quick solution for repairing a cassette

What would be the best to use to get a broken cassette tape repaired for a single play?

This tape got broken by removing it a bit heavy handed from the machine when that decided to eat it. It isn't the most sought after recording, probably not the greatest quality recording, but of a lot of sentimental value.

I looked at the ends and they are not cleanly snapped. Should I try to first get the edges better or not?

Materials needed? I do have some non-magnetic weights etc around, so that won't be the problem. But what kind of tape to use? That is the big question. Remember it doesn't have to play more than once.

Cassette splicing tape would be best, of course.  Barring that, I've used transparent tape for play-once dubs before.

I would cut off the stretched part; the last thing you want is for the tape to wind itself around the pinch roller or something because it doesn't run true.  Then I would do my best in Audition to fill in the bad edit.  If you're lucky, it'll be on a part that's repeated elsewhere.

I'm sure it is not on any 'recommended' list but I've used Scotch 'Magic" tape to repair a fair number of cassette tape breaks, always without problems, so far. Often I have fit the jagged end together but if the tape is also badly stretched and disfigured, that isn't worth the effort.

I repaired A LOT of broken cassettes in my youth and never once had a splicing block to do it. Some of those splices are still holding to this day (not that I play the tapes any longer).

If you don't have a splicing block, use a razor blade or a pair of scissors to cut the frayed ends. I would overlap the 2 ends and make one cut through both ends simultaneously to ensure they butt up well. Then cut a piece of regular Scotch tape down to slightly less thickness than the tape, with a length of only 1/4" or so - just enough to hold the two ends together. A pair of tweezers helps during the process. Put the Scotch tape on the BACK of one end of the broken cassette tape, not the front. Align the other section to this. Ideally you would have a few inches of both ends of the tape lying 90° to the table surface to ensure the splice is straight before commiting to the splice. You do not want to leave ANY gap between the ends or else you run the risk of the tape adhering to itself when it gets reeled up and this may cause the auto-stop to engage (or worse). Place the spliced section between a folded piece of paper and use a flat hard object to ensure the Scotch tape is making maximum contact with the back of the cassette tape. Reel the slack back in and route the tape properly before closing it up. Once you play it back and capture the audio you can clean the splice up as best you can.

I'm sure someone will take a dump on this approach but it worked perfectly fine for me in the 70's.

In the absence of 1/8" editing block and tape, I find the simplest method of lining cassette tape up and joining it is to slightly wet the (in my case, glass) table top with a little saliva on your finger. This creates just enough adherence to keep the tape flat whilst allowing easy movement for alignment. Ends can be trimmed with a blade if necessary - the should butt together without gaps or overlaps.

I use 1/4" splicing tape, applied after I've lined up the tape and the excess then trimmed using a razor blade. By this time of course the excess is stuck to the table, making it easy to get a good straight cut. Don't forget to save yourself two jobs and only have the tape overhang one side, but do go up the other edge to keep the overall profile flat.

This technique also works well for dictation tapes, should you ever have the need to deal with the horrible little things!

Thanks. I'll have to try Scotch "magic" will have to do since I haven't any idea where I would still find splicing tape. The trick with the wet glass is worth trying.

I repaired A LOT of broken cassettes in my youth and never once had a splicing block to do it. Some of those splices are still holding to this day (not that I play the tapes any longer).

Hehehe.  That takes me back.  I've made cassette tape loops using ordinary sticky tape, some of which were even Moebius strips.  I also made the occasional repair, again with ordinary sticky tape.  Yeah, you usually hear a glitch, but with the loops at least it was part of the "art".

plook Posted:
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I'm sure someone will take a dump on this approach but it worked perfectly fine for me in the 70's.

No dumping here!!!  Whilst I don't do much of it anymore.... I've did ALOT of this sort of repair work in the past and I utilized the same method.  At one point (in the 70's) I had the correct size slice block, but I've utilized the "overlap cut" method" with the same amount of success.  FWIW, you can still find new blank cartridges (with phillips screws) and take the entire tape out of the current cartridge and load it into a new cartridge at the same time that your doing your slice.  The old cartridge could possibly have something to do with the tape fouling up in the first place.  

I don't necessarily miss the "tape repair" days!!

 

Tried it with Schotch tape and it worked very well. Thanks.

Tried it with Schotch tape and it worked very well. Thanks.

And just what did those Scots use tape for in the first place?

Tape their barrel together.

plook Posted:
FWIW, you can still find new blank cartridges (with phillips screws) and take the entire tape out of the current cartridge and load it into a new cartridge at the same time that your doing your slice.  The old cartridge could possibly have something to do with the tape fouling up in the first place.  

I don't necessarily miss the "tape repair" days!!


 

I have had a hard time finding the cassette repair kits. Where did you get them? Radio Shack no longer sells them.

One other thing you need in repairing cassettes is patience! and lots of it!

Been a while since I've gone looking, but..... you can buy blank cassettes at Walmart.  I didn't use an actual "repair" kit.  I bought blank tapes (ensuring that they were screw type) and just took them apart.