Mouldy old video

Now there's an idea for a Lieutenant Pigeon comeback... but that's beside the point.

Is there a way of getting rid of mould from old videotapes? I've just bought a bag of old tapes and found that about a quarter of them have mould on the actual tape. Any tips?

Sulphuric acid?


You been buying porn again, Jenny?

The mould will have probably eaten away the magnetic coating beneath it, and anything you could use to remove the mould would probably take even more of it away.

Don't think there's that much you can do.

Well, I've just looked at two of the tapes, and found the late 80s Top Of The Pops opening sequence, a top ten countdown from "The Chart Show" in 1986 (T'Pau at number 10 with Heart And Soul!), loads of old pre-acorn Learning Zone pres and a Meridian ident form-up I'd never seen before, so... yeah.

You've also just knackered the heads on your video.

No, they weren't the mouldy ones. And anyway, I'm perfectly capable of taking a VCR apart and cleaning it if needs be.

Ok, but only if you're sure you know what you're doing. Electricity can be dangerous and maybe you should get an adult to help.

Don't forget to stick some plasticine on the end of any sharp objects in case you poke yourself.

Which officially makes you more butch than about 87% of the other posters on the forum.