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#1
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Head cleaners
Is this true:
I strongly recommend that they never be opened and certainly never be used, since 8-track head cleaners were invented by tape recorder manufacturers to destroy tape head so that people would have to go out and buy another tape machine. Cleaning your machine is done much more efficiently, safely and cheaply with q-tips and some rubbing alcohol... I found this in the archives. I was going to ask opinions of head cleaning cartridges and was doing some research. I have four of them. Do they really do anything? I have read that a Q-tip and alcohol is much better. Any replies appreciated. Thanks, Scott Irvine |
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#2
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Head cleaners
If you want to keep your head cleaner sealed, that's cool. I have a few
sealed ones. I can't see how your are going to damage your heads, etc on your player if you use a head cleaner a time or too. I use a q-tip and rubbing alcohol all the time. Don't we all? Scott Irvine wrote: Is this true: I strongly recommend that they never be opened and certainly never be used, since 8-track head cleaners were invented by tape recorder manufacturers to destroy tape head so that people would have to go out and buy another tape machine. Cleaning your machine is done much more efficiently, safely and cheaply with q-tips and some rubbing alcohol... I found this in the archives. I was going to ask opinions of head cleaning cartridges and was doing some research. I have four of them. Do they really do anything? I have read that a Q-tip and alcohol is much better. Any replies appreciated. Thanks, Scott Irvine |
#3
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Head cleaners
On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 02:43:35 -0400, Scott Irvine
wrote: Is this true: I strongly recommend that they never be opened and certainly never be used, since 8-track head cleaners were invented by tape recorder manufacturers to destroy tape head so that people would have to go out and buy another tape machine. Cleaning your machine is done much more efficiently, safely and cheaply with q-tips and some rubbing alcohol... snip Somewhat true, although there are some errors. Some "cleaning tapes" are OK...if they're non-abrasive. Many of the **** cleaners out there are actually abrasive strips that will destroy a head with regular use. The ones that use a textured paper ribbon are best. Also, never use "rubbing alcohol" on your heads or other ferrous parts...go to the drug store and get 92% isopropyl alcohol. "Rubbing alcohol" is 70% alcohol, 25% water and 5% glycerine. The water promote rust, the glycerine goops things up. I found this in the archives. I was going to ask opinions of head cleaning cartridges and was doing some research. I have four of them. Do they really do anything? I have read that a Q-tip and alcohol is much better. Any replies appreciated. Thanks, snip If you use a long Q-tip and 92% isopropynol (or "head cleaning solution," as sold by MG Chemicals and others) you do get a better cleaning. Paper tape "cleaning carts" are fine for "on the go" cleaning, although I wet them slightly with isopropynol before running them. Memorex used to sell one that had a green plastic tape inside...they're also OK, but not as effective as textured paper. The light green ones with the abrasive tape WILL groove your head surface with continued use. Beware of things like the "beeper" cleaner, the "4-in-one" with the magnet that magnetizes your head, and several others, including the Decca cleaner. A good cleaner/demagger is the Ampex 228 which uses a spinning magnet. They're fussy, though, and oft times dont' slowly retract from the head like they should. I have one in excellent shape I use in the car on road trips. Most used cleaners are junk, like the ones Charlie Nudo sells...garbage. "New-in-package" is usually the only way to go. If you do have used ones with paper tape, you can remove the tape and soak it in isopropynol to remove oxide and dirt, although it's usually not worth it. For proper cleaning, wooden long handled cotton swabs made for the purpose are best IF you can get access to the heads from the top. That's hard to do in an installed car deck, so I devised my own cotton pad mounted on a wood stick to properly swab and clean the head, capstan and track contact switch surfaces. |
#4
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Head cleaners
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#5
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Head cleaners
That white tape on head cleaners reminds me a bit of Tyvek which was not in
use at the time as a building wrap. Anybody know what the composition of the tape cleaner material was? |
#6
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Head cleaners
On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 15:41:59 GMT, "William W Western"
wrote: That white tape on head cleaners reminds me a bit of Tyvek which was not in use at the time as a building wrap. Anybody know what the composition of the tape cleaner material was? snip They were all different. Some used a plastic tape with a rough surface, others used Mylar coated with an abrasive similar to Emory cloth, others used textured paper. The paper ones did the least damage and work as a wet cleaner, as well. Ask any VCR repairman from the past (no one fixes cheap Chinese VCRs anymore) about the use of "head cleaners." Many unscrupulous shops would sell "head cleaners" in order to get more head assembly replacement jobs. For audio, as stated, the textured paper ones are the least damaging and work the best overall, and I use them for "on the go" gap cleaning. The "double enders" sold under various names use a paper tape AND a polyester mesh capstan cleaner. I found those to be great for cleaning on the road, and the Ampex 228 is a good hedge to use after auditioning an obviously magnetized tape. |
#7
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Head cleaners
I always use denatured alcohol to clean the capstan and heads for both
my 8-track decks and my cassette decks. Isn't denatured alcohol the best choice over all the other alcohol solutions to use for this purpose? Lisa DeserTBoB wrote: On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 02:43:35 -0400, Scott Irvine wrote: Is this true: I strongly recommend that they never be opened and certainly never be used, since 8-track head cleaners were invented by tape recorder manufacturers to destroy tape head so that people would have to go out and buy another tape machine. Cleaning your machine is done much more efficiently, safely and cheaply with q-tips and some rubbing alcohol... snip Somewhat true, although there are some errors. Some "cleaning tapes" are OK...if they're non-abrasive. Many of the **** cleaners out there are actually abrasive strips that will destroy a head with regular use. The ones that use a textured paper ribbon are best. Also, never use "rubbing alcohol" on your heads or other ferrous parts...go to the drug store and get 92% isopropyl alcohol. "Rubbing alcohol" is 70% alcohol, 25% water and 5% glycerine. The water promote rust, the glycerine goops things up. I found this in the archives. I was going to ask opinions of head cleaning cartridges and was doing some research. I have four of them. Do they really do anything? I have read that a Q-tip and alcohol is much better. Any replies appreciated. Thanks, snip If you use a long Q-tip and 92% isopropynol (or "head cleaning solution," as sold by MG Chemicals and others) you do get a better cleaning. Paper tape "cleaning carts" are fine for "on the go" cleaning, although I wet them slightly with isopropynol before running them. Memorex used to sell one that had a green plastic tape inside...they're also OK, but not as effective as textured paper. The light green ones with the abrasive tape WILL groove your head surface with continued use. Beware of things like the "beeper" cleaner, the "4-in-one" with the magnet that magnetizes your head, and several others, including the Decca cleaner. A good cleaner/demagger is the Ampex 228 which uses a spinning magnet. They're fussy, though, and oft times dont' slowly retract from the head like they should. I have one in excellent shape I use in the car on road trips. Most used cleaners are junk, like the ones Charlie Nudo sells...garbage. "New-in-package" is usually the only way to go. If you do have used ones with paper tape, you can remove the tape and soak it in isopropynol to remove oxide and dirt, although it's usually not worth it. For proper cleaning, wooden long handled cotton swabs made for the purpose are best IF you can get access to the heads from the top. That's hard to do in an installed car deck, so I devised my own cotton pad mounted on a wood stick to properly swab and clean the head, capstan and track contact switch surfaces. |
#8
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Head cleaners
On 30 Jul 2006 21:11:47 -0700, "detonator" wrote:
I always use denatured alcohol to clean the capstan and heads for both my 8-track decks and my cassette decks. Isn't denatured alcohol the best choice over all the other alcohol solutions to use for this purpose? snip "Denatured alcohol" sold at retail is usually methanol, which may not be compatible with certain plastics used in tape decks, especially the potting of the head itself. If you wind up with a head that has plastic potting, you can soften and ruin the head surface in one pass. The best overall is 92% isopropyl alcohol, available at most pharmacies and many hardware stores. Don't use "rubbing alcohol" for the reasons stated. |
#9
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Head cleaners
Thanks for the info, Bob. I'd always thought all green-ribbon cleaners
would nicely sand your heads down to a nice, shiny surface. :-) |
#10
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Head cleaners
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