Tech: Cassette repair

Subject: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Gurney
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 05:12 PM

I have four cassette tapes that have broken, mostly at the clear ends. Can anyone tell me which solvent or adhesive I should use to repair them?

I Googled the problem, but all I got was ridiculously expensive professional tape-splicing kits, far beyond my requirements. The tapes are live recordings, but I'm not THAT nostalgic.

I suspect that I'd need three adhesives, a solvent for the cases, one for the clear blank parts, and one for the recording medium. Chris.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Peace
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 05:14 PM

Get the tapes set up so you can copy them to CD. That's solve the problem.

I have used scotch tape and it worked.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Gurney
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 05:25 PM

It is my intention to burn them, because I owe someone a recording or two.

It was a new Philips mini-system that broke them. "Hey, Dad, these tapes break easily, don't they!"
My old Sanyo ghetto-blaster never broke one yet. Better sound, too. Sanyo, for goodness sake. It has a record-player in it!

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Peace
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 05:26 PM

LOL

What's a record player?

It's a bugger when tapes break, however the fix doesn't have to be costly. Just laborious.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 06:06 PM

If there is still some clear tape left, you can unscrew the housing and lift out the wheel it winds onto. There is usually a segment which slides out, which grips the end of the tape. Slide the tape end into the space and re-fit the gripper segment, then re-assemble the housing.
If the clear leader tape is gone, you can still do it with the actual tape. You will lose a few seconds of playing time, but if the recording doesn't start absolutey immediately, you could still have your full recording.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 06:19 PM

Geoff's got the answer - take it apart.
First have a look around for a couple of screw fixed cases, it sounds like yours are the welded sort. Just take the screwed cases apart carefully and reload with your precious tape. Scotch tape (sellotape here) is ideal for joining tape, don't use any form of adhesive.

A more laborious way is to pull a loop out of an unwanted cassette cut and splice your tape onto the leader and wind from one to the other. Discard the unwanted contents and rejoin the end. Laborious because you have to hand wind the whole tape, but almost guaranteed success.

Good luck.

Andy

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 06:41 PM

If it was a long-playing tape, that's why it broke. Upwards of 45 minutes per side, it's a thinner tape so that it will all fit in there. And yes, if they are broken at the clear end, just wind on what you have, and burn them from there. You can always remaster around any missing parts to make a good recording from the balance.

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Gurney
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 11:18 PM

Thanks guys and gals. Three are broken close to where the clear ends meet the recording tape, and one in the middle of the tape, so I'll crack or unscrew the cassettes and fix as per instruction.
I have done them before, but it seemed a botch job then. But then, I didn't have a tape-to-tape or a burner to re-record. Never tried burning tapes, but I do LPs, so the software should suffice. I have Goldwave somewhere, but I've never used it.
Well, I fix things for a living. I really should pull finger and learn the technology.   
I just used to leave the tape-recorder running in the clubs, so the music is only part of what is on there.
By the way, professional tape splicers cost thousands.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 11:36 PM

"professional tape splicers cost thousands" ... and that's just for the beer...

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: autolycus
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 01:44 AM

There are some cassette housings that don't unscrew - do I get nasty with them?

I have a few that need sorting.

Ivor

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: pavane
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 02:20 AM

I used to have a very cheap cassette tape splicer, bought in a local shop. It was just a tape guide with a diagonal cutter. You put the tape into the guide, overlapping just a little, and it cut the two ends to match. That and a cheap reel of splicing tape did an adequate job.
But I did also manage with a just pair of scissors.

The diagonal cut is needed to reduce the click caused by the splice.

You don't need to take it apart if you can get enough of each end out of the case.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: eddie1
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 04:21 AM

Someone suggested using "Scotch Tape" or as it's called in the UK, "Sellotape".
This might work for a one-off emergency, ie to allow you to copy onto a new cassette but with regular use, the adhesive will squeeze out under the pressure of winding and this does very nasty things to play-back heads and the interior of your cassette player in general.

Eddie

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 12:10 PM

I cannot tell a lie - 'twas I.

But I thought we were talking about an emergency repair for playing hopefully once only for which good old sellotape will be fine.
My old stock of professional splicing tape is well dried up by now!!

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: eddie1
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 01:10 PM

Ah the wonderful old professional splicing tape in different colours! Great for marking cues!
I have fond memories of doing sound and lights for a performance which lasted 40 minutes and had 29 sound cues and 35 light cues. The tape with the sound effects worked very well until the last performance of nine when the splicing tape decided to give way after cue 2. It was on a Ferrograph which had a very clever nylon thingy which swung over if the tape broke and turned everything off. I was locked in the lighting box, on my own so got through the rest of the performance by holding the nylon thingy back with my pinky, using the other fingers of my right hand to operate the Ferrograph and operating the lights with my left hand and both feet. Doesn't tape take up a hell of a lot of space as it piles up on the floor beside you?

Eddie

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Peace
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 01:16 PM

"I cannot tell a lie - 'twas I."

I cannot either. It was him and some arsehole who posted here:

"Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Peace - PM
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 05:14 PM

Get the tapes set up so you can copy them to CD. That's solve the problem.

I have used scotch tape and it worked."

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 02:18 PM

I would like to hurt the idiot who decided that CDs shall be 74 minutes long, when an audio cassette was usually 45 minutes each side.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Bernard
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 02:56 PM

Apparently the person responsible used the playing time of his favourite Mozart symphony (41?), though that may well be urban myth! I have heard about 90 minute CDs, though I've never seen one.

Cassettes are available with just leader installed, so you can transfer your tape from the broken one. Their real purpose is for custom-length tape winding from a 'pancake'. If you want some, PM me and I'll sort it for you.

If the tapes break at the leader, maybe the rewind (or fast forward) function is at fault? Or it could just be that the auto-stop isn't working.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 03:05 PM

If you have a cassette without screws, wash your hands and open up another cassette to use in its place. Pull out the tape from the broken one and carefully wind it around a pencil or something to hold it, noticing carefully which end is connected to which side of the cassette winders. Install it in the "new" cassette exactly as it was in the old one. A digital picture as you disassemble could be a handy reference.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Gurney
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 06:24 PM

I can at least use this as an excuse to go through my 250 or so tapes and biff out some of the dross. I have quite a few screwed cases (Pardon, Susan, but you know what I mean) that I've re-recorded to edit them.

And Eddie1, tape shows up a long way along a road when someone steals your stuff and lets it go from the window of a car, as well. I've pulled it from creeks and streams, too.

I'll do a round of the upmarket stereo shops to see if anyone has one of those cheapo splicing kits that Pavane mentioned left, but I'm not hopeful.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: GUEST,Bert
Date: 07 Feb 08 - 03:41 AM

The adhesive on regular Scotch Tape will ooze over time. Scotch 'Magic' Tape is better, but do try to get hold of some professional non ooze tape.

Draw a straight line on a sheet of plastic.
Align each side of the tape to the line and stick it down with tape so that the broken ends join up.
Put a piece of non ooze tape over the join and rub it with your fingernail so that it is firmly stuck.
Trim the tape with a razor blade or Exacto knife so that the join is very slightly thinner than the tape itself.
The join should be curved inwards slighly and should have no sharp edges.

If the cassette case itself is damaged, go and buy some cassettes at the dollar store and throw away the tape.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 07 Feb 08 - 03:41 AM

A quick search on E-bay took me to a link or these bods http://www.tapeline.co.uk/.
They are selling cassette splicing tape on E-bay.
Don't know if they will sell splicing kits, but the one I once had was basically a metal block with a channel the width of cassette tape which allowed you to position the tape. It then had a slot cut at a 45 degree angle which a razor blade slid down to cut through the tape. You overlapped the tape and the leader, so they had a matching cut. If the repair was a snapped tape, you pushedthe two ends together and then taped across.
Thinking about it, the block must have hadchannels along the edge of the tape, as I think I recall sliding the razor lengthwise to trim the slicing tape cleanly.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 07 Feb 08 - 04:30 AM

If you are digitally copying the tapes to computer for burning to CD, you can copy one which has a case screwed together. Once copied, you can remove the tape and re-use the housing for putting the repaired tape into. (lousy grammar, but you see what I mean).
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Gurney
Date: 08 Feb 08 - 12:09 AM

Geoff, E-Bay is a bit of a problem for me, as I live in NZ. We have our own equivalent, but of course much smaller, and I have a good reputation on that, but offshore deals are a bit iffy. My close contacts in England are technophobes and not on line, (not on computer or cell-phone either) and a hundred miles from Stockport.
Thanks for the info, and now that I know it exists, I'll find some splicing tape. I had thought it would be a solvent that was used.

I have lots of part-used and semi-faulty tapes to play with.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 08 Feb 08 - 04:22 AM

Gurney - my comment about E-bay was more that it is often a quick way to find out WHAT is being sold, often by regular shops and commercial traders. Interestingly though, the shop's online catalogue didn't mention the splicing tape which was listed on E-bay.
My point was more that if someone is selling a NEW product on E-bay, it ought to be possible to find someone else selling elsewhere as well.
I assme that professionals who produce commercial cassettes will also need splicing tape for attaching the leader tapes to the ends of the magnetic tape. That means someone will still have to supply it.
That said, if all you need is for the tape to run once so that it can be re-recorded, you might be able to get by with some other tape (Brown parcel tape is pretty thin compared with the "cellotape" clear stuff and could be cut to a quarter inch strip for a tape join). And once you have transferred the recording to CD, you don't need to use that actual tape again.
Quack!
Geoff.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 Feb 08 - 05:34 AM

Actually Gurney, I do seem to remember that a solvent process may have been used in very early days. And before JiK says anything, it was before MY time...

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: Gurney
Date: 09 Feb 08 - 10:22 PM

What a fiddly bloody job that is! May be OK with deft woman-hands, but I had to have 3 goes to get the first one right. Cutting the surplus sticky-tape off is the biggest task, 'cos I can't really see the clear end-tape. Must experiment with illumination.
As Bert said, I used a line on a piece of rigid plastic, clamped the broken ends down with wee plastic clamps and floppy disks (Because they were there. Flat, thin, Perspex pads would be better) and stuck the tape on the inside of the medium.

If you haven't made too much of a mess of the glued case, You can sellotape that together, too.

Thanks for the info, folks.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: bruceCMR
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 08:52 AM

Splicing's not to difficult, just a bit fiddly with cassette - it was much easier with reel-to-reel. The hardest bit is usually opening and reassembling the cassette!

Get the proper adhesive tape if you can.

It's important to put the adhesive tape on the "back" of the magnetic tape - the "shiny side".

The "no tools" recipe:

Place one of the "broken" ends on a plastic sheet - the cassette box will do. "dull" side down, shiny side up. Hold in place with a couple of small pieces of splice tape - one at the end and one about an inch along.

Place the other "broken" end on top, shiny side up, overlapping slightly. You want to overlap just enough to ensure that there is an overlap of "good" tape, not stretched or twisted. Tack this in place temporarily with another 2 bits of splice tape. If you have just pulled both ends out of the case, make sure the tape is not twisted.

With a scalpel (or razor blade) cut through BOTH tapes at 45 degrees. Remove the waste end from the top tape, don't worry about the one underneath.

Use a small piece of splice tape - about 10-15mm - across the diagonal cut to stick the ends together. Rub it down with your fingernail.

Trim the edges of the splice - take off any overhanging adhesive tape, with a tiny sliver of the brown magtape. This ensures that adhesive residue won't get on the tape heads.

Remove the bits of tape you used to tack the tape in place, discard the "underneath" offcut, and reassemble.

Subject: RE: Tech: Cassette repair
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 11:12 PM

"With a scalpel (or razor blade) cut through BOTH tapes at 45 degrees"

One of the other important tips was - use a non-magnetised cutting blade, to prevent the possibility of a slight click.