Date   : Mon, 27 Apr 2020 13:46:29 +0100
From   : ats@... (Adam Sampson)
Subject: Rescuing cassette tapes

"Rob Malpass" <lug@...> writes:

> What I?d really like is some sort of reel to reel device which plays
> standard cassettes which allowed me to easily fix (by cracking the
> tape open and just taking the spools) any problems.

I digitised all the tapes I had a few years ago. For cassettes where the
shell had warped/cracked or the pressure pad had disintegrated, I moved
the spools into a good-quality screwed-together blank cassette shell, by
sliding the spools out of the old shell onto a piece of card.

As Michael suggested, I'd always wind a tape from end to end before
playing so it's packed evenly on the spools. If you have a dodgy tape, a
decent hifi tape deck (with fresh drive belts) will give you better
results and less risk of damage to the tape than a cheap mechanical
player.

Thanks,

-- 
Adam Sampson <ats@...      >                         <http://offog.org/>