what to use to clean heads on a reel to reel tape player
| 5/12/2008 - 12/27/2014 | Join Date: May 2008 Posts: seven,938 |
Practice go a demagnetizer. I invested in one of those Han-"D"-Mags and I have to say...I love it. They aren't cheap, but they are built like rocks and a LOT stronger than the old Geneva wand I was using over the years.
Do make clean and demag afterwards every 15-twenty hours of playback or someday before doing whatever recording. Practise not have your motorcar powered on while you are demagging nor should you power the demag unit on while it'due south almost the heads. Near demaggers send out a surge when they ability up and yous may...well..allow's merely say...you run the risk of frying or permanently damaging the internal coils if you lot do that. The generally accepted method is to turn the wand on while it's held at arms length away from the deck (while it'south powered off of course) and SLOWLY bring it to the heads, moving ridge the tip of the wand over the head coming but close, but not really touching the heads (and all other metal pins/guides/capstans, etc) for about 3 to v seconds each and slowly progressing your manner across the tape path until you've hit them all. Then just equally slowly as when yous began, slowly pull the wand back until information technology's at arms length away from the deck before turning it off and/or turning the deck dorsum on. Most good demaggers have plastic coated tips to protect the heads. Make sure yours does. You lot don't want to inadvertantly divide your heads or score them with the point(s) of the wand, causing irreparable damage.
As an aside, demagging the erase head(s) is optional if you are almost to do recording. When the erase head is engaged, it volition degauss itself. OTOH if you are demagging because of hours of playback and aren't planning on using the deck in tape mode, then yeah. Exist certain to demag the erase caput(s) every bit well.
As far as what to USE for the cleaning, there are several competing schools of thought out in that location; all of which have their pluses and negatives. The well-nigh commonly used is isopropyl alcohol. Yous used to be able to go it in 99% concentrate, but I haven't been able to observe that in years. The strongest I tin get at present is 91%, with the other 9% said to be distilled h2o. Exercise Not USE RUBBING ALCOHOL OR Anything ELSE THAT CONTAINS OTHER OILS/SOLVENTS/PIGMENTS. At best, you will contaminate and ruin your tapes. And worst, ruin your entire caput stack. I've even used distilled water with some success. But I would only recommend this if 1) the heads only need a very lite cleaning. Heads that are caked with layers of crud from years of neglect will demand something stronger. And 2) if you immediately dry them with a make clean/dry Q-tip and/or a warm, dry ambient air. Stainless steel heads can and will rust and corrode if allowed to get and stay wet. And be sure to become into all those tight nooks and crannies like where the concave surface of the head meets the vertical guide pins. It's tricky to arrive at that place with a Q-tip and you really gotta scrub. And that's a great identify for oxide to build upwardly and over time, cause uneven headwear, poor azimuth, and premature tape wear.
As far as cleaining the pinch roller, that's hotly debated. I personally have been cleaning them with alcohol for some xx-five years now on numerous decks and never had any bug or hints of rubber breakdown or contamination. Others volition say y'all are comitting heresy and destroying the rollers by using alcohol on them. In that location are several unlike types of rubber cleaners and rejuvinators out there. So maybe experiment and see what works.
Same for the heads. Some folks volition argue that booze will wear downward the epoxies. Once more, I personally have never in one case witnessed anything even remotely shut to annihilation like that happening. And so either I'1000 incredibly lucky or else these guys are perpetuating One-time Wives tales or are actually shilling to go you to buy their cleaning product. Later all, a bottle of alcohol is about $1.50 and should provide enough for several hundred cleanings whereas "professional" cleaner can exist, on a employ-past-employ basis, several m percent higher.
And so again, you may desire to get several differing opinions equally I'1000 sure some folks volition add to mine. And then try a footling fleck of each technique and see what works best for you.
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Source: https://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=18993
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