How to savely store miniDV tapes?

Re: How to savely store miniDV tapes?

I would buy a tape rack, which you can get from www.tapestockonline.com for around 15 dollars. Always store your tapes in a vertical position (like library books) and every 6 months, take them out, and fast forward then rewind them. This keeps the magnetic particles "fluffed" and will increase the life of the archived footage. Keep them in a dry, cool, clean place that is free of dust or other airborn contaminants, and as far as the magnetic fields go, don't keep them near any unshielded speakers, and make sure to keep magnets away from them. If you do these things, you should have good luck with your archival.
 
All good advice PDX.
Just to be safe though I keep mine in steel boxs (ammo cans). They provide good shielding from all that stuff. And if I get flooded they float :)
 
Soliton said:
All good advice PDX.
Just to be safe though I keep mine in steel boxs (ammo cans). They provide good shielding from all that stuff. And if I get flooded they float :)
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You can also use them as a shield when taking on enemy fire : )
 
Just out of curiosity, what about unused/unrecorded miniDV tapes? Do you have to ff/rew every 6 months as well? Magnets?
 
I like the idea of keeping all my tapes forwarded to the end. When tou need it you will give it a rewind and it might give more consistent results.One of my "Aussie " buddies turned me on to this and I've been doing it ever since !
 
where would i get a ammo can from? i remember seeing one in an army disposal store but i cant remember if it was for sale.
 
Actually, I heard that keeping them unwound can cause problems because of certain tension mechanisms inside the tape. If you leave them at the end, the tension device could lose its tension I guess is the hypothesis, it may be wrong though....
 
lux said:
where would i get a ammo can from? i remember seeing one in an army disposal store but i cant remember if it was for sale.
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If you don't want to do the ebay route, try cheaperthandirt.com

HTH
 
Don't buy ammo cans on eBay. At least not for videe footage. You can end up with rusted cans, dried out seals, bent tops, and all kinds of crap. Best is to find a local gun show or gun dealer or army/navy store or even camping/boy scout store, and call them to see if they have ammo cans. Then you can go see for yourself what condition they are in. Figure on $10 for a "like new" one, but you might find cheaper. Some of the mail-order companies are good too, but watch shipping charges and talk to someone about exactly what condition they are in. Throw a few packs of silica gel inside too, to keep moisture under control.
 
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