Reel to Reel Lubricating

[denniswilson]

Reel to Reel Lubricating & Shining

What kind of oil is used to lube R2R decks? And..Does anybody know what to use to shine up the aluminum rollers etc??
Tanks and Happy ThanksGiving

 

[Ron_Phelps]

I use the silicone lube oil on mine.

 

[tapehead]

I use Rislone, available at most car parts stores. One quart is a lifetime supply. I clean the metal parts: shaft, inside of pinchroller, etc. using lighter fluid, being careful not to get any on rubber or plastic. Make sure the parts are dry, and then one small drop of the lube oil is all it should take. After the oiling, before reassembly, have a close look. Reassemble the parts and then look again. Soak up any excess with a paper towel or cotton swab. The key is to be very stingy with the lube oil. You don't want it running down anywhere other than where it needs to be - certainly not on your valuable tape.

Tapehead

 

[Fred Longworth]

The motors and the capstan should be oiled. Any high-quality machine oil will do.

Small amounts of corrosion on the heads, guides and rollers can be scraped off with a lemonwood stick. I scrape and clean, scrape and clean. Usually many cycles of this are needed.

As a solvent to clean things, I normally use ethynol. If it's a little more stubborn I use acetone (but it will damage most plastics, so watch out.) If it's REALLY stubborn, I use toluene (also harmful to plastics.) Always work in a well-ventilated room. Toluene is the most dangerous of the solvents.

You can polish the aluminum rollers if you wish, but be sure to clean extra well afterwards to remove any micro aluminum particulates.

If you polish steel parts, they will need to be demagnetized afterwards, as the polishing action slightly magnetizes them.

Idler bearings should be CLEANED and then RELUBED. A heavy (high-viscosity) machine oil is recommended.

Best,

Fred Longworth