baking old cassette tapes?

[Renaissance Man]

It's a crap shoot whether or not the tape will shed and need to be baked. I just completed several separate reel to reel transfers from the VietNam era and the tapes were fine (one was of a missile attack- a real eye opener!). I agree that exercising the tape is a good idea, but I always go into the situation assuming I will be lucky to get one viable pass from the tape before it self destructs. I've resurrected old cassette tapes. Whether or not you have to bake them, have some new high quality shells available (ones with screws)- just toss out the blank tape and transfer the "high value" old tape into the new shell (you may need to use the "take up reels" from the new cassette also). I've had cassettes that had set for years after having pop or coffee spilled on them. In one instance I had to pull a foot or so of tape out of the shell and fast forward & rewind the tape with my battery drill while cleaning the tape with face pads wetted with alcohol. It took multiple passes but it worked.
If I have to bake them, I put them in new shells on general principle.

[GMT]

Wow! "washing" the tape w/ alcohol? Gotta do what ya gotta do, I s'pose. Apparently they're more durable than one would think.