Blue tape retainers

[Chuck Guzis]

On 06/09/2015 02:38 PM, Mark J. Blair wrote:

> I am curious: NOS tapes that I bought in the last year or so came
> with the foam blocks, but I don't recall ever encountering either a
> foam block or the magic plastic tape "back in the day" on tapes from
> the rack that I handled as a backup operator. I presume that if they
> came with blocks, they were discarded when the tapes were unpacked.
> Is it really necessary to secure the tape end in normal use, or is it
> just needed during shipping to keep the tape from getting loose on
> the reel during transport?
>

Obviously for the auto-loading drives, either would be bad news.  But 
it's for the last reason that I'm interested in the blue (well, 
sometimes white) tape.

--Chuck