Re: [ARSCLIST] Adhesive tape survey

[Richard Warren <richard.warren@xxxxxxxx>]

Hello Christie Peterson,

The best general rule I know of is NOT to use ANY sort of adhesive 
material on reel-to-reel tape, neither splicing tape (unless 
absolutely necessary for repair) nor hold-down tape. Eventually the 
adhesive will bleed through the tape or ooze out at the edges and 
cause trouble. And those plastic hold-down tabs, which are not 
adhesive, are at least as bad as adhesive, since they damage many 
layers of tape. I've never noticed any problem, in about 40 years of 
experience, from using nothing.

Sincerely, Richard Warren

At 09:05 AM 1/23/2007, you wrote:
> Hello, ARSC-listers:
>
> I'm looking into what kind of adhesive tape to use to affix the end 
> of 1/4" open-reel audio tape to the reel for long-term storage.  As 
> an archivist, I am perhaps obsessively afraid of adhesive tape (it 
> still makes me cringe a little inside every time I have to use 
> splicing tape), since I have seen first-hand what it does after 20, 
> 40, 60, etc. years.
> Still, I am at least equally afraid of damage to improperly stored 
> audio tapes, so I'm looking for advice.
>
> From those of you who have been in the "business" for multiple 
> decades, and/or who have worked extensively with older tapes, what 
> type of adhesive tape do you advise (and not advise) using?  Is 
> there anything out there that doesn't seep excessively, or do other 
> *terribly* ugly things as it ages?  What do you use and why?
>
> As a corollary, the original tapes I'm working with have been stored 
> with their ends un-secured for 30-40 years, and most don't seem to 
> have suffered any ill effects from this.   Any opinions/horror 
> stories on the importance of taping the end down?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Christie Peterson
> Project Archivist, Muskie Archives & Special Collections
> Bates College
> 70 Campus Avenue
> Lewiston, ME 04240-6018
> (t) 207-753-6918
> (f) 207-755-5911