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  1. Hi
    Has anyone ran into a problem with 8mm tape grabbing and squeaking on the head? I have tried the tape in 3 different player and they are all the same. I have removed the tape spools and installed them into another tape housing....same thing. It is the tape itself that is grabbing kind of like a squeegee on a dry window. I seem to remember something in the past about different lubes used on tape...Does anyone remember whats what?

    Thanks
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  2. Member PuzZLeR's Avatar
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    Can you play it fully? If so, then don't bother with it - just capture it to digital and move on. I had tapes with similar problems too, and don't care once I captured it. It's not worth it with a dead and bad format to begin with.

    Maybe not the answer you want to hear, but, if you really want to fix it, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube that show how to fix a variety of problems with tapes.
    I hate VHS. I always did.
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  3. Unfortunately thats the problem. I can't play it well enough to capture it. When it shreaks, the video become unwatchable. Its definitely a "lube" issue or lack of. Of course its a 180 minute with good family footage filled to the top! I haven't seen a post on how to fix this....
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  4. Member PuzZLeR's Avatar
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    Why is it that the most important stuff that is so difficult to capture sometimes? I hear you.

    Depending on where your tape is in position, try rewinding or forwarding it with your fingers a bit (in or out of the case), maybe it's just that point that has that problem.

    As well, could it have been that you may have spilled liquid on it and it dried up all wrong? This happened to me and this worked on such a problematic tape - use a swab and a water displacement solution like WD40 - but make sure you don't touch the tape, only apply on the rollers (metal and plastic) that guide the tape. I know you tried the tape in different housing, but if you make the guides inside super, super slick it just may work. But, keep in mind, be ready to capture soon afterward because such agents within may not be safe for the tape after some time.

    Then again, there's always YouTube for tape repair - there are tons of great tutorials there. I personally got lots of VCR cleaning and tape repair info from there too.

    I hope something helps to make it work at least once so you can capture it.

    Or, maybe you may want to consider a professional video restoration company to do it for you. They may be expensive, but it won't hurt much if it's for only one tape - especially a tape of that importance.

    Hopefully someone else has better ideas if that doesn't work for you.
    I hate VHS. I always did.
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