logo (10/29/82)
what do you use to clean your tape heads? where do you get these supplies? does this procedure damage parts of your deck (capstan or coatings)? also, does anyone have any wonderful techniques to get at awkwardly located tape heads (many cassette decks, all car tape decks)? David (Reisner) uucp : ...!ucbvax!sdcsvax!logo arpanet : sdcsvax!logo@nprdc
jim (11/01/82)
RE: what to use to clean tape deck heads. I was a service technician for 2 years with broadcast video and audio equipment, and we used only two types of cleaners for heads, Q-tips & pure isopropyl alcohol for audio heads, and Q-tips and lacquer thinner for audio pinch rollers. Don't buy Radio Shack's little colored vials of alcohol for $1.59/2 oz., go to you local drugstore and get at least 90% isopropyl alcohol by the quart. Same thing for the lacquer thinner at your local hardware store but you usually need to clean pinch rollers once or twice a year. But be careful with this stuff, it has a very strong odor and will melt plastic if spilled on your deck. Likewise, don't get alcohol on the rubber pinch roller, it will take the moisture out of the rubber and cause surface cracking... (for video heads use only a soft chamois cloth and either alcohol or freon video head cleaner..) Jim Morton GenRad Inc. Concord, Mass.