Playing old reel to reel...help

I have been using reel to reel tape since the 1960's and have baked a number of tapes over the years. Go to
http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html and http://www.audio-restoration.com/baking.php Good luck, hope this helps. There ia also more information on the links section of both articles.

Keis, I'm just curious, who have you recorded?

Before you run off and start baking tapes, you need to know what kind of tape it is that you have. Many tapes from that era don't require baking, and should work just fine provided that they were properly stored. The problem tapes from that era are primarily Ampex 406, 407, 456 and 457. If you are using Scotch, BASF, TDK or Maxell, you should be fine, and any tape which is not back-coated should be fine. I have many tapes that are as much as 40 years old, which play just fine.