VHS video tapes

[jabaarli]

Thank you CM and Woody for giving me stuff to work through re the capture on MyDVD . One more query and I'll try and sort out your info and use it .
As you can see by my other posts , I am mainly about saving memories on VHS video tape , to disc . Scenario is Darwin NT Australia , tropical and humid , VHS videos I took as far back as 1985 . Some deterioration of tapes , symptom is sticky edges causing picture failures ( by sticking ) I clean , clean and clean the tapes then fast forward and reverse several times with some capture improvement , but not enough . I am now trying to improvise an old VCR so that I can treat the sticky edges with ??? maybe talcum for my first attempt . I have some old tapes I can use for this and will practise on them . Is it possible that anyone else has had similar problems and solved them ??? Any suggestions that may help solve this for me would be much appreciated .

Cheers jabaarli

 

[ChickenMan]

Scenario is Darwin NT Australia , tropical and humid ,....

The humidity would kill me let alone the heat. Thats why I'm in Melbourne

I would be very careful with the talcum powder as all that will do is move the tape further away from the reading head. It surely would clag up the reading head. Most Talc powders also contains oily perfumes, that will jam anything up.

 

[barry]

Yes I have had this problem , it is caused by changesd in temperature and humidity levels being to high.

Get yourself a second hand VCR and take the top off. load the ofending tape in to the old vcr and rap some tissue around a cotton bud and place it so that it touches the tape and run the tape through the macine on fast forward . It will cloge the heads of the machine and you will find that the tape will not be perfect but after doing this you can clean the tape so that it plays in a good VCR. Remember to take the spools out of the tape housing and cean inside as a lot of powder will remain in the cassette.

Barrybear

 

[jabaarli]

The humidity would kill me let alone the heat. Thats why I'm in Melbourne

I would be very careful with the talcum powder as all that will do is move the tape further away from the reading head. It surely would clag up the reading head. Most Talc powders also contains oily perfumes, that will jam anything up.

Thanks CM , have you any constructive suggestions ? I am looking for a neutralising medium really to combat those sticky edges . That symptom is second hand from a guy I saw in a Sydney PC shop , he said it was a bug of some sort , like a mould that attacks the edges first .
I want to neutralise it a bit so I can record to disc , talcum is the first thing I thought of to maybe alleviate the sticking . As always , any help is appreciated .
Cheers jabaarli

 

[jabaarli]

Yes I have had this problem , it is caused by changesd in temperature and humidity levels being to high.

Get yourself a second hand VCR and take the top off. load the ofending tape in to the old vcr and rap some tissue around a cotton bud and place it so that it touches the tape and run the tape through the macine on fast forward . It will cloge the heads of the machine and you will find that the tape will not be perfect but after doing this you can clean the tape so that it plays in a good VCR. Remember to take the spools out of the tape housing and cean inside as a lot of powder will remain in the cassette.

Barrybear

Thanks for that Barrybear , just one thing , you say " a lot of powder will remain in the cassette " ( last para )
What kind of powder ?? And how did you apply it ??
jabaarli

 

[barry]

The powder on the edge of the tape will fall into the cassette as you try to clean it. I think the powder that grows a sort of mildew forms on the edge as it is spooled so is not exposed to dampnes as much in the middle

Barry

 

[jabaarli]

Thanks Barry , CM and Woody for your help , Ill let you know how it goes later on Cheers jabaarli