MAGNETIC TAPE CARE & RESTORATION

Abstract

For the past thirty years, many people around the world have been engaged in studies to determine how long tape will last. We have learned how to extend the life of tapes but no one has come up with a method for predicting the life of a tape. This paper will summarize the present-day recommended practices for tape care and storage and will also describe the most common tape problems and how to overcome them. The most common problem with playing an old tape is finding a machine to play it. Machine obsolescence is probably a bigger problem than tape degradation.