<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>On Jul 18, 2012, at 2:38 PM, Steve White wrote:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-family: Tahoma; "><br></span></div><div>> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-family: Tahoma; ">I'm obviously below novice level here, but is static charge buildup ever a concern when winding past brush? Is moistened pad ever appropriate? I seem to recall some quad tape cleaning process that involved moist pad.</span></div></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I answer:</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I specifically did not address cleaning the tape itself. For the most part, more damage can be done to the tape by applying any kind of brush or pad on the oxide surface. The act of slowly winding the tape alone will loosen a lot of the dust and dirt and will minimize damage. Static charge is not usually a concern, but it is another reason not to apply pads or brushes to the winding tape.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It is possible to clean the backing if done carefully. I just don't think much is to be gained by cleaning the backing either. The arms that control the reel tensioning and the rotary head vacuum guide provide enough pressure on the backing to remove loose dust and dirt as the tape is wound. I feel that cleaning any more deeply is risky, especially when dealing with all the possible variations of tape formulas and conditions.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I remember Recortec used to make a nifty 2-inch tape cleaner that operated with a vacuum column similar to the reel servo columns of the AVR-1 (except it was larger and included only one chamber). This cleaner applied the vacuum to the oxide surface of the tape to remove debris and also passed the tape over polished stainless steel rollers to 'condition' the tape's surfaces. It did an amazing job, but not the sort of thing you can do by hand. It contained no brushes or pads, as I recall.</div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Dennis Degan, Video Editor-Consultant-Knowledge Bank</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span> NBC Today Show, New York</div></div><div><br></div></div><br></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></body></html>