TU58 Archival (Was: Re: Tektrionix VAXBI board and DC100 training tapes?)

[Mark J. Blair]

> On Sep 21, 2019, at 12:17 PM, Mattis Lind <mattislind at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I dumped some 40 TU58 tapes a year ago. I replaced the band directly with 90 mm plastibands without even trying to run the tape. This was my procedure: Open up the tape cartridge. Then the old band was removed carefully by heating it slightly with a heat gun (low temperature). Then I managed to remove it without destroying the tape itself. One can see the tape changes appearance on the surface, then it can be removed. (Thanks to Rik Bos for the advice about heating)


Thank you very much for your detailed instructions! I've tried using plastibands from a Baumgarten assortment once but it didn't work for me. I think the ones I used were the wrong size. They were very narrow once stretched into place, and they wouldn't stay on the tape reels without slipping off and terribly tangling everything up.

Coincidentally, I just got a food dehydrator for baking magnetic media before archiving, to prevent oxide shedding. I'll be using it for 8" floppy diskettes first. Does it matter whether baking is done before or after unsticking the old band from the tape?


> There are usually some residue from the band left on the tape. I used isopropanol to remove this by gently rubbing the surface. Sometimes some kind of salty residue has deposited on the back of the tape. Usually at the posts. This was also cleaned gently using isopropanol. Failure to do the last step usually caused the tape to stick during tape winding. Then cleaning the backside helped out. 


Is cyclomethicone lubricant helpful for imaging old edge-driven cartridges like TU58, QIC, etc., or does it interfere with the belt drive?


> The bands I used was the 90 mm baumgarten plastibands. The interesting thing is that they are actually japanese made by Nisshinbo and are called mobilon bands. 
> 
> It should be possible to buy from Misumi. 
> 
> https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/223000860382/?KWSearch=Mobilon&searchFlow=results2products&curSearch=%7b%22field%22%3a%22%40search%22%2c%22seriesCode%22%3a%22223000860382%22%2c%22innerCode%22%3a%22%22%2c%22sort%22%3a1%2c%22specSortFlag%22%3a0%2c%22allSpecFlag%22%3a0%2c%22page%22%3a1%2c%22pageSize%22%3a%2260%22%2c%2200000161458%22%3a%22mig00000001661601%22%2c%22fixedInfo%22%3a%22MDM0001617623122300086038211%7c12%22%7d&Tab=codeList
> 
> 
> 460 bands for 18 dollars is far better than buying those assorted packs from Baumgarten. 
> 
> Haven’t ordered myself since they want that you have a  company to order. Need to ask a friend to help out. 


I've ordered a bag of those Mobilon bands. I just typed in my name for the company name when I registered, and their site seemed happy with that.


-- 
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/