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05-10-2023, 05:26 PM
kadison kadison is offline
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Hi, we've discovered mould on some of my husband's old video tapes, it's only in places but on the actual tape.

Is there any way to clean the tape without damaging it?
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  #2  
05-11-2023, 02:22 PM
sordidpast sordidpast is offline
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I've spent the last two to three years developing my process for cleaning moldy tapes, and I was expecting to post some updates here soon, actually.

Your best bet is to look for the Geneva PF-740 cleaning machine. They're rare, but there's usually one or two on eBay from week to week. Today I found a couple for $300 and $400, which is too much, but if you find one under $200, that's closer to fair.

My preferred machine is a Hahnel VTR100, but those are super rare, and I've only seen one other even listed since I bought mine, but you can get good results with a Geneva.

You should also look for a winding key and clutch set, which a few people are making with 3D printers, because you'll want to loosen the reels and turn them a little before rewinding and playing. Mold tends to create an adhesive effect, depending on the severity. You might also want to go ahead and get yourself a splicing block, because breaks will happen from time to time.

I was experimenting with 35% hydrogen peroxide, but I've since concluded that you may as well use >90% isopropyl alcohol, because that's what originally came with the Geneva, and you shouldn't expect any video tape to last forever, anyway, so you'll want to do your transfer very soon after a cleaning. It doesn't have to be right that minute, but the idea is to recover what you can, while you can.

Above all, use a dedicated VCR and rewinder for your dirty tapes, and decide on a reasonably safe workspace to use them in, so you don't spread mold into your home or anyone else's living space. A UVC HEPA air purifier might be good, depending on what space you have. You don't have to go crazy with UV lights, but you'd probably better keep some masks and gloves handy.

There are tutorials out there for turning a junk machine into a cleaning machine, but that's an inherently time-consuming proposition, and you'd kind of have to be the tinkering type to really bother. I chose not to.

Good luck!
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  #3  
05-12-2023, 03:19 AM
timtape timtape is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kadison View Post
Hi, we've discovered mould on some of my husband's old video tapes, it's only in places but on the actual tape.

Is there any way to clean the tape without damaging it?
Cleaning bad mould off videotapes is not easy. Much of the problem is that wet cleaning which is usually the most effective wets the tape (obviously) and moisture/humidity is usually the prime cause of mould, especially in such an enclosed space such as a videocassette.

Unless we are well set up to:

1.wet clean the affected tape,
2. rinse it,
3. then dry the tape thoroughly and quickly, (both sides)

or there's a risk we'll only add to the mould problem or create new problems.

Specs bros have been doing this work for many years at a high level but I believe they dont come cheap.
I hope this helps.
http://www.specsbros.com/
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  #4  
05-12-2023, 03:58 AM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
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Something is not mentioned here, and it must be. Mold can be toxic, or an extreme allergen.

Some years ago, I was expose to mold from video gear, and I went into anaphylactic shock. I had to be rushed to the nearest emergency clinic for extreme breathing issues. Several shots later (in my ass ), and I was "fine" again. But it still took me about a week to truly recover.

Beware.

This is serious stuff, not just a nuisance to be haphazardly "cleaned". A strict procedure must be followed.

If you follow idiots on Youtube, your home will be full of airborne mold spores, and it will be everywhere. Your bed, your kitchen, your kids (toddler, infant?), your pets. Youtube has some total f'ing idiot on the platform.

Mold can pose medium-term to long-term health risks (especially if not fully removed from the environment), even with brief exposure. People do not take it as serious as it is, as most lack knowledge of the topic. It's not bread mold, which mostly just stinks.

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  #5  
02-17-2024, 11:23 PM
RolledJoel RolledJoel is offline
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In regards to a dedicated receiver for dirty tapes. How important is it that it's as clean as possible, preferably serviced by a professional? I have Jerry rigged a rewinder into a portable battery-powered mould-cleaning machine which is working well. The only issue I have with the rewinder is it does not roll the tape very tight. What would you say is the best practice here? My thinking is to run it through my rewinder twice to thoroughly clean it. Then run it through a dedicated VCR before transferring it with my TBC setup. If for example, I run it through a machine I buy used on eBay after the cleanin, am I risking damaging the tape or should I buy a refurbished unit as my last step before transfer?
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  #6  
02-17-2024, 11:38 PM
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Mold is almost impossible to clean, tiny spores (smaller than you can see without a microscope) stays behind. And it's almost never dead/old mold, but live, or dormant. You must treat it with UV light. Not the human-safe UV, but the sort of UV that harms anything biological. These methods have been discussed on the forum over the years.

Otherwise, what you do is infect a VCR with mold, and it spreads to other tapes. The mold destroys the VCR heads. I've seen this many times to date, especially in the late 2010s when all the know-nothing Youtube morons started giving out bad advice on "cleaning mold" to gullible/uneducated newbies (as the Youtubers were low-knowledge newbies themselves, and their advice is/was crap).

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  #7  
02-18-2024, 02:00 AM
RolledJoel RolledJoel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
Mold is almost impossible to clean, tiny spores (smaller than you can see without a microscope) stays behind. And it's almost never dead/old mold, but live, or dormant. You must treat it with UV light. Not the human-safe UV, but the sort of UV that harms anything biological. These methods have been discussed on the forum over the years.

Otherwise, what you do is infect a VCR with mold, and it spreads to other tapes. The mold destroys the VCR heads. I've seen this many times to date, especially in the late 2010s when all the know-nothing Youtube morons started giving out bad advice on "cleaning mold" to gullible/uneducated newbies (as the Youtubers were low-knowledge newbies themselves, and their advice is/was crap).
Good to hear from you LS. Good advice. Yes I see these youtubers. Most of them are complaining all the time or there captures cut out and there only option is to use another VCR. Or as you have made me understand, infect another VCR.

Its a shame. All our old VHS tapes from growing up are moldy. I'm thinking now that my best option is to transfer with a standard VCR for now and save my deck for a rainy day. I'll look into the UV treatment.
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  #8  
02-18-2024, 05:23 AM
timtape timtape is offline
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Mould treatment can be risky for the operator, the deck and not least for irreplaceable recordings which can end up in worse shape than before they were treated. Experimenting on irreplaceable recordings doesnt seem like a good idea to me.
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  #9  
02-18-2024, 01:44 PM
RolledJoel RolledJoel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timtape View Post
Mould treatment can be risky for the operator, the deck and not least for irreplaceable recordings which can end up in worse shape than before they were treated. Experimenting on irreplaceable recordings doesnt seem like a good idea to me.
You are right. I'm glad I came here. I put one tape through the rewinder which was a blank. I'm going to look into UV lighting. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know. I searched a bit on here last night but got a bit lost on what is required.

-- merged --

Hello again chaps. I am back with another query. I have been looking for a company in the UK that deals with UV cleaning methods. This is a response I got from a company after simply asking "do you use UV in your process?"

"Hi, its something we have tried in the past but we did not find enough evidence to prove it is effective and worthwhile. It's also not fully known if the UV light could actually cause damage to tape in the long term, as plastics can become brittle when exposed to UV light. In 95% of cases we deal with, the mould is already in an inactive/dead state anyway so cleaning it off with alcohol and dry cloths proves to be sufficient in our experience."

My question now is, IF indeed this company does have a point, is it worth checking my tapes to see if it is in this state. I have an AMscope high quality microscope, I used to use it for micro soldering. it should be able to detect living mold.
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  #10  
02-19-2024, 06:25 PM
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Sure, do it. Check.

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  #11  
02-19-2024, 06:28 PM
RolledJoel RolledJoel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
Sure, do it. Check.
I'll dig it out of storage. It's a very heavy peice of equipment! With a bit of luck I stored all my lenses Close by. I'll post my results sometime soon.
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