribution. Another possibility is that the bout it from another
manufacturer an sold them in their own boxes.

 I'm forwarding this to Del Eilers, the former tape product manager at
3M. He may know more.

Steve Smolian

 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Casey, Michael T"
<micasey@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 11:13 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes

Hi,

We have just found a collection of Scotch 111 tapes with vinegar
syndrome. The tapes test between the 1 to 1.5 levels using the IPI A-D
 strips (the color reference provided with the strips does not seem
very
accurate and it is difficult to be precise). This is below the
autocatalytic point and below the critically endangered level, but the
tapes clearly have the problem nonetheless. The collection consists of
 76 tapes recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Merriam in 1951 in the
Congo
and accessioned here in 1966. The tapes have been stored in Scotch 111
cardboard boxes, no plastic bags, in the ATM vault which maintains
temperatures around 68F with 45% RH. These levels have become more
consistent over the past few years--for the previous 30 years I can't
say, but I think storage conditions were close to this although less
 consistent. Before the 1985 move into our present space conditions
were
 probably not very good. We have tested 8 reels and they all show
roughly
the same level of VS. We have transferred around 35 reels so far--all
smell like vinegar, but all are playing back fine with a little edge
 curling on a few of them. We are taking a few precautions--the
playback
 machine (Studer 810) is situated by itself away from other things in
the
studio, we are wiping down the entire machine periodically, and we are
careful about putting our MRL tape up on the machine even though it is
polyester. ATM staff are meeting today to talk about how to store the
collection.

We have over 2,300 reels of 111 at the ATM and don't know how many of
those are a problem, but I'll probably put together a survey. We've
transferred many tapes on 111 over the past few years and haven't
 noticed VS until now. We have considered it stable and it has not
given
us many problems.

The Music Library at IU has collections of Sarkes Tarzian tape
exhibiting vinegar syndrome as well, with some tapes testing around 1
but others testing at about 1.5. We also have this tape brand and
suspect that it has VS.

 I would appreciate hearing from anyone else who has encountered
vinegar
syndrome problems with audio tape.

Mike

--------- Mike Casey
Associate Director for Recording Services
Archives of Traditional Music
Indiana University

(812) 855-8090
micasey@xxxxxxxxxxx

Co-chair, ARSC Technical Committee

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