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Author Topic: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?  (Read 2295 times)

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Offline echo1434

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Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« on: August 26, 2024, 03:25:43 AM »
It's been a long time since I've posted on here, I hope it's in the right section... My friend sent me an obscure audience recording on cassette to transfer to digital. In order to preserve my main cassette deck, I did the bulk of my rewinding and fast-forwarding on a cheaper deck, but unfortunately when I put my friend's tape in my second machine to adjust the position, the machine failed and the tape got snagged. I managed to remove the cassette from the machine, but it the tape is snapped in one spot and needs to be spliced.

I estimate about 15-20 seconds of audio has been damaged/garbled, but if the cassette could be spilced everything else would be fine. I used to know a local guy who was an expert at this, but he is long gone now and this is of course becoming a lost art. I've looked into doing the repair myself, but I would honestly feel more comfortable sending it to someone who has some actual experience. Of course I would be willing to compensate you for your efforts if we could work something out. If interested, please message me.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2024, 03:36:44 AM by echo1434 »

Offline morst

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2024, 04:13:20 AM »
It's been a long time since I've posted on here, I hope it's in the right section... My friend sent me an obscure audience recording on cassette to transfer to digital. In order to preserve my main cassette deck, I did the bulk of my rewinding and fast-forwarding on a cheaper deck, but unfortunately when I put my friend's tape in my second machine to adjust the position, the machine failed and the tape got snagged. I managed to remove the cassette from the machine, but it the tape is snapped in one spot and needs to be spliced.

I estimate about 15-20 seconds of audio has been damaged/garbled, but if the cassette could be spilced everything else would be fine. I used to know a local guy who was an expert at this, but he is long gone now and this is of course becoming a lost art. I've looked into doing the repair myself, but I would honestly feel more comfortable sending it to someone who has some actual experience. Of course I would be willing to compensate you for your efforts if we could work something out. If interested, please message me.


Been a long time since I used sticky tape to attached broken or cut ends of tape... Last few I did were DATs.
If you don't have "splicing tape" I would not suggest letting it pass over the head(s)
Perhaps you might consider transferring the broken sections into two different shells, and not using any tape?
If you do this, be sure to carefully label the recovery efforts in case someone (maybe you) would later have to open them up to fish out the ends.


If you are going to use sticky tape that's not designed for the exact purpose...
Cut the sticky tape so that it's narrower than the magnetic tape, and does not protrude beyond the edges of the magnetic tape.


I can't vouch for this, but I do see that Clamazon carries at least one type of tape designed for mag-tape splicing.
https://www.amazon.com/Splicing-Audio-Cassettes-Digital-Tapes/dp/B084DNGJJG


Sorry I can't advise further but I wish you good luck, and hope that you let us know what you learn/ how it goes!
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Offline echo1434

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2024, 06:02:24 AM »
Thank you for all that, I really like the idea of just splitting it into two shells, it never crossed my mind. I think that would be the safer method for sure, maybe I'd be confident handling that myself. I will try a few test runs on some blanks or old tapes I don't care about and see how it goes....

Offline robgronotte

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2024, 09:06:04 AM »
The problem with splitting the tape between two shells is that you will then lose even more of the recording around the break. Instead of having blank leader tape to start spooling, you will have to attach the recorded tape right onto the spool.
Maybe you could attach some blank tape to the end before doing that, but then you have the same problem with getting a good splice without messing up the spin.

Offline commongrounder

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2024, 10:38:46 AM »
I used to splice cassette tapes all the time, back in the day. At least back then, if you bought “C-0” empty shells, they came with leader tape attached to both hubs. All you would do is cut the leader in the middle of its length and splice in the tape stock. No need to touch the hubs. The OP shouldn’t loose any additional play time on their tape if it’s divided into two shells that way. Also, there is special splicing tape for thin cassette tape stock, and the splicing tape is applied to the side of the tape facing the pressure pad. Splicing tape, correctly applied, will not come in contact with the tape head.

Offline GLouie

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2024, 11:53:49 AM »
I use a cassette splicing block and ordinary splicing tape (for 1/4 inch, since that's what I have around), but I do an improvised method. Splicing tape is always applied to the inside, which does not touch the heads.

Assuming you open up the shell and access the spools:
-de-wrinkle the broken tape ends and match them up in the block. If they are badly damaged, you may have to cut off a small amount of tape: overlap the ends in the block and use a single edge razor in the cutting groove to make matching ends.

-I use ordinary splicing tape, but cut off a small piece and place it cross-wise over the splice with excess hanging off the sides. Then I remove the cassette tape with the splicing tape hanging off the sides, and place it on a piece of paper, temporarily rubbing the splicing tape down to hold it. Then I use the razor to trim the splicing tape off of the sides. This is a bit tricky. I use my magnifying visor and try to carefully place the razor directly on top at the edge of the cassette tape, trying to match up the side of the tape and the razor, then just push down to cut. IMO, a teeny concave cut into the tape sides is preferable to excess splicing tape hanging off the sides, but best to try to make it perfectly straight.

I have to use tweezers for much of this process. I suppose it is possible to do this without a splicing block, but the block really helps keep things straight while splicing tape is applied.

If the tape is wrinkled at all, it will never play cleanly again, sorry.

Offline morst

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2024, 01:38:28 PM »
If the tape is wrinkled at all, it will never play cleanly again, sorry.
In the future, perhaps a magnetic reader of such resolution could perform what would amount to a flux map, and the audio might be able to be reconstructed. But not this week for a reasonable budget.


In the floppy disc world, there's a product called Kryoflux which makes magnetic maps of disc data for purposes of recovery... (and potentially circumventing copy protection for archival or forensic purposes)
https://www.kryoflux.com/
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Offline bonghitwillie

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Re: Anyone with experience splicing/re-shelling cassette tapes?
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2024, 09:20:28 PM »
i used scotch like tape and an exacto knife. just don't make the splice tape to wide vertically (don't extend over actual audio tape). you are only passing it over the head(s) for a fraction of a second. then clean the head with alcohol. the pain in the ass is putting the shell back together. the felt pad, the rollers, the top and bottom nylon anti static thing between the tape and shell. use a pencil to tighten the tape in the shell. after you put the tape back together, use a pencil to fast forward and rewind a little. put the  scotch tape on the back side, so only the actual audio tape hits the heads.

 

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