Repairing cassette tape

[jmk89]

A couple of much loved audio cassettes have suffered at the hands of my 2 1/2 year old son so that I need to splice the broken tape.
Once upon a time Dick Smith/Tandy sold splicing kits, but not any more.
Does anyone know either:

1. where to buy (in or outside Oz) a splicing kit or
2. any other way to repair broken tape in a cassette?

[Daddles]

Pardon me if I laugh, but my little princess has attempted such things. I was lucky, I caught her early enough.

I didn't know repairs were possible ... which just shows I've never had to think seriously about it.

Regardless, give the kid a huge hug ... and remember the incident for the little barsteward's 21st party

Richard

[Driver]

The simplest way to repair the tape is to pull the two ends (either side of the break) clear of the cassette.

Line them up on a table, glossy side up.

Using transparent adhesive tape (Sellotape or Scotch), stick one side down flat, making sure that you leave about 20 mm of tape free.

Line up the join as best you can and then stick the other end to the table.

Now carefully place a piece of adhesive tape across the break, matching the two sides of the break as well as you can. I find it used to help to run the adhesive tape across the join at an angle (seems to bend more easily!). Using sharp scissors, trim the adhesive tape at the join to the width of the recording tape.

Remove the two bits of adhesive tape holding the repair to the table.

Wind the tape back into the cassette using a pencil.

It's a long time since I used this method (my kids are all grown up now ) but it used to work.

Good luck.

Col

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

It's do-able by hand with just splicing tape, a razorblade and bloody good hand-eye co-ordination.

A less acceptable option, if you've an old useless cassette or two that're screwed together & not heat-joined, you can strip 'em down and attach the drivespurs to the broken ends (they use a simple press-fit key) resulting in two cassettes that should be rerecorded onto a new 'un. You''ll lose the bit of recording where the leaders should be, though.

[Harry72]

Whats a cassette tape?

Cant get it off the net anywhere? Whats the music... maybe a forum member could have it?

[Ashore]

Whats a cassette tape?

Its proberly what you parents were listerning to when they were making .... ar maybe they were at the drive in

Its an old time music device used before mp3 players and after real to real and the traverling minstrel with a lute.

[Mirboo]

Whats a cassette tape?

Its what you used to buy as an alternative to vinyl.

Regards,
Mirboo.

[jmk89]

I had thought of trying to use sticky tape (what my Mum still calls Durex, to the delight of my English friends), but chickened out.

Thanks for the tips. When I have repaired the tapes I will record the music onto MD and use that for playing it. Actually, the little cevil bust ed a cassette of his own music (Play School nursery rhymes) so the joke was on him, but he hasn't yet developed a sense of irony

[Harry72]

Its proberly what you parents were listerning to when they were making .... ar maybe they were at the drive in

Its an old time music device used before mp3 players and after real to real and the traverling minstrel with a lute.

Nah the old man had an 8track... and they still cant use the video recorder... must buy them a DVD player!

[Iain]

Ordinary tape has a tendency to bleed, the adhesive ozzes out after a while.
There is a proper splicing tape, dick smith etc should carry it.

[Andy Mac]

I repaired quite a few after they were caught in car cassette players (they seemd worse than domestic ones) using the sticky tape method, and if the tape has broken near one end, cut off the short end and press the remainder into the dovetail sort of thing that Skew mentioned. Generally repairs were OK, although a BIT OF LUCK!
Just an aside, I got so peeved with one car cassette player...did it one too many times, I unscrewed the bustard then and there, and threw it out the car window on the side of the highway!:mad: Had a temper back then, did the same thing with a fishing reel in Darwin harbour:eek:

Cheers,

[Tankstand]

Its an old time music device used before mp3 players and after real to real and the traverling minstrel with a lute.

See! I knew todays music machines were all smoke and mirrors!

[bitingmidge]

Tape makes a wonderful tell tale for a sailing dinghy, specially in light airs.

Cheers,

P