I have some NOS EMTEC SM-468 on 10.5" metal reels and it came with the reels in clear, heavyish, unsealed plastic bags (like vinyl dust jackets) inside the cardboard cartons. Should I leave them in the plastic?

I have some NOS EMTEC SM-468 on 10.5" metal reels and it came with the reels in clear, heavyish, unsealed plastic bags (like vinyl dust jackets) inside the cardboard cartons. Should I leave them in the plastic?

The back of the label sheets in Maxell 35-90 boxes states:

"Keep tapes clean. Any dust or dirt causes tape noise or distortion. It is recommended that tapes be returned to their plastic bags, carefully sealed with cellophane tape and placed in their storage case..."

Granted, Maxell bags are pretty thin compared to what you described, but the plastic acts as a moisture barrier, so I would use 'em. Sealed if possible, though I have never seen a used tape that WAS sealed up again. Come to think of it, I actually just opened a heat-sealed MRL tape that had absorbed enough moisture over the years to get sticky... (Is that the 10KHz section or just the tape squealing!)

That's what I was afraid of. It keeps moisture in as well as out.

That's what I was afraid of. It keeps moisture in as well as out.

it would ....

I have stored my tapes in their boxes, without anything special - some tapes are 30+ years old, never had problems, but again - could be the surrounding temperature/moist that creates trouble - here in northern europe, i guess we are a bit lucky, maybe.

even tapes that are famous for shedding, seems to last here .... I have several old BASF LPR35 on 10" reel's - all are ok

There was a guy on the asylum that mentioned that his entire collection of perfectly sealed tapes had molded and were unusable after being stored for years.

Because of this, I would use these tapes on a regular basis to maintain the quality, not just let them sit there and mold or whatever destroyed those tapes.

I unfortunately discarded the inner and outer plastic bags from the Maxells I purchased in about 1980, but I have always treated them like valuable books, in a closed bookshelf. I have no trouble with these tapes.