[QuadList] Plasticizer--Photos?

Thu Mar 18 09:17:19 CDT 2010

Bill:

We did a large 1" project a couple of years ago (about 1000 tapes).  We
could identify brands by smell.

I would guess some tapes uses coconut oil, because the tapes smelled like
suntan lotion (or coconut lifesavers.pick your favorite).  Other tapes
smelled like waxy crayons (like a new box) and still others smelled musty,
like old gym socks.

And, as was mentioned (surprisingly), Fuji tapes were among the ones that
held up better/were easier to play back.  I think they were also the ones
that smelled of coconut (I may be wrong on this, though).

We have some 2" in here now that is giving us fits.lots of stickiness
(mostly from the black back coating) and lots of shedding.  These tapes
don't appear to have too much of the white residue, but are quite musty
smelling.  Most of the reels have the foam coated flange reel, so we're not
sure if the odor is coming from the tapes or from the foam rubber degrading.
I'll have to ask our engineer if he is seeing the white powder.

John Walko

From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
[mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of
bill.spencer at northstarstudios.tv
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 10:02 AM
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Plasticizer--Photos?

The white powder referred to is the lubricant drying out.  The lubricant was
a fatty acid called Palmetic acid and the source for some manufacturers was
whale oil.  It gave it that characteristic "new tape" smell.  Memorex was
the worst for 2".

Although I have seen it a few times in 1" it is much less than in quad and
seems to mostly happen with stock manufactured in Japan rather than in
Alabama.  Of course the whale oil is more available in Japan and I never did
find out what the others used here, but I'll bet someone on this list knows!

Bill Spencer

RF Engineering Supervisor

NorthStar Studios, Inc.

3201 Dickerson Pike

Nashville, TN 37207

Phone 615.650.6000 ext. 6610

Cell 615.445.5616

Fax 615.650.6027

email bill.spencer at northstarstudios.tv

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From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
[mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of John Walko
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 8:53 AM
To: 'Quad List'; videovault at sky.com
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Plasticizer--Photos?

We've seen this before on 1" videotapes.  I do not know the brand.  I didn't
think to look at what brand/type of 1" tape it was.I just assumed it was a
problem with all 1" tapes of a certain age.

What we noticed was a white power when cleaning the tapes.  This white dust
would get all over the cleaner and on the Plexiglas door that covers the
cleaning tissue and burnishing guides.  We originally thought it was mold,
but upon checking we found out that mold would not come off the tape as a
dust.  In fact, mold would smear on the tape.

I don't think it is a plasticizer.what I've been told is that it is the
lubricants in the tape that are solidifying and coming to the surface of the
tape.  If you clean the tapes, you can get a good play, but if you allow
them to sit for a couple of weeks after cleaning, the white dust will be
back.  If you clean the white material off with alcohol, it turns the
cleaning cloth yellow.which will eventually fade over time.  I used to have
one of the cleaning cloths that I used for demo purposes.but it has since
faded back to white (not as effective a demonstration any more).

John Walko

Scene Savers

800-978-3445

859-291-5100 (extension 1110)

From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
[mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of Ted Langdell
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 11:48 AM
To: videovault at sky.com; Quad List
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Plasticizer--Photos?

If I'm correctly interpreting what Walter's describing here... 

When dealing with film, it appears as a dandruff-like stuff.  

We see a lot of that on telecine's Particle Transfer Rollers when
transferring older material.

Walter: is this what you're referring to?

If you take a digital picture or several photos, please post to the list as
attachments.  

Keep the entire message size under 1MB and it will go directly to the list.
Otherwise it gets held up for list-parent review.

Ted

On Mar 17, 2010, at 10:24 AM, Trevor Brown wrote:

Never heard it called that before

What brand are the tapes in particular the 2"   ie Memorex Chroma 90 ?

Trevor

UK Member

From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
[mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf OfWalter Forsberg
Sent: 17 March 2010 15:15
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Subject: [QuadList] Plasticizer

Hello Quad Groupers-

I'm looking for info / documentation / personal experiences any of you may
have had with white plasticizer, offering itself up from the winds/packs of
2" and 1" videotape.

Specifically, are there any trends or commonly believed reasons for this
stuff appearing? (Eg. specific stocks, a particular environmental storage
condition, or manufacturer's container / reel materials.)

I'd also be happy to receive a quoted forward of past discussions on this
topic, as I'm a relative newbie to the list.

Happiest shamrocks & thanks in advance,

Walter Forsberg

NYU-MIAP

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Ted Langdell

Secretary

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