On 01/13/2018 08:34 AM, David Bridgham via cctalk wrote:
So why are reels of DECtape selling for unbelievable prices on eBait? See,
e.g. here:
I had those on my watch-list and just shake my head at the astonishing
prices for the things.
I've wondered if you might not make DECtape tape from 3/4" video tape.
I know that DECtape has mylar on both sides but what if you somehow
glued two strips of video tape together with the mylar backing on the
outside. Probably want to build a jig of some sort and I'm not sure
what glue to use.
At Washington University, we bought 12" reels of 3/4"
instrumentation tape and made DECtapes out of them.
The tapes were too thin, and if you left them sit too long,
they would get print-through and start to have trouble.
As long as you used them every couple weeks, they would get
rewound and you would not have a problem.
I don't know what you are talking about with Mylar on both
sides. They were conventional magnetic tape, a clear mylar
film with oxide applied to one side. They were definitely
made with a thicker Mylar layer than many magnetic tapes of
the day, possibly to solve the print-through issue, but
maybe also to prevent crimping of the tape on the pack. I
think the oxide formula had a more square-loop hysteresis
curve than analog tapes, which contributed to our problem.
Jon
