Re: [ARSCLIST] Cassette surgery -- paging Dr. Hess

["Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 07:32 PM 1/29/2006, Tom Fine wrote:
> Hi Richard Hess:
>
> I ask this on a public forum because I bet I'm not the only one who 
> can learn from you. If I'm asking for a trade secret, I apologize.
>
> I have here a pair of cassettes in the molded-together housings (not 
> the screw-together housings) which need to be transplanted because 
> they do not play even with a Tascam tractor-drive transport. I am 
> relatively sure it's the old worn out skid pads or warped housing 
> problem, not a tape problem. I pulled a little tape out to look at 
> it and it's not sticky, oozy or flakey. I fortunately have some C-0 
> screw-together cases.
>
> How would you proceed? complete brain surgery or splice and 
> hand-wind into the C-0? If the latter, any tips to make 90 minutes 
> of tape go faster?


Shameless plug: It's one of the trade secrets archivists learn at my 
seminars. They get to see/touch/etc the equipment and get inspired to 
make their own. Oh, and did I mention that the next seminar is 9-12 
May 2006? We have room for four and two places already have 
placeholders on them.

But, I'll give it away.

(1) I use a cassette machine that has been modified to wind tapes. 
Mine is a Tandberg TPR-101 but any top-loading portable unit that you 
can unceremoniously saw out the right side (or the left) of without 
breaking anything will work.

(2) Get the end of the tape out of the old shell -- if you have to 
smash it, OK.

(3) SPLICE the ends of the tape (not the leader unless you're sure 
that the old splices will hold) onto the leader of the C-0 (cut in the middle)

(4) Hold the broken shell and wind into the new shell. If the old 
shell is really broken, anything that the tape can spin on like a 
piece of aluminum with a round pencil in the middle will work.

(5) Splice the other end to the leader of the C-0. You never open the 
C-0 nor have parts flying this way and that. I charge for 9 minutes 
of time as a flat rate to do the swap. I usually get it done in that or less.

I do NOT reshell cassettes unless I'm doing the transfer. I do NOT 
want to warrant the splices long-term.

See http://www.richardhess.NET/restoration_notes/cassette_reloading/

I do NOT like the thing that uses drill power. Drills are too 
powerful and even on their lightest slip clutch settings can do nasty things.

One of the big headaches are the old RCA carts 
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/rca_cart.jpg If the tape is in the 
middle I sometimes have luck spooling it on the A807 and 
sometimes  not. I once did it on an APR-5000 and the shiny reel 
spindle (like an Ampex) had so much loss and got so hot it started to 
melt the hub.

I generally wind these by hand if they are at all obstinate.

I also maintain an 8-track player for finding the splice before 
pulling the tape out of an 8-track. No foil meant winding the &**&%^ 
20-minute 375-foot 8-track by hand!

Oh, and the Revere cartridges get loaded into cassette shells (don't 
be fooled by the 0.25 leader, the tape is 0.15). But here's the quiz: 
what machine do I play them on and why?

I actually received one of those to transfer where the tape had been 
repaired by KNOTTING it - a square knot...or maybe even a granny knot.

Cheers,

Richard