The binary support module (1.1) fixes the gremlins issue if you put 
vt_enable_binary.tcl into your tcl folder.  It renames your ns_return, ns_write, 
and ns_uuencode to use it's own version which are TclObjCommands.
https://openacs.org/new-file-storage/one-file?file_id=336
Note that I just added ns_uuencodebinary today from Vinod's patch.  I'd 
appreciate any testing and feedback possible.