sci.electronics.repair
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Re: How to Clean Audio Cassette Heads

Subject: Re: How to Clean Audio Cassette Heads
From:
Date: 26 Sep 2006 12:48:06 -0700
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.repair
ampdoc wrote:
> "Farmer Bill" <Farmer.Bill.2eq5m4@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:Farmer.Bill.2eq5m4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > I bought a used AM/FM/Cassette deck for my car.  Unfortunately, the
> > heads, capstans, and pinch rollers were filthy.  A cleaning tape barely
> > made a dent in the grime, so I cleaned everything gently with Q-tips and
> > rubbing alcohol.  But there is still visible corrosion on the tape head,
> > causing playback to sound muffled (in one direction only; in the other
> > direction, the music sounds fine; it's a reversible deck).  I have run
> > the (wet) cleaning tape through the machine about 15 times, to no
> > avail.
> >
> > Does anyone know of a safe method to remove corrosion from audio
> > cassette tape heads?  Not sure if I'm savvy enough to try to remove the
> > tape head from my old player and put it in the new player.  Maybe I just
> > need to buy another used deck from a more reputable seller.
> >
> > Many thanks.

>  The common practice in Aviation repair shops to freshen up flight recorder
> heads that are scratched is to use Micromesh, a extremely fine abrasive. I'd
> assume it would be just fine on any magnetic tape head. Start with a 2400
> grit, knock the worst off and then go up to 3600 and finish up. Also adjust
> the Azimuth, there should be screws on either side of the tape head to ajust
> the tilt of the head, if the Azimuth is off the sound will be noably lacking
> in treble and have a muffled sound.
>
> One source for Micromesh-
> http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/mmr_sheets.htm
>
> Jammy

Just be aware that setting reversing heads azimuth isnt as simple as
with single directoin heads.


NT


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