Restoring Old Paper Tape

on moldy paper and other items.... generally we will bag it and tag it to isolate it from everything else... check part # or document name ( in the case of printed material) against what already exists. if it exists then the moldy nasty stuff is scrap. If it is something that warrants preservation but not found elsewhere then we consider moving forward on preservation efforts. Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 1/21/2016 6:57:02 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, silent700 at gmail.com writes: I'm tossing this out here as a conversation-starter more than a request for help, although I may end up putting the knowledge to use. Today I received a set of original HP paper tapes for the 2115a machine. I don't know if they've been archived or not - there are dozens of HP tapes on bitsavers and I'll have to make a P/N list and compare them. The real problem is they're in horrible shape. Decades of basement moisture and likely a few critters have turned them blackened, moldy and stuck together. So, what to do? How to get to the data without a bio-hazardous payload along for the ride? My thoughts go toward sunlight and/or U/V light (like a hair salon sanitizer,) rubber gloves and a mask, isopropyl alcohol, careful picking apart of layers, etc. I'd think one thing in our favor is that holes in paper are going to be easier to read than ink on paper. So Part 1 is getting them into readable condition, with part 2 being the actual reading. Any experience out there? -j