Repair Broken Audio Cassette Tapes?

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Old audio cassette tapes tin can see a number of bug that telephone call for some cassette tape surgery. For instance, the tape might tear and pause, requiring you to splice it back together. Another common outcome is for the tape to come unraveled from one of the bike hubs, in which example you can splice information technology to the end of the tape on a new cycle hub from a blank cassette tape. Either way, you can go the job done with a few simple tools and a frail bear upon!

i
Unscrew the cassette example, if information technology has screws, using a small Phillips screwdriver. Utilise a tiny Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the screws in the two top corners of the cassette record. Set the screws aside somewhere where you won't lose them, such every bit in a small dish or cup.^[1]
- If you don't run across any screws, your cassette is the type that is glued together.
- Issues that y'all volition demand to take a cassette record apart to fix include a ripped or broken tape and a tape that has come up off one of the bike hubs.
2
Pry the cassette autonomously using a tiny flathead screwdriver, if it is glued together. Insert the edge of the flathead screwdriver into the crack where the front and dorsum pieces of the example are glued together on one side of the cassette. Work it back and forth in a lever motion along the crack to gently pause the two halves autonomously.^[two]
- If you can't pry the cassette case apart with your hands after separating the halves on one side, repeat the process with the screwdriver for the other sides of the cassette until you can pull them apart.
Tip: If yous are having trouble separating the pieces with just a flathead screwdriver, effort carefully running the blade of a boxcutter or utility pocketknife along the cracks to piece through some of the glue.

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iii
Open up the cassette tape horizontally so the spools don't fall out. Place the tape horizontally on a flat surface before yous open it upward. Pull the meridian one-half off and endeavour to leave the bottom half flat on your work surface.^[3]
- This will continue the wheel hubs in place and so you don't accidentally drop them out and crusade more damage to the tape.
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1
Utilize small, sharp scissors to cut off the damaged ends of the broken tape. Put the 2 halves of the cassette record apartment on the cutting board with the insides facing up at y'all. Be conscientious not to uncoil the record from the bicycle hubs.^[4] Carefully trim off as little of the tape as possible, and then yous are just removing the damaged parts of the tape where it ripped and broke. This will allow you to record the ii pieces neatly dorsum together.^[v]
- If you don't have a pair of small, sharp scissors, you tin can carefully cut the damaged ends off using a boxcutter or utility knife and your cutting board.
- Depending how much damaged tape you accept to cutting off, there could exist a noticeable skip in the audio of the tape subsequently yous splice information technology back together.
ii
Tape one end of the broken record down on the cutting board. Straighten out one of the sides of the broken record flat against the cutting lath and carefully tape it downwardly. Get out the terminate you trimmed exposed.^[6]
- Make sure that the broken end of the tape is completely flat and not curling at all, and then that information technology is piece of cake to work with when yous're splicing the other broken stop to it.
3
Use cellophane record to splice the 2 sides of the cassette'south tape together. Carefully line upwards the end of the other side of the cleaved tape with the cease of the side yous just taped down. Press a piece of cellophane record downward over them to splice them together.^[vii]
- The spliced pieces will be held down on the cutting lath by the cellophane tape at this point.
four
Peel upwardly the cellophane tape and flip the cassette's record over on the cutting board. Employ your fingernails to gently peel the cellophane tape up from the cutting board, existence careful non to unsplice the ii halves of the cassette's record that you just stuck together. Flip over the tape so y'all can splice together the other side.^[8]
- The sticky side of the cellophane tape and the side of the cassette's tape that has no cellophane tape on it should at present exist facing upwards towards you.
5
Put a slice of cellophane record on the other side of spliced tape. Double-check to make certain the ends of the broken tape are still lined upwardly and stuck together. Carefully stick a new slice of cellophane tape over the exposed sides of the cassette's tape to end splicing the cleaved ends together.^[nine]
- This should hold the cleaved tape securely together and limit the chances of it coming undone in the future.
half-dozen
Trim the excess cellophane tape off using a boxcutter or utility knife. Hold the tape flat against the cutting lath. Advisedly trim the excess cellophane tape that is hanging off the sides of the spliced tape, right upward to the edge of the record.^[ten]
- Y'all can now put the cassette record back together.
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1
Buy a new bare cassette tape to utilise for parts and open it up. Buy a blank cassette that is held together by screws. Unscrew it using a Phillips screwdriver and take it autonomously, simply like you did for the cassette record you desire to ready.^[xi]
- If you have a cassette tape that has come up off 1 of the hubs, it is very difficult to reattach it to the aforementioned hub. Using a new wheel tape from a bare cassette that already has tape attached to information technology will allow you to splice the one-time tape to it to attach it to a new hub more hands.
2
Cut the new cassette'southward tape i–2 in (2.5–five.one cm) from the cease of the tape. The plastic, non-magnetic stop of the tape that secures the magnetic tape to the wheel hub is called the leader tape. Remove the spool that has the leader tape exposed from the cassette and cut the tape 1–2 in (2.5–v.1 cm) from the end of the leader tape using small, sharp scissors.^[12]
- This will give you a new spool with a clean-cut slice of tape to splice the tape from your erstwhile cassette to, so that it is attached to the new wheel hub.
iii
Remove the wheel hubs from your erstwhile cassette. Elevator out the empty wheel hub and throw it abroad. Take out the wheel hub that has the record spooled around it and set information technology down in front of yous.^[xiii]
- It'south all-time to do this on a cutting lath on a flat work surface in front of you.
4
Splice the tape from the new wheel hub to the tape on the one-time hub. Line upwards the cut end of the new blank record with the terminate of the tape from your old cassette. Tape them carefully together using cellophane record.^[14]
- Run across the above method for consummate instructions on how to splice cassette tape together.
5
Place the cycle hub back in the cassette example. Advisedly put each cycle hub back into the old cassette so that the holes in the middles of the hubs line up with the holes in the cassette case. Use a pencil to air current the bike hubs so the tape is non loose and all over the place.^[xv]
- You can now reassemble the cassette tape.
Tip: You could use the new cassette trunk instead of the old ane if it's easier. For example, if the old cassette was glued together, information technology might exist better to apply the new screw-together cassette case. Even so, you might want to use the one-time cassette if it has labels and other information on it.

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1

Line upwards the record with the rollers and pressure pad at the height of the cassette case. Make sure the record is spooled tightly then information technology is straight and flat at the meridian. Place the tape over the rollers that are located in each of the top corners. Put the tape underneath the force per unit area pad, which is in the centre of the meridian of the cassette.^[16]
2

Screw the cassette instance together if it has screws. Snap the 2 halves of the cassette case back together and place the tiny screws back in the holes in the corners of the case. Use a small Phillips screwdriver to tighten them all the manner.^[17]
3
Glue the cassette case together if it doesn't have screws. Put a small dot of superglue in each corner on the edge of one half of the cassette example. Snap the two halves of the case together and hold them together for 30 seconds.^[18]
- Information technology'south best not to glue all the way around the cassette tape, but in example you accept to have information technology autonomously again in the future.
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If the damaged cassette tape you want to ready is very important to you lot, let a professional tape repair and restoration service set up it for you to ensure the all-time results.

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If you take a cassette tape with all the tape pulled out and tangled, unfortunately, you won't be able to fix it.
Be careful non to let the tape spools drop out when you open up a cassette record. You could end up causing more harm to the tape.

Things You'll Need

Phillips screwdriver or flathead screwdriver

Cutting board
Cellophane tape
Small pair of scissors
Boxcutter or utility knife

New blank cassette tape
Cutting board
Cellophane tape
Small pair of scissors
Boxcutter or utility knife
Pencil

Phillips screwdriver (optional)
Super gum (optional)

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