Cleaning Cassette Decks

Isopropyl Alchohol (at the pharmacy) and cotton tipped swabs

Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol have worked for years. Demagetizing the heads is very important. Cassette tapes roll off the HF anyway, so demagetizing just allows the tape to record what it can. A small flashlight is necessary when you clean the pinch rollers and the head. It's been a while since I needed to do these things. I still have my Proton deck and it gets occasional use. Iwas meticulous in the old days with setting exact meter levels, best tape available, good turntable, clean records, etc. It was tedious but fun then, I'm sure you'll find it same now.

The correct procedure to demag your deck is as follows:

Deck powered down (turned off)

With the DM10 approx a foot away from the deck turn it on -- then slowwly approach the heads and tape path--

when the wand of the DM10 is really close, slowly follow the tape path of the heads.

then slowly pull the wand back to the ~foot distance and turn of the DM10.

Now you are done!

BTW the DM10 is getty pretty hard to find these days, if you have the original box keep it!

Happy Listening,

Richard

Insist on unscented 99% isopropyl alcohol; it's available at Safeway. Some shops carry only lesser dilutions (they're cheaper) like 90% and 85%.

Is it ok to use the alcohol on the rollers? I would think that it would cause some early drying and hardening.

Logically, that's a good question, but I've yet to see it.

Denatured isopropyl alcohol. Rubbing alcohol has water in it and can cause the laminations of the head to rust. Yes you can use alcohol on the capstan and pinch roller. Be careful not to get things to wet. The Q-Tip only needs to be moist not dripping wet. You do not want to get the alcohol in the capstan shaft bearings, or the pinch roller bushing.

The DM10, "Turn the deck off. Turn the demaganetizer on and slowly", underlined, "bring the tip as close as possible to the record/play head {it is not necessary to demagnetize the erase head}. Do not make contact with the head unless the tip of the demagnetizer is covered with thin vinyl or rubber to avoid scratching the surface of the head. Move the demagnetizer tip slowly",underlined, "in a random pattern about the surface of the head for at least 10 seconds and then slowly", underlined, "move it toward the capstan. Repeat with the capstan, and then slowly", underlined, "withdraw the demagnetizer. Turn it off after it is at least 2 feet from the deck. Never turn the demagnetizer off while it is close to the head or capstan as this may semi-permanently magnetize the metal part"

If the rollers are rubber instead of a synthetic material alcohol is not recommended as it will dry out rolers. It is safer to use a mild (diluted) soapy solution on rollers.

Sorry, I meant isopropyl alcohol. It's been so long, I forgot.

I seem to remember, way back in the dim recesses of my mind, that certain cassette deck heads used plastic, and although isopropyl may be appropriate for reel to reel decks, it may harm the cassette deck heads. But I could be thinking of Carbon Tet. [Carbona].... back in the days when you could get kick ass solvents. Maybe the fumes just got to me over the years!!

But does anyone remember if cassette deck heads have to be cleaned with different solvents than reel to reel heads?

A very excellent product is Professional Audio Tape Head Cleaning Fluid from American Recorder Technologies, S-721H. It is non-alcohol and recommended for tape heads, guides, capstans and pinch rollers:

http://americanrecorder.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=12&products_id=108

Jon