Return to Cassette Tapes...

[kumarab]

After servicing/calibrating all my cassette decks, and even more (seriously!) working on my cassettes (cleaning, slip sheet/felt pad changes, splicing), I realised this wasn't just some nostalgia kick. I'm really, really enjoying listening to cassettes now.

DIYed a shelf for now, but it still isn't enough. Have to make another one. Now I just have to find some space in one of the walls of my studio.

 

[Shammi Dang]

Nice to see this work and the dedication. Even I have few cassettes similar to the collection (1980's - 2005) you have but they are all in storage as I do not have a proper player to play those. I have a small philips player but the sound quality is not to my liking.

 

[kumarab]

Nice to see this work and the dedication. Even I have few cassettes similar to the collection (1980's - 2005) you have but they are all in storage as I do not have a proper player to play those. I have a small philips player but the sound quality is not to my liking.

Thanks It is a daunting task, yes, now that I look back upon it. It all started with my daughter's curiosity (she's 14 now). We were moving into our new house 3 years ago and she saw these things in one of the cartons. So I scoured and arranged for an old Tensai (rebranded Akai) just to show her how it works.

Before I realised it, I was the one who was hooked and went into a spiral Good thing is, now I have all the tools (well, most of them) to get my decks up to spec whenever the need arises.

Do let me know if you're ever looking for a deck. Maybe I could hook you up with some people. Cheers.

 

[sunder]

Thanks It is a daunting task, yes, now that I look back upon it. It all started with my daughter's curiosity (she's 14 now). We were moving into our new house 3 years ago and she saw these things in one of the cartons. So I scoured and arranged for an old Tensai (rebranded Akai) just to show her how it works.

Before I realised it, I was the one who was hooked and went into a spiral Good thing is, now I have all the tools (well, most of them) to get my decks up to spec whenever the need arises.

Do let me know if you're ever looking for a deck. Maybe I could hook you up with some people. Cheers.

The long time stored magnetic cassette tapes mostly will catch fungus & will not be in playable condition. How can we clean that fungal infected tape surface? Is it possible to do without any damage? After it's cleaned, how would be the playback quality? How is your experience? Thanks.

 

[kumarab]

The long time stored magnetic cassette tapes mostly will catch fungus & will not be in playable condition. How can we clean that fungal infected tape surface? Is it possible to do without any damage? After it's cleaned, how would be the playback quality? How is your experience? Thanks.

Hi Sunder,

Depends on the cassette. I have had a few that were beyond salvaging. Those that had mold actually react and bond with the tape. You cannot do anything with those. Either throw them away, or replace the tape.

For the others that were dirty and/or moldy (at the tape level), this is what I did. Take two little pieces of cotton and dip them in isopropyl alcohol (I use 99%). Make sure they're not dripping, just barely wet. Wrap them up on the tape, around the openings on both sides of the cassette, next to the guide rollers. Use a toothpick to secure them so they don't fall out. Rewind/forward. Then I'd give them a full play to take care of all the gunk and oxide shedding, if any remain. Then clean the heads, capstans and rollers thoroughly after that..I use the old Tensai only for this purpose now.

Most of mine in the hard plastic clamshells haven't caught any mold though. Just dirt mostly. Mold was almost exclusively limited to the cassettes inside normal, transparent cases.

Most cassettes I've cleaned like this play surprisingly well. The ones with degraded tape I threw away, or replaced the tape if it was an album I really liked.

 

[sunder]

Take two little pieces of cotton and dip them in isopropyl alcohol (I use 99%). Make sure they're not dripping, just barely wet. Wrap them up on the tape, around the openings on both sides of the cassette, next to the guide rollers. Use a toothpick to secure them so they don't fall out.

Thank you Kumar, I will try as you have instructed. I threw away many of the very rare cassettes ruined by strong mold built . Let's us save them as far as it's possible.

 

[kumarab]

@sunder All the best buddy You're right, they must be preserved.

 

[anuragn]

Great! Wish you are able to enjoy the tapes to the fullest.
I want to know where do you get the rubber belts and gears as these components invariably fail with age.

 

[kumarab]

@anuragn Thanks Anurag. I get my belts from turntableneedles. Have 2 each of both the capstan and back tension belts for my Nak CD1, so I'm set for some years on that front. My other playback deck is a direct drive Technics and the only belt in that is the one for the counter. Not a problem even if it goes kaput.

Have stocked up on a couple of capstan motors and capacitors (had to change a couple on my CD1 pb amp board).

Haven't had the need for any gears, idlers or pinch rollers yet. They are available locally in Lajpat Rai market and other areas of old Delhi though. One can always go to ebay if those aren't up to snuff. There's a few manufacturers in the US who do this, but with shipping and minimum order, they are prohibitively expensive for an individual user.

 

[Arvind Singh Lodhi]

@anuragn Thanks Anurag. I get my belts from turntableneedles. Have 2 each of both the capstan and back tension belts for my Nak CD1, so I'm set for some years on that front. My other playback deck is a direct drive Technics and the only belt in that is the one for the counter. Not a problem even if it goes kaput.

Have stocked up on a couple of capstan motors and capacitors (had to change a couple on my CD1 pb amp board).

Haven't had the need for any gears, idlers or pinch rollers yet. They are available locally in Lajpat Rai market and other areas of old Delhi though. One can always go to ebay if those aren't up to snuff. There's a few manufacturers in the US who do this, but with shipping and minimum order, they are prohibitively expensive for an individual user.

Me too have Nak CD1 and a Sony TC-K81 along with 600 odd cassette collection. I thoroughly enjoy to own and listen my music. Though, I am looking to replace my Sony with another Nak, preferably with not lesser than CD1.

 

[kumarab]

Me too have Nak CD1 and a Sony TC-K81 along with 600 odd cassette collection. I thoroughly enjoy to own and listen my music. Though, I am looking to replace my Sony with another Nak, preferably with not lesser than CD1.

Hi Arvind, that's greatAnd you're absolutely right, it's great to be able to enjoy music in such an involved manner again. I'd guess you need to scour for a CR4 or BX300 then.

Good to know about your collection. Maybe we can trade sometime. I have a few gaps in my collection (cassettes lost with the passage of time). It's possible I have something you want and vice versa. Cheers and enjoy

 

[kumarab]

UPDATE: I've DIY'd another shelf. Made a silly mistake with the dimensions, so this one turned out slightly bigger, but I couldn't be bothered. Looks fine to me. Now my desks and drawers can breathe a little

 

[Arvind Singh Lodhi]

Hi Arvind, that's greatAnd you're absolutely right, it's great to be able to enjoy music in such an involved manner again. I'd guess you need to scour for a CR4 or BX300 then.

Good to know about your collection. Maybe we can trade sometime. I have a few gaps in my collection (cassettes lost with the passage of time). It's possible I have something you want and vice versa. Cheers and enjoy

Got another Nak CD1 in fairly good condition. Now, my Sony TCK81 might not see much of playing.

 

[kumarab]

Got another Nak CD1 in fairly good condition. Now, my Sony TCK81 might not see much of playing.

Congratulations!

 

[MNX]

Got another Nak CD1 in fairly good condition. Now, my Sony TCK81 might not see much of playing.

Congrats! I've got a couple of old cassettes lying around and I'm thinking about getting a deck to give them a spin. Is it worth buying a vintage deck? How easy is it to get one serviced or calibrated?

It'd be helpful if you could mention some reliable sources to buy decks from.

 

[Arvind Singh Lodhi]

Congrats! I've got a couple of old cassettes lying around and I'm thinking about getting a deck to give them a spin. Is it worth buying a vintage deck? How easy is it to get one serviced or calibrated?

It'd be helpful if you could mention some reliable sources to buy decks from.

IMHO if you have only a few cassettes, i.e. less than 50, don't bother to buy a deck. Get them digitized or get their digital copies. If you have lots of them or wish to get involved in continuous personal attention towards gear, buy any good 3 head deck from 80s or 90s. Not many of these machines can be found on sale on Audio forums. I made my recent purchase from a YouTube Seller. There are so many such sellers. You may contact them. Preferably pick one from your city or nearby so that you can personally examin the deck before making purchase. Yes, these machines can be serviced by any good old tech but calibration thing and sourcing the spare parts is a different story.