Can Water-Damaged Tapes Be Restored?
September 13, 2005
Sarasota, FL - In the wake of the post-Katrina cleanup, customers and videographers may be worried about water-logged videotapes and the loss of precious memories. Tape restoration companies agree there is hope -- if you take action quickly.
WEVA International contacted several restoration companies where videographers can send tapes for professional restoration. Companies report that the prospects for recovery of water-damaged videotapes are good if you follow a few precautionary steps.
Peter Brothers, company president and technical specialist with SPECS Brothers told WEVA International that with water-damaged tapes the company has 99.9% recovery with VHS and other oxide tapes and about a 75% success with metal particle and metal evaporated tapes. The key is how fast action is taken.
If people affected by Katrina don't have the funds to pay for restoration now ($100-$170 per tape) SPECS Bros will talk with them over the phone at no charge to explain what they can do now to prevent further damage.
Brothers said, "more tapes are destroyed by mishandling than by water." The company says they can restore at least a portion of nearly any tape that they get. SPECS Brothers says they have restored 300,000 tapes in their 22 year history. The company writes restoration specs for AES, ANSI and other standards organizations.
Tape Restoration Tips
Salt, bio contaminants and chlorine are the most damaging substances to videotape. Don't rinse tapes in chlorinated water. Brothers said, "river water is less damaging than chlorinated water." Rinse in distilled water if possible. Let it dry by putting it on its edge and allow for slight air movement, but not a strong fan.
Don't use heat to dry tapes. Do dry tapes as quickly as possible to avoid fungus. If the tape has dried already, don't get it wet again. Brothers added that while freeze-drying is a process to restore paper, don't freeze small videotapes. Lastly, never try to play a wet tape.
Once your tapes arrive at their facility, SPECS Brothers applies a 12-step restoration process that includes decontamination. The process takes about three weeks. SPECs Brothers has restored tapes dropped into the Atlantic, Pacific and Antarctic Oceans, tapes from the recent tsunami and from previous hurricanes. They say they have even had success with tapes exposed to water for as long as a month.
NBD International agrees that rinsing tapes with distilled water is the first step in the mitigation process. "Get as much of the mud/sludge out as possible and then let the water drain out," advised NBD's Steve Savage. After that seal the tapes in a zipper lock bag, securely pack them and ship them to the restoration company.
"The picture and sound may not be perfect after restoration," said Savage, "but they will be restored to the point where they are safe to play in a playback device to copy the remaining content."
At that point, NBD can make a DVD or videotape copy or can return the tape to the customer with a detailed report of any permanent damage. Savage said that they "strongly discourage people from attempting the cleaning process themselves, since even the smallest physical contaminant can damage the tape and playback device beyond restoration.
"Media from New Orleans will pose additional issues," cautions Savage. "Due to the nature of the contaminates in that water coming from the oil refineries in that area, the heavy metals that are mixed in that water may cause unforeseen issues. Also, since the city has been cleared of people, mitigation may not begin for more than a month after the flooding occurred. These are the two wildcards in this situation and we won't know more about them until we have attempted to restore some of this media. However, we've been able to restore many pieces that have been buried in mud for as long as a week, and the end result was media that played back perfectly."
For more information visit SPECS Brothers and NBD International.
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