Care and Maintenance of Cassette and Reel to Reel.

Travis - Thanks for the info on the "nature" of denatured alchohol.

I've used IPA on pinchrollers for years and haven't yet had a problem, but what you stated about that makes sense. I'm now thinking about getting that Caig product. It's almost too easy to just press play and move the swab from the head to the roller as soon as you're done cleaning the head.

My technique for cassette capstan and pinchroller cleaning, FWIW: I just place the swab against the roller while the machine is on play and the capstan is turning it - must be careful not to let the swab get caught between the two! Every 10 seconds or so, I rotate the swab a bit to get another clean surface. I only grab a new swab when the old one is completely full of crud, and I keep doing this until I can't get off any more crud.
Just use head and contact cleaner on your heads and windex on your pinchroller, works great and been using it for years with no problems. INMHO
 
Not a bad idea to clean the heads after every pass of a full reel. Especially if you're using 10.5" reels.
The highest % if IPA that i was able to find is 91%. The best cleaner was the TEAC Head & Rubber Cleaners. NLA from Teac. Dried fast and cleaned great.
Ron

I have an A6600 that I just had serviced at Teac's factory service center. I'm lucky to live close by. When I picked up the deck the service manager told me "My advice to you is to clean the tape path after every reel." I also have some of the old Teac cleaning fluids and you are right they work very well.
 
This thread seems pretty dead but I didn't want to start a new one for my issue. hopefully someone will see this and have an opinion!

I am on strike-three with gifting my girlfriend a cassette deck for her birthday, as the Akai CS-732D I just purchased for $50 is now playing back too slowly. Rewind does not work at all. The deck will play back in one direction even more slowly than the other. This is something that was not an issue before the first couple of hours of use.

My question is, does this sound like a belt issue, or as my friend who has a bit of knowledge with such thing has suggested, a "tired motor." I would like to get this deck working again!

Thanks,

Matthew

deck_zpsuuny1vz5.jpg
 
I have to admit to not having read this whole thread, so please delete if this has been covered... I am at work right now and really ought not to be spending my whole afternoon reading about tape :)

I have a RTR that I need to clean up and test, and it looks likely that I will be getting a cassette deck and another RTR tonight.

I haven't had any kind of tape player operational for ages, and I'm pretty sure the only thing that I ever had was a demagnetizing cassette. I know that since all of this gear is approximately my own age that I should demag the heads before getting any tape anywhere near them, but I haven't a clue as to what I should use or where to buy it.

If someone could offer a recommendation for a good demagnetizer that I can order easily, I would greatly appreciate it!
 
All my R2R's I got used and are 40+ yrs old.The machines should always be cleaned before each and every use.The Heads and Tape Pathway always.Been told the Heads will self demag themselves in time.I have no trouble with them at all except the Type of Tapes used and the condition.Myself I use old BASF Tapes older than my R2R' are:)
 
All my R2R's I got used and are 40+ yrs old.The machines should always be cleaned before each and every use.The Heads and Tape Pathway always.Been told the Heads will self demag themselves in time.I have no trouble with them at all except the Type of Tapes used and the condition.Myself I use old BASF Tapes older than my R2R' are:)
My first r2r was tired and i used very old tape and had lots of problems. now i got myself a decent r2r that has been well looked after and i just ordered 2 brand new rmgi tapes and i got a original akai demagnetizer. im so nervous :D its a serious investment but i think its worth it .
 
Hey folks, sorry if this is already adressed somewhere, I searched but couldn't find anything, and not sure I'll live long enough to search the entire site! (JK!)

Just got started on my A-3340 refurb. Only been thinking about this for ten years! Been stored for 30+ years. Was really intimidated when I first pulled off the back panel, now I’m pretty confident I can get this done.

Only real issue I’ve run into (so far) is the capstan roller had rusted over and there is a slightly rough line around the flywheel where the belt ran.

I cleaned them best I could without using any abrasives. Just alcohol and q-tips. Where should I go from here? Continue with a little more aggressive methods (Suggestions?), or try to find a replacement?

Thanks, Walt - Paducah, KY


Capstan- Flywheel.jpg
 
Just picked up a Akai GX-265D off Ebay, probably paid a little too much at $200.00 but didn't have to pay any shipping so I think it was a pretty good deal in the long run. Only one tape came with the unit and listening thru headphones it was a pretty poor sound. Although everything appeared to be working I decided I better clean the heads before I do anything else. attached is a picture of the Qtips I had to use with 91% ispropol Alcohol, they were a filthy mess and I can't believe I got any sound out of it at all. I still need to get inside and clean up everything plus do the De-Oxit thing on the input and out put controls plus the headphone jack.
It's great getting back into tap again after all these years. Had an Akai with the cross field heads way back before a lot of you were born and havre never heard music sound as warm on anything since. So, thanks for all the great advice on cleaning and maintenance. I'll lurk on this site for a long time.
 

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I spent several years on the old Reel-To-Reel Forum back around Y2K. There were quite a few seasoned old "studio pros" on that forum, most of them were of the opinion that demagging the heads was pretty much a waste of time....
 
No - the magnetic field generated by a demagnetising cassette is very low, as is the field from a wand type demagnetiser.
If you look at a demagnetising tape of the kind you just stick in the deck and press play, you'll see that the mechanism only acts on the record/play head and not on the erase.
Shoot I've always demagnetis the eraser head, well I won't any more everything still sounds great. So is there much damage done buy doing that. It still erases and record's, I have the JVC TD V621 CASSETTE DECK AND Dennon 800 A .
 
Hello, I hope I am using the right platform for seeking help with my issue. Please redirect me but do it gently as I mean no disrespect. I just picked up a Teac A-450. I noticed that the tape counter and tape direction indicator are not moving. Any advice on how to address this issue? Thanks
 
Your belt on the counter is broken. It’s the only belt that is a pain to replace. So much so I left as is. The main belt that moves the tape is very easy to replace. Great deck though! Built like a tank. Has a big induction motor.most decks use a brush motor. Good find! Welcome to AK!

Eric
 
Your belt on the counter is broken. It’s the only belt that is a pain to replace. So much so I left as is. The main belt that moves the tape is very easy to replace. Great deck though! Built like a tank. Has a big induction motor.most decks use a brush motor. Good find! Welcome to AK!

Eric
Thanks Eric. How much of a pain.? I am handy but inexperienced in tape deck repair, lol
 
Been awhile since I had one apart. I have large hands and it’s a tight fit.
Ok cool, I understand. I watched a video of a belt being changed on one but I could not get the right angle on where the counter belt is located. Can you recommended a service person? Thx
 
Sorry, I don’t know anyone who works on cassette decks. Belts can be hard to work on. Other than the 450, most are in tight places. The main belt on these Teacs are easy. My Kenwood 1030 three head deck is easy too. The CTF 9191 Pioneer is a beast! I never bother with the 450 as I never used a counter. I look at the tape to see how much is left.
 
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