Care and Maintenance of Cassette and Reel to Reel.

[sojourneyer]

Question... where can you purchase a demagnetizer for a R2R?

I checked yesterday after a discussion with some of the guys in the group and the best Isopropyl I can find is 91%. Guess that should do the job??
Thanks

 

[dwilawyer]

Question... where can you purchase a demagnetizer for a R2R?

I checked yesterday after a discussion with some of the guys in the group and the best Isopropyl I can find is 91%. Guess that should do the job??
Thanks

Be very carefull using somethink like that. It can have a lot of additives, oils, etc. and leave residue. You are better off getting tape head cleaner from US Recording.

 

[mea2112]

What should I do if I already used the 70% Isopropyl Alcohol on my deck? Should I just clean it again with the 95% Isopropyl?

 

[john_w]

I've always used some form of Isopropyl - that's what has been recommended to me in the past, and it seems to do a fine job. And I'm pretty picky about these things.

I don't think it would hurt to re-do a 70% job with 95% - or the purest stuff you can easily find. Wouldn't be a bad idea, as it's not very expensive anyhow considering how little you use for this purpose.

 

[ToTo Man]

Is demagnetizing really that essential? The reason I'm asking is that I've never used one ever in my 15years of using cassette decks. My technics cassette deck has more or less been in constant use since the late 1980s (used to be my father's), and it still runs flawlessly without any noticeable loss in high frequency. All I do in terms of maintenance is soak one of those Alsop cassette head & pinch roller cleaners (its in the shape of a cassette but has moving sponge parts at the tape head and pinch roller section) in isopropyl and let that run through for a minute or so. I do this every 3 to 6 months. Am I just lucky that my tape deck is still working flawlessly despite the lack of attention I give it?

 

[Beobloke]

Is demagnetizing really that essential? The reason I'm asking is that I've never used one ever in my 15years of using cassette decks. My technics cassette deck has more or less been in constant use since the late 1980s (used to be my father's), and it still runs flawlessly without any noticeable loss in high frequency. All I do in terms of maintenance is soak one of those Alsop cassette head & pinch roller cleaners (its in the shape of a cassette but has moving sponge parts at the tape head and pinch roller section) in isopropyl and let that run through for a minute or so. I do this every 3 to 6 months. Am I just lucky that my tape deck is still working flawlessly despite the lack of attention I give it?

OK, now buy a demagnetiser, stick i through and see how much better it sounds!

Seriously, though - you should really demagnetise once a year or so at minimum, more often if you use the deck a lot. It's not just the sound quality aspect, either. Think about this - the erase head should never be demagnetised as it uses its magnetisation to erase the tape, so consider what can start to happen if the playback head starts to become magnetised..........

 

[ToTo Man]

the erase head should never be demagnetised as it uses its magnetisation to erase the tape, so consider what can start to happen if the playback head starts to become magnetised..........

But would a demagnetizer not demagnetise the erase head anyway considering the heads are grouped so closely together?

 

[Beobloke]

But would a demagnetizer not demagnetise the erase head anyway considering the heads are grouped so closely together?

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.

 

[john_w]

OK, now buy a demagnetiser, stick i through and see how much better it sounds!

...consider what can start to happen if the playback head starts to become magnetised..........

It's kinda like when I needed glasses, I had no clue I had lost any visual detail whatsoever until it got so extreme that the lines on the chalkboard at school started to double. Then I get the glasses, and on my way home I suddenly start seeing things like power lines (not just the poles) stretching several blocks into the distance, and the texture of the road in front of me. And I can actually read road signs! Imagine that!

Only problem is, you may have dulled some high frequencies and/or dynamic peaks on some old tapes for going that long. I think it should show at least some improvement on everything, but I would make a fresh recording after demagnetizing to really see the difference it can make.

 

[ToTo Man]

Okay, i'll need to try this whole demagnetizing thing!

So, am I okay getting a demagnetizer in the form of a cassette instead of a wand, or is the wand the only way to go? From a practical perspective it would be much safer and easier for me to use a cassette type!

Would either of the following be suitable?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CASSETTE-HEAD...ryZ15053QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electronic-Ca...oryZ4784QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Out of interest, if you're not supposed to use a demagnetizer when the machine is on then why is the cassette demagnetizer safe to use when the machine is on?

FWIW - When I make a recording of a CD onto a Maxell XL-II tape using this tape deck, the tape sounds identical to the CD in terms of high frequency response. But I'll do a before and after test just to see if the demagnetizing makes made a difference.

 

[john_w]

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I've never thought much of cassette type demagnetizers. I suspect that cassettes work OK while running because you can't accidentally touch anything you're not supposed to with them. I've just been warned against them repeatedly because they're not particularly effective. Plus it seems that it's hard to put much power behind something you have to squeeze into a narrow little plastic box. But hey, I could be wrong, not having really compared them.

I suggest finding an old Nortronics wand some place on the web. There are probably other really good brands around - that's just what I know about.

 

[Beobloke]

Okay, i'll need to try this whole demagnetizing thing!

So, am I okay getting a demagnetizer in the form of a cassette instead of a wand, or is the wand the only way to go? From a practical perspective it would be much safer and easier for me to use a cassette type!

Would either of the following be suitable?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CASSETTE-HEAD...ryZ15053QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electronic-Ca...oryZ4784QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Out of interest, if you're not supposed to use a demagnetizer when the machine is on then why is the cassette demagnetizer safe to use when the machine is on?

FWIW - When I make a recording of a CD onto a Maxell XL-II tape using this tape deck, the tape sounds identical to the CD in terms of high frequency response. But I'll do a before and after test just to see if the demagnetizing makes made a difference.

Richard,
Either of those will be fine - the electronic one is just a bit posher! I use one like the first one, which has a rotating magnet slightly off centre - this sucks the magnetisation off the head as you play it, then when you rewind the cassette, the magnet rotates off-centre and the vibration removes the magnetisation from it, ready for the next go. It's for this reason you're best off not rewinding it straight after use, but straight before the next time you use it.

 

[ToTo Man]

The auction for that first demagnetizer has just ended, but I've found something similar by Maxell. Code no. A-450. http://www.tapecity.co.uk/acatalog/Tape_City_Cleaners_58.html
I take it this would also do the job?
Any idea how long cassette demagnetizers work for before they need to be replaced?

 

[dwilawyer]

Question... where can you purchase a demagnetizer for a R2R?

I checked yesterday after a discussion with some of the guys in the group and the best Isopropyl I can find is 91%. Guess that should do the job??
Thanks

US Recording Media has great tape head/path cleaner. They also sell the Annis HandDMag demagnetizer, the ones used by in studios all across the country.

Travis

 

[Beobloke]

The auction for that first demagnetizer has just ended, but I've found something similar by Maxell. Code no. A-450. http://www.tapecity.co.uk/acatalog/Tape_City_Cleaners_58.html
I take it this would also do the job?
Any idea how long cassette demagnetizers work for before they need to be replaced?

Yes, that one should be fine. Just don't forget to clean the heads before you use it as (like mine) it contains that hideous dry cleaning tape stuff!
Not sure how long they last - i must have had mine for about 12 years and it's still doing its job!

 

[ToTo Man]

I think I'll go for the black one in the auction instead of the Maxell one, as shipping on the Maxel one is £5.53GBP!

Out of interest, do VCRs need demagnetized too? I've searched eBay but can't seem to find a VHS demagnetizer.

 

[GEMINI531]

Need Help

:drool: i just purhased a AKAI GX4000D REEL TO REEL . THE DECK SOUNDS GREAT BUT I HAVE ONE PROBLEM. IT RECORDS GREAT BUT WHEN I PLAY TAPE THAT IS A COMMERICALLY PURCHASED TAPE IT SOUNDS LIKE ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS!!!!!!! I HAVE REMOVED THE CAPSTAN HEAD ON THIS MODEL AND TO CHANGE THE SPEED HOWEVER IT SOUNDS THE SAME ANY IDEAS? I AM A NEWBIE AND DESPERATE FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS

 

[ToTo Man]

The cassette demagnetizer & head cleaner arrived this morning. It's strange, - it's not a dry-type like the Scotch head cleaner I've got, but it's not got the mechanical moving sponge cleaners like my Alsop head cleaner has. I've never seen one like this before. The tape is like a synthetic gauss/muslin type material, and it's not taught, it looks like it's loosely bunched up inside the holder. No instructions came with it, so I don't really know how to use it, e.g. where to put the fluid? Could someone explain how this works?

 

[john_w]

Cleaner and demag in one?? Curious. I'd think you would want to get all that stray ferrous material out of there before demagnetizing. Looks like a case of convenience sacrificing quality to me. But then, I'm a skeptic of these cassette-based things from the start. I'm definitely interested in whatever difference you might perceive after using it.

 

[Beobloke]

The cassette demagnetizer & head cleaner arrived this morning. It's strange, - it's not a dry-type like the Scotch head cleaner I've got, but it's not got the mechanical moving sponge cleaners like my Alsop head cleaner has. I've never seen one like this before. The tape is like a synthetic gauss/muslin type material, and it's not taught, it looks like it's loosely bunched up inside the holder. No instructions came with it, so I don't really know how to use it, e.g. where to put the fluid? Could someone explain how this works?

This is the most basic type of cleaning tape and personally i wouldn't bother with using the cleaning facility of it at all. Clean your heads in the normal way with your Allsop unit (good) or cotton bud/cleaning solution (better!) and then just treat this unit as a demagnetiser only after the heads are clean and have dried.