Description
Moisture is the top cause of tape degradation. Moisture absorbed by the polyurethane binder, a process called hydrolysis, degrades the binder of the tape. This may be seen as stickiness, flaking, or heard as tape squeal. LAST Tape Preservative stops that deterioration and stabilizes the binder. It also dramatically reduces the friction at the tape/head interface, extending the life of the tape and tape heads.
Depending on playing and storage environments, tape can become unreadable within 20 years. You don’t have to lose your favorite music and family memories. LAST Tape Preservative protects the tape binder, reduces tape and head wear and associated distortions.
LAST Tape Preservative works with all magnetic tape, and it was originally conceived for reel-to-reel to tapes. But it works equally well on cassette tapes. Cassettes are finicky and hard to access, so we built a gizmo called the Cassette Hero to make it easy to apply.
How to apply Last Tape Preservative to Reel-to-Reel Tape
Instructions (For reel-to-reel tape):
- Open LAST® Tape Preservative bottle and fill dropper as shown.
- Apply Tape Preservative to swab. Recap bottle tightly. This is sufficient treatment for 1800 feet of ¼” wide tape.
- Gently press the swab against the oxide side of the tape. Engage fast wind or rewind. Note: for tapes longer than 1800 feet, alternate use of prepared applicators at 1800-foot intervals.
- Affix a LAST® Dot Sticker to the tape reel or its storage box to indicate the tape has been treated.
- Dirty swabs can be cleaned by saturating them in alcohol, then gently squeezing and rubbing while blotting to remove tape contamination. Let dry thoroughly before reusing.
