Sorry - meant to do this last week - damned music got in the way!!
Thanks to everybody who helped with my problem (including those I have been less than polite to in the past, and no doubt will be in the future!)
Following Charles Mac's suggestions, I managed to repair my current Sony, and will have a go at the other two later.
I'll follow up the addresses and see about getting some of the others repaired when we visit the UK - still a thousand + tapes left to digitise.
Even though I have come to expect this level of response from this forum, it still comes as a surprise when it actually happens.
Thanks again,
Jim Carroll