[peel] Cleaning tape heads

[Eddie Duffy]

Amazingly, it sounds like I'm doing it about right then, apart from 
doing the rubber rollers with IPA too. And yes, IPA lasts ages. I'm 
still using the stuff I nicked from work in the days of old 1/2" 
computer tapes.

Eddie.

Roger Carruthers wrote:
>
> The generally accepted method is isopropyl alcohol (you can get it 
> from most chemists; a 100 ml bottle will last you ages) via a cotton 
> bud for the heads, guides and the metal part of the pinch roller, and 
> a mild detergent solution for the rubber part - apparently alcohol 
> will (eventually) harden rubber, which is why you should avoid it on 
> the rubber roller, though I think you�d have to use it over quite some 
> time to do any significant damage. Obviously you should make sure it�s 
> all dried off before using the deck again.
> You can, of course buy special cleaning tapes, though they�re a bit 
> more abrasive than cotton buds/alcohol, and probably don�t do as good 
> a job.
> If you want to be really thorough, you could get a demagnetizer for 
> the heads too, though you�ll only need to use it very occasionally, 
> and must be very careful to follow the instructions.
> For what it�s worth, I can�t remember the last time I used my 
> demagnetizer, but if you�ve bought a second-hand machine and it�s had 
> a lot of use, and there is significant HF loss, it might be worth a 
> try, especially if cleaning doesn�t do the trick.
> Hth,
> Roger
>
>
> On 07/09/2008 22:11, "andrewthezmore" <AndrewThezmore@... 
> <AndrewThezmore@...>> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>     I've noticed that the last couple of tapes I've listened to are
>     significantly less sharp sounding than previous ones. Please can
>     someone recommend an easy cleaning option for me? I bought this
>     tapedeck off ebay for a tenner and have never cleaned the
>     mechanism in
>     any way since I've had it - I've never cleaned a tapeplayer ever in
>     fact, if they don't work properly I've generally replaced them with
>     something equally cheap and cheerful.
>
>     Cheers
>     Andrew
>
>
>
> 
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