7. How can I fix broken 8-tracks?
Description
This article is from the 8-track Tapes FAQ, by Malcolm Riviera malco@interpath.com with numerous contributions by others.
7. How can I fix broken 8-tracks?
In the olden, golden days, local music dealers or record & tape shops
would repair 8-tracks for a small fee. These days, though, you gotta do
it yourself. The Realistic 8-Track Cartridge Repair Manual is the best
single source of instruction for repairing broken tapes. You can
purchase a copy of this manual for $4 from:
Big Bucks Burnett
P.O. Box 720714
Dallas, TX 75372. (Write for availability first).
(New!) In 1996, anywhere from 15-25 years after most 8-tracks you find
will last be played, there are going to be problems playing most of
them again unless you do a few things to prevent breaks and chewup.
As far as the player is concerned, you will have to clean the heads
and roller as well as you can to eliminate buildup of residue. You
would also do well to have a head demagnitizer (which is avaiable
at any radio shack).
As far as the tapes, when I get a new one, especially a tape I
really care about, I DON'T STICK IT IN THE PLAYER. I open the cart
and make sure the tape rolls the way it's supposed to and that the
spool closest to the center of the wheel hasn't risen above the
rest of the tape making the tape coming from the center harder to
come out (and easier to fold). Opening CBS/Columbia & GRT carts
are the easiest (just don't break the tabs), the black Warner and
Capitol(easiest tab to break) carts are a little harder, and the
RCA carts are next to impossible without a drill, however the RCA
carts are the most well developed and reliable.
Once you make sure the tape is rolling correctly, you need to find
the foil tape that splices the tape together. I have a deck with
fast forward that I can set to eject at the end of the program.
This is the best way to handle it. Once you find the foil, replace
it with new foil and reinforce it on the back with splicing tape
(both items easily found at your local radio shack). You have now
made the splice the strongest part of the tape.
As far as the pads, again depending on the manufacturer, you may
need to replace them. Older CBS, GRT, WB, & all Capitol pads will
need replacing. By '79 or '80 (earlier for CBS), the pads were
made of a spring-like foam that will last indefinitely (as opposed
to the earlier gooish pads). Again, RCA & earlier Atlantic carts
have actual metal spring pads that do the best. You may need to
re-glue the felt pads onto the metal springs. If I'm out of pads I
have scavenged from non-desirable tapes, I use auto
weather-stripping with scotch tape on the outside cut to fit the
tape area. This can be found at any auto parts store.
As far as rollers, you are okay unless you have an older ('60s -
early '70's) tape with the gooey roller. Replace those immediately
because even if they seem okay, they're not.
If you throw away any 8-tracks, be sure to scavenge them for
rollers, pads, spools or even the shell itself because it always
helps to have spare parts around.
If you do what I described above, your 8-tracks will be as reliable
if not more so than the so-called 'superior' formats in mass
production today. Since I've adopted this method, I've never had a
tape break and I've eliminated 'ghost tracks' or hearing another
programs on the listening program. If the record companies had
cared a little more in the outset, the 8-track wouldn't have had
such a lousy performance reputation. But we all know what they're
about (and it's not whether their product is reliable in the long
term).
mcgriff@gnn.com (G. Allen)
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