Preventive
Maintenance and Restoration
- make
a service copy (from the original) if use is frequent.
- make
back-up copies every 5-10 years.
- ensure
that
the machine/equipment you are using is in top form. Recording heads and
guides, rollers and other components in the tape path should be cleaned with
a swab of isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).
- For
videocassettes, if you have to, a wet cleaning cassette is usually
preferable to the dry, abrasive types.
-
There
are special vacuums that one can get to remove micro-dust from the
reel-to-reel tape pack
- 3M
makes a Tape Cleaning Fabric which is a soft fabric product that safely
dislodges any loose debris commonly found on tape surfaces
- Before
reproducing any tape which has not been used for a long time (many months or
years) it should be carefully rewound 2-3 times to relieve any tension in
the tape and to reduce the effect of print-through.
- For
long-term playback stability, tapes should be played through or re-spooled
every few years to check their condition and to minimize any tendency for
layers to stick together or to print-through magnetically.
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