Actually baking about (10) 1/2" reels, as part of a massive restoration / archiving project I am doing. I realized that much of the music I recorded as either the writer, artist, engineer and/or producer, that i had no device to play them on. Or, they unexpectedly degraded.
In response, everything I have that can play goes to my DAW for processing and archive. Plus enjoyment, in most cases and sharing (some of the artist haven't heard their work in decades.
In this step, I am baking the tapes in a dehydrator at 130 degrees for 6 hours, flipping them every half-hour and then letting them cool for 6 hours. This reformulates the tape. Through osmosis, the tapes are slightly gooey and have a weak bond to the backing, will shred into flakes and destroy the tape guides and heads if you try and play them.
Doing three at a time:
