thanks much for the good press Frank.

The piece of tape on the pad won't hurt anything. But actually, the
pads without the tape on them, work better- they pick up loose graphite
off the back of the tape and serve to clean the tape over time.

That loose graphite if not removed, will eventually end up on the FRONT
of the tape, and leads to the crackling noises and channels not
switching on some players.

The graphite is slightly conductive and can work havoc on some 8-track
decks' channel switch circuits. I've seen this phenomenon on Akai
80-81-82 decks and Pioneer HR-99, 100's

If you search the archives there is also a detailed explanation of the
pitfalls of the loose graphite buildup on the front of the tape.

ps- your Ventures tapes were given the standard service procedure here-
channel switch splice replaced, and reinforced (foil on both sides so
it will NEVER break- splicing tape is junk- foil tape is stronger- you
can use it to reinforce splices as well as the channel switch itself).

Also the pads were replaced as needed on your tapes.

enjoy !