How to wind tape even?

[weegee]

Without the ridges you get from rewind or fast forward?

 

[KentTeffeteller]

You play the tape through both directions. .

 

[weegee]

I wonder how they did it at the manufacturer? Thy surely didn't do it slow.

 

[62vauxhall]

Playback speed from end to end is the only way.

 

[dhnash]

Some machines have a feature known as library wind which allows the tape to be wound at high speed while still providing a smooth wind. Here is a link where additional info is provided about this:

http://richardhess.com/notes/formats/magnetic-media/magnetic-tapes/analog-audio/tape-winding/

 

[oldvinyldude]

I wonder how they did it at the manufacturer? Thy surely didn't do it slow.

As dhnash noted, the library wind option is much faster than play speed, although not as fast as FFD\REW.

Manufacturers must have dedicated equipment for winding slit tape onto reels. The transports can be dedicated to only winding tape-no heads or pinch rollers in the path, and reel table spindles that are kept absolutely perpendicular to the reel, etc.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

In the interest of even tape winding, and lower print through risk, I store my 1/2 track and full track tapes tails out. Rewind before playing. Stored in played state.

 

[mcgjohn]

many of the pro machines have a second option for fast winding called library or precision wind. This second mode, slows the wind speed down to roughly 30 ips with a lower tension and uniform tape pack.

 

[Lo-Fidelity]

At the risk of offence or ridicule, why the concern over even edges? Esthetics or something else?

 

[KentTeffeteller]

It's not esthetics. It's about keeping the tape in good condition, and helping keep tapes lasting one many years. Uneven wound tapes are prone to tape getting damaged from varying causes.

 

[Lo-Fidelity]

It's not esthetics. It's about keeping the tape in good condition, and helping keep tapes lasting one many years. Uneven wound tapes are prone to tape getting damaged from varying causes.

Thanks.

I guess I can see that. Most of mine are pretty neatly done, but I tend to listen all the way through, put them back in the plastic, and then into the box..

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Unevenly wound tape can lead to channel dropouts when tape gets into a set and deforms from long term uneven wind. Bear this in mind, acetate is the least forgiving followed by non backcoated mylar, and the thinner tapes are the least forgiving.

 

[N8Nagel]

Following, as I have a quad R2R... if I ever find any quad tapes this will be relevant as rewind is my only option apparently

Do they pack better if you unthread the tape and rewind straight from reel to reel? I'm thinking that would reduce wear on the heads as well.

 

[kfalls]

Check the guides for oxide buildup. Verify your reel tensions are correct. Check the tension on the idler. Also check the tape reels themselves for warpage. If the sides of the reel are hitting the edges of the tape it won't wind smooth. As long as the tape path is free of dirt/oxide, guide spacing is correct and all tensions are correct the tape should wind smoothly.

 

[eddisc]

Following, as I have a quad R2R... if I ever find any quad tapes this will be relevant as rewind is my only option apparently

Do they pack better if you unthread the tape and rewind straight from reel to reel? I'm thinking that would reduce wear on the heads as well.

Tape "lifters" should be keeping the tape OFF the heads in any fast wind (fwd and rev)

 

[dhnash]

Do they pack better if you unthread the tape and rewind straight from reel to reel?

Running directly from reel to reel will not improve the uniformity of the tape winding. If anything it will worsen it since lateral movement of the tape will not be limited by the tape guides.

 

[Wilhem]

Use back-coated BASF or Agfa stock. Those tapes were the best in terms of wind uniformity. At AES shows we set up three Studer recorders with pancakes of BASF SM900, Ampex 499, and 3M 996 being fast wound forwards and backwards. The Ampex and 3M pancakes would fall off the recorders within 15 minutes or so. The SM900 (or SM911 when we ran that) stayed in place the entire day with a fairly decent wind even at the end of the day.

For storage purposes all tape is better wound at play speeds to avoid building up tension within a tape pack. Uneven winds are due to a combination of imprecise tape guidance, non -uniform winding speeds, non-uniform slitting, and--most of all--air trapped between the layers of the tape pack that is not allowed to escape at high winding speeds.

 

[Encyc Brown]

I am pretty OCD myself, which can be conducive to the audio world LOL. I am a Tape Head for sure to this day. I have 13 cassette decks and 2 reel decks. All are in working condition as they have had recent servicing (belts, lubrication, and anything else the tech finds along the way). Anyway, I have ALWAYS played my tapes WITHOUT the use of stop, fast forward nor rewind. It is, in my mind anyway, why my tapes have stood the test of many years. It is visually apparent in my tapes that they are never stopped once they are started to play. So much so, that I could "bust" my younger brother back in the early 80's when he would "sneak" some of my tapes for use in his car with friends when out on the town for the night. He learned quick. His friends would ask him to rewind, play a song again, etc etc He would have to tell them no because his brother would see it right away and that it is not allowed. His friends would comment, "Your brother is a freak" . Yes, OCD can be freakish but it affords tapes in like new condition 40 + years later!

 

[sKiZo]

Metal take up real should help some. Tighter tolerances and all that?

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it though. Plenty of room between the reel and heads to get things centered properly. Also a good idea to store tapes vertically so as not to have the tape settle on the reels.

 

[Wilhem]

Any tape that touches the metal take-up reel is a tape that can sustain damage. Metal reels do not help winds. They only prevent bad winds from ending up on the floor like the Ampex and 3M pancakes.