tape splicing

[CogoSWSDS]

I have a digital8 tape that I just recorded on. Unfortunately, the tape got soda spilled on it and when I tried to put the tape in to dump the data to my computer, the tape broke.

What do you think the chances are that I could clean this tape up and at least dump the video off of it? The video has a good chunk of the vacation we just took on it, so it cannot be replaced. Also where might I get a tape splicing kit for Digital8 tape? Any info would be helpful.

[johns0]

The best place to look for a splicing kit is google,splicing shouldn't be a problem if you can get both ends out.

[aedipuss]

the problem i see coming is the death of whatever you try to play it with after splicing. dried soda rubbing off on the video head will gum it up and possibly trash it.

[redwudz]

Soda with sugar is very hard to remove, acts like glue and some brands also have a corrosive content. One of the best solvents is warm water, but that's not a good idea with tape. I would make sure none of that sticky stuff is in there if you are able to splice the tape. It could make a real mess of your player.

Check around some local audio video stores. You may be able to find some splicing supplies for tape you could adapt for your uses, at least for a one-shot operation. If you are able to clean the tape up enough and splice it, I would toss it in the trash after you get the data off of it.

[JohnnyMalaria]

See if there are any professional places that could put the damaged tape into two cassettes - i.e., cut the tape at the damaged part. Spool one half into another housing etc.

The challenge here is that many cassettes are sonically welded rather than screwed together.

[johns0]

You can repair the tape yourself,just cut off the damaged portions,(only lose a few seconds rather than a couple hours)and splice together,all video tapes ive seen have screws to take apart the housing,you just gotta be careful on doing that since springs can fall out.

[Epicurus8a]

Back in the old days when film often had magnetic stripes for audio, film editors sometimes used soda to "wipe" (erase) portions of the audio track. I'm not sure if you'll experience this problem or not, but don't be surprised if it happens. Actually, I'd be more concerned about the possibility of damage to the video heads. Good luck!!

[CogoSWSDS]

Thank you for your help. I'm now looking at having the folks at VideoInterchange.com transfer the contents to another Digital 8 tape. Their rates seem to be pretty reasonable, although I've sent them an email explaining the situation and asking for an estimate on how much it would cost to have them recover the tape and re-record it onto the second Digital 8 tape. I would then play back the new Digital 8 tape and toss the other one in the trash.

Has anyone had experience with these guys? Seems that the splicing would be about US $22 and the transfer US $35, but I'm not sure if they would charge extra for the tape cleaning that would probably need to be done due to the soda spill. Incidentally, it was Coke that got spilled on it. Not a large spill, but enough to make the exposed tape that would engage the playback heads break. I don't know if any got inside the cassette or not.

CogoSWSDS

[12Quidkidinnit]

I used to repair the old audio cassettes with ordinary sellotape. (or preferably a cheap brand which is thinner) I know it sounds a bit 'cheap' and it may not necessarily be the proper way to do it, but it worked. I had a splicing kit for those tapes, and once it had got lost, I just cut out the damaged part, then laid the parts of the tape that needed joining on a book cover, held them in exactly the right position with small blocks of wood, then stuck the two pieces together with the sellotape. Just make sure the sellotape is slightly narrower than the tape you're joining, so it doesn't foul anything inside the machine you play it on.

[2Bdecided]

Even for cassette tapes, sellotape will fall apart within a few years. Don't use that!

As for Digital8 or miniDV, the grease from your finger tips is enough to contaminate the heads so that they can become unreliable. That's before we consider everything else you've put onto this tape.

So either use a junk deck to do the transfer yourself, or pay someone else to do it. Don't use a decent machine for the transfer.

Cheers,
David.