I've noted earlier that the vinyl "hanger strips" for 1/2" magnetic tape have been degrading, becoming brittle and simply breaking away, sometimes in small particles.
So I set off looking for a low-cost substitute--any hangers that I could rustle up would probably be on their last legs at this late date. I hit on the idea of using 16mm move film plastic "cans". Much to my surprise, I found that there is still an active market for these things. After getting a few samples, I've discovered that the 800' cans fit a 10.5" reel (virtually all of the tape that I get) quite well. I'm not yet finished evaluating samples, but here's a photo of a can from Tuscan Corporation holding a reel of tape: https://i.imgur.com/KPKg75s.jpg The cans are vented, so not hermetically sealed. In the case of film, this is apparently done intentionally, as the acetate base of older film outgasses acetic acid, which only hastens degradation. If anyone's interested, I'll continue to post updates. I've got some from Larry Urbanski coming in Monday. Larry seems to have the lowest price on these--about $5.75 each. --Chuck