A couple more things I'd like to add to this: when you open the case,
make sure that you open the case label side up. Opening it the other
way sets you up for a fun evening of winding up 8 track tape. Fixing
these tapes is fairly easy, opening the case is the hardest part. The
ones with the little metal rivet seem to be sealed for life. While
you're in there, have a look at the spongy thing. Sometimes these are
just rotten and no longer serve any purpose other than putting guck into
the player. For the best sound quality, these should be intact, but
most tapes seem to play alright without them. You can fabricate them
with the use of some Scotch tape, white glue, spongy weatherstripping,
and the plastic piece that the original sponge was adhered to.
James
who just fixed "The Ventures Greatest Hits" 8-track this afternoon
Mike Pittinaro wrote:
>A few of my thoughts (take them with a whole shaker of
>salt) on eight tracks.
>
>As an appreciator of antique automobiles, I find that
>my interest in antique audio fits in well. I am a
>somewhat avid collector of old LP's, 45's, 78's, eight
>track, reel-to-reel, and any other kind of obscure
>recording media (goal: someday own a cylinder
>recording device!) Not for the sound quality do I
>appreciate these media- indeed, a good CD will
>outperform almost anything else (with the exception,
>of course, of a new record and a good stylus) for
>sound quality. But, like our Imperials, eight track
>tapes were state of the art, reliable, but got a bad
>name because they weren't mainstream. The cassette
>tape got that honor, and only recently sees its
>popularity waning.
>
>I personally own somewhere around 100 eight track
>tapes, and while I have bought a few off eBay and
>gotten some from Salvation Army (for 35 cents each)
>the bulk of my collection comes from my mentioning to
>someone that I own an eight track player (actually, I
>own several) and them saying "oh, I have a few of
>those in my attic" and the next time I see that
>person, them bestowing upon me a huge bag of plastic
>cartridge tapes that probably haven't seen the light
>of day since the Carter administration.
>
>8 tracks can be recorded, though about the only place
>you'll find blank ones is on eBay, and a good recorder
>is hard to find, too. (you could also record over
>useles pre-recorded tapes, like barbara streisand or
>glen campbell- just kidding!) Personally, I own a
>recorder, but have never used it- I have such an
>assortment of pre-recorded tapes (mostly, music you
>would never find on CD's or even cassettes anymore) I
>couldn't possibly listen to them all. In fact, if
>anyone wants a recorder, I might be inclined to sell
>it to someone who might actually use it. I also own 3
>auto 8 track players of verious types.
>
>8 track tape is essentially just 1/4" reel-to-reel
>tape, and the tape heads' paths are actually 1/2 the
>size of a cassette tape- cassette tapes have 2 sides,
>the tape is 1/8" wide, eight tracks have, in essence,
>4 "sides". The tape runs on an infinite loop, spliced
>together and joined with a metal strip that 'tells'
>the tape head to jump to the next track automatically.
> A really cool system, when you think about it, and
>also fairly durable- the tapes almost never break
>except at the splice.
>
>When players eat tapes, its usually because the tape
>gets caught in the rubber wheel in the cartridge and
>the metal spindle in the player keeps dragging the
>tape through. To prevent this, the tape player should
>be cleaned with rubbing alcohol, to keep it cleaned.
>Also, old tapes should be inspected before playing for
>sticky or degraded rubber parts. Like our Imperials,
>8 track cartridges are not disposable, they can be
>fixed, it just takes a steady hand and great patience.
> The cartridge can be split open with a flat bladed
>screwdriver, and reassembled with scotch tape.
>Rewinding the tape takes patience and skill, and
>practice (practice on those aforementioned barbara
>streisand and Glen campbell tapes)
>
>Splicing the tape can be done with regular scotch
>tape, which I've found works really well in the
>absence of proper splicing tape, which can be elusive-
>just cut a piece with a razor the exact width of the
>tape and about 1/2" long. To re-attach the metal
>strip (which you need if you want the player to
>automaticaly advance to the next track- esp important
>for Jimi Hendrix guitar solos) I use a tiny dab of
>superglue spread evenly on the metal strip where it
>adheres to the tape. I've fabricated metal strips out
>of common tinfoil, too- works fine.
>
>If for some reason you need to cut the tape and
>re-splice it (say, for example, the tape gets all
>twisted up and you need to untangle it- its sometimes
>easier to cut it, untangle, and splice) always cut the
>tape at a 45 degree angle, like a mitre box. NEVER
>just cut at a 90- the resulating edge is more likely
>to snag or something.
>
>Sorry for the length of this post, but I hope someone
>finds it helpful. If anyone needs any help, feel free
>to email me privately. I mentioned about a year ago
>that I would repair eight track cartridges for anyone
>who doesn't feel comfortable or doesn't want to do it
>themselves, for a nominal fee plus postage. I'm still
>willing to do that, though as yet I haven't had any
>takers.
>
>=====
>--Mike Pittinaro
>
>One point eight litres
>Stromberg carburators sing
>Loose nut at the wheel
>
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