Strange magtape anecdote

[Patrik Schindler]

Hello Al,

Am 26.10.2020 um 17:01 schrieb Al Kossow via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>:

> There is a minimum RH specified for tape, but "tape heads depend on the moisture from the air"  ??

First of all, my experiences are from ancient audio reel-to-reel tape. So maybe I’m wrong. Also add the fact that „screwing up“ is not a precise description of what actually happened with the tapes…

I guess that not enough moisture can probably brittle the plastic film, the magnetic coating has been applied to. Some plastic can absorb humidity. If you add this to the high speed the tape reels were wound, I could imagine that a really dry environment can affect tapes.
I can’t come up with an idea in which way the tape head could be adding to the „screwing“.

:wq! PoC