Lubricating Pre-recorded Cassettes. Possible or just fodder?

[Bloodhound]

Can pre-recorded cassettes be re-lubricated or is it a waste of time? I Saw a vid by Anadialog on youtube and gave it a try.

The result was crap. I tried WD-40's silicone based spray libricant applied with q-tips. It didn't work. I coated the tape thoroughly, waited 3 weeks and it's as dry as it was when I started. I tried looking up the 3M product used in the video but it doesn't look like it's available in the US or from anywhere convenient. Has anyone had any luck with this?

 

[Fatdog]

Why would you want to ruin the actual tape by letting lubricant soak into it? If the cassette is slow or dragging, you need to check belts first because they could be loose. Sometimes I will FF and RWD a tape to even it out on the spool. Stay away from the guy's advice.

 

[Bloodhound]

Hey Fatdog! I have a few pre-recorded commercial cassettes where tape lubrication breakdown is resulting in increased friction and profound sound distortion. I have tried rewinding and ff them and they usually just stop after a few seconds. I was hoping to resurrect a few if there's a proven method for doing so. Only method I came across was what's in the video.

 

[MesaAZGuy]

Perhaps if they were originally pre-lubed and the lube dried, consider just removing the old crud out. I wouldn't put any lube in. If that doesn't work, maybe you could try moving the physical tape to a new case.

 

[Bloodhound]

If anything I'll probably record the albums on a chrome or metal tape and transplant the reels/tape into the pre-recorded case. Makes more sense than what the video suggests and there's likely a higher rate of success LOL!

 

[toshik]

Lol keep the oil away from thw cassettes!

 

[BoomboxLover48]

What a dumb idea!

It took him a lot of time to explain how to lubricate with a cotton bud. What a torture!

Uneven wound tapes cause friction against the slip film sheets on either side. That is the main cause of any friction. Also if the side slip sheets are out of shape that too will cause issues. Polyester film of the tape material offer no friction against the stationary parts.

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Hey Fatdog! I have a few pre-recorded commercial cassettes where tape lubrication breakdown is resulting in increased friction and profound sound distortion. I have tried rewinding and ff them and they usually just stop after a few seconds. I was hoping to resurrect a few if there's a proven method for doing so. Only method I came across was what's in the video.

Slip sheets on either side of the tape on cheap tapes can go bad and cause friction. If the tape is unevenly wound, because of defective internal transport guides and warped case, can also cause friction. Back in those days I've seen people flexing the whole cassette to resolve this issue, some even tapped the whole cassette on a flat surface but it is a bad method .
Moving to a whole new cassette case might help like MesaAZGuy mentioned.
I had no issues with good brand name tapes. Cheap prerecorded tapes are mostly the problem makers.
~Royce

 

[Bloodhound]

Thanks for explaining Royce. Appreciate it.

 

[Radio raheem]

the best way is to buy lots of cheap new sealed blank tapes and transplant the original tapes into those if you like them that much dude....me personally when a tape acts up it goes straight in the bin lol, there cheap enough compared to our boomers

 

[Hajidub]

I own around 1000 pre-recorded, I've only had issues with a handful. Best practice is to rewind and FF the tape a couple times. If it has screws open it and try to adjust the slip sheet. Old or tapes that have been stored in harsh condition will require cleaning of your heads after use.

 

[yammi99]

I also have some of these sticking tapes. This is a phenomenon especially for a lot of cassettes with "XDR" printed on them. An no, it are not the slip sheets on either side that creates the problem. It is really the tape itself that "dried" and lost lubrication. I tried the described lubrication method, but also without succes. So I scrapped all involved cassettes and avoid now to buy these shitty "XDR" tapes.

 

[hopey]

Pretty funny topic. The fastest way to damage your tape deck is to use old prerecorded cassettes from the 70's and 80's. These were recorded on duplicators at low levels with the cheapest polyester tape you could find. Your hard pressed getting anything worthwhile until the 90's. It's only the vinyl albums that are worth anything.

You could make a better recording yourself at home with a half decent deck.