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New old stock floppies loosing data...

Chuck(G) said:
I use cyclomethicone for that. Seems to work every time.

.
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Current cleaning procedure I use for contaminated sleeves is slitting the sleeve, pulling the disk, cleaning with whiteboard cleaner, inspecting for surface faults under a magnifier, then air dry.
Lube with cyclomethicone just before reading. Important thing is making sure the diskette is absolutely dry so that the binder is solid.
For disks stuck to the sleeve, rinse in warm running water until the inside paper softens enough to pull the disk out, mat down with a towel and use the cleaning procedure.
I avoid IPA for diskette cleaning because I've had it soften/remove the binder.

If the diskette looks clean on inspection, just the lubrication may be all that's necessary.
 
If Al didn't make it clear, the cyclomethicone treatment isn't permanent. The stuff evaporates in a few minutes, leaving the surface exactly as it was before treatment. The stuff's a godsend when dealing with tapes that have had binder bleedthrough.

You can also use it to de-tangle your hair. :)
 
That's precisely why I use IPA. It's usually a last resort to read the disk once before discarding, and IPA (not beer) doesn't foul the drive.

But cyclomethicone sounds like a much better idea. And I can certainly find use for it with tapes.

I'm pretty positive though that I will never need it to untangle my hair! :)
 
Well, if you own a horse, the stuff is in "Show Sheen" and probably a fair number of human-use hair and skin products. Unlike IPA, you can probably drink it without killing yourself.
 
lyonadmiral said:
What is IPA in this context, because when I think of IPA, I'm thinking beer...
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India Papa Alfa, the International Phoenetic Alfabet.

Really, though, IsoPropylAlcohol.

Sadly the term for IPA beer has been diluted. Now everything with any kind of hoppy flavour is an IPA. The market is full of "American IPAs" which just doesn't make sense.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Just don't drink isopropanol - you won't like it.
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I wouldn't include everybody in that group.

There may be some that do.

But, even they will suffer the ill effects of drinking it. :)

So, maybe you should have said... Just don't drink isopropanol - you won't like it's effects. :)
 
Stone said:
I wouldn't include everybody in that group.

There may be some that do.

But, even they will suffer the ill effects of drinking it. :)

So, maybe you should have said... Just don't drink isopropanol - you won't like it's effects. :)
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Maybe not as bad as methanol, but stil:

Isopropyl alcohol and its metabolite, acetone, act as central nervous system (CNS) depressants. Symptoms of isopropyl alcohol poisoning include flushing, headache, dizziness, CNS depression, nausea, vomiting, anesthesia, hypothermia, hypotension, shock, respiratory depression, and coma. Poisoning can occur from ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption; therefore, well-ventilated areas and protective gloves are recommended.
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Al Kossow said:
Current cleaning procedure I use for contaminated sleeves is slitting the sleeve, pulling the disk, cleaning with whiteboard cleaner, inspecting for surface faults under a magnifier, then air dry.
Lube with cyclomethicone just before reading. Important thing is making sure the diskette is absolutely dry so that the binder is solid.
For disks stuck to the sleeve, rinse in warm running water until the inside paper softens enough to pull the disk out, mat down with a towel and use the cleaning procedure.
I avoid IPA for diskette cleaning because I've had it soften/remove the binder.
If the diskette looks clean on inspection, just the lubrication may be all that's necessary.
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I'd like some clarification that may be implied but was not directly stated:


  • "cleaning with whiteboard cleaner": The sleeve, or the disk surface?
  • "lube...just before reading": The disk surface, right?
  • "whiteboard cleaner": What is the active ingredient? Are all whiteboard cleaners the same?

Dealing with dodgy/moldy floppy disks seems to be an arcane black art. I would love to see a video or a walkthrough of some of these things. For example: What does bad binding look like/how to recognize it? What is a complete treatment cookbook for mold on magnetic surfaces? That sort of thing. Is there a wiki or primary discussion thread where this has been discussed, either on this board or on another board?

I know that divulging this information may reduce demand for professional archival services, but that doesn't help the rest of us when you're gone...
 
I can at least say for certain that all whiteboard cleaners are not the same.

I have two here; one is ammonia based, the other alcohol.

I think the difference is that modern Chinese "dry" (really wet) erase markers use a different ink than the good ol Expos (Youppi! not included).
 
As I don't use the whiteboard cleaner, all I can address is ""lube...just before reading": The disk surface, right?" . Yes--a little cyclomethicone goes a long way, so don't be too generous.

I've had my most notable experience with moldy half-inch tape. Thoroughly baking before proecessing is a must--you really want to dehydrate the stuff. Usually, mechanical cleaning (i.e. a tape cleaner with a carbide blade) gets most of the stuff off, cyclomethicone ensures that the oxide/binder doesn't stick to the heads. What you don't want to use is water--that's what got you into trouble in the first place. I've tried treating with isopropanol, but that seems to weaken the binder.

Speaking from my experience only.
 
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Al Kossow said:
I don't know if you can buy the cleaner any more.

Weber Costello Markerboard cleaner

http://hazard.com/msds/f2/bsv/bsvrv.html
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digging some more, they completely changed the formula to be "EPA friendly"
but left the product number exactly the same (550) with completely different ingredients

this is the last MHDS that I can find that has the original formula.
http://www.easternct.edu/ehs/files/2014/01/Quartet_Remarkable_Marker_Board_Cleaner_550.pdf
http://www.demco.com/webprd_demco/other_objects/MSDS-quartet.pdf
 
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