When to lube reel to reel tapes

I never heard of lubing tapes. Of course there are web pages about it. 

I read it in the internet.

Have read a few articles on how to do it, just look for some guidance on determining when you should do, or if doing it proactively is advised given damage that can occur on old tape.

You do not need to "lube" tapes. I have 50 year old R2R tapes that sound fine. You are just going to "f" up the heads and tape path if you do.

Haven’t done anything and wanted to check. There are some out there that mention silicon. Appreciate your feedback.

Anyone mention a successful method of application?

The oxide on tape does deteriorate, but never add a lubricant. This is why it’s a good idea to transfer a precious old tape to digital, or make a safety copy (I realise most homes don't have two decks).

Studios will align the the heads, adjust azimuth according to the tape stock used for the recording, no lubrication.

Only those involved in tape restoration and preservation should be doing any type of treatment.

If the tapes are not shedding or sticking they should be ok, otherwise too much effort with little return to make them playable again.

Yes some resources in application. But no idea how I would go about doing it myself. Agree with folks here. V helpful. Obv a baking process that can remedy sticky tapes. 
 

appreciate the guide. Will let you know how houses of the holy sounds! 

I had to run vintage 2" audio and quad video tapes for archiving to digital formats. I would play a tape and take notes of problem areas, there was always some dust coming off the tightly wound reels. It’s possible it was the tape shedding. Typical problems included dropouts where picture or sound was missing (physical damage to tape), creases in tape which sometimes could be straightened out without damage, and buckled tape where the tape overlaps during rewind or fast forward. This was fixed by rotating the reels by hand until the tape flattened out. These sections of tape usually had permanent damage exposed during playback.

Have read that the lubricant on these tapes tends to deteriorate over time. Give the value of these tapes, would folks lube these before use, specially if they’ve not been played ever/very long time?

Wherever you read that was misinformation.

Tapes can get sticky over time but lubrication isn’t how its fixed. Baking is the fix.

What happens is polyester tape backing can get water molecules attached to it. This can cause the oxide to fall off of the backing, making it ’sticky’. It can cling to heads and guides, in some cases so profoundly that the tape machine might not be able to advance the tape.

Baking solves this problem; the water molecules get chased out of the tape. To do this the tape must be in a warmer environment (about 160-180 degrees F) for several hours. If the tape was not too far gone to begin with it will be good for a few months before needing baking again.

Its better to store tapes in an attic than a basement! Humidity really messes with tape, and higher temperatures slow down water vapor. If the tapes are in a plastic bag, its a good idea to throw in a packet of Silica Gel to help absorb any humidity. They are readily available off of ebay.