How do you clean video tapes?

[Undead Sega]

Hi everyone, I've been doing some research on how to actually clean different types of videotapes, mainly ranging from VHS to 8mm tapes.

Just to cut the story short, I believe a camcorder's head drum is full of this 'black greasy dirt' (I dont know what it's called or how it became like that) and whilst at the time I didnt know why many of the tapes failed to play, I inserted one of my own, it played well but then I started seeing the picture getting abit messy and jumpy. I stopped the cam and ejected the tape, only to see a smear of this dirt on the tape itself, I thought to myself that I'll never played the tape again until I find a way to clean it efficiently, I looked around the but I cannot find an answer, thus why I am here now asking and seeking help from you lot.

For VHS I can probably understand how it could be done as it's physically bigger but for something as small as 8mm tapes, it's almost a different story to me but I could be wrong. How do I clean this (or any kind of) videotape guys?

P.S. I almost got myself this Kinyo Rewinder/Cleaner, that I also cannot find anything on about on how it works or if it even does work!

[sanlyn]

I know of acquaintances who took their camcorders/VCR's to a local average-joe shop for cleaning. What the average-joe did was to run a cleaning tape thru the machine. Never use cleaning tapes. You would have to find a shop that actually opens the player and cleans with the proper tools. I've cleaned my own VCR's, using instructions I found on the web and in books on VCR maintenance. But I've never owned anything like a camcorder. Just wanted to advise you that if you get a suggestion about cleaning tapes, ignore it.

[Undead Sega]

Wow, thanks for the info here, really appreciate it.

However, I find this abit disheartening, are you saying that my old and precious tapes that has 'dirt', 'gunk' or 'accumulated oxidation' (that is most likely coming from dirty VCR heads) is to be disregarded and binned???

I mean, I have serviced a precious VCR, with and knowing how to clean the heads, I wouldnt want to any tapes for it to be dirty again. The same goes with my Hi8 camcorder tapes, they were absolutely clean before, until I played them on my uncle's borrowed Digital8 camcorder (to figure out which was the problem, the Camcorder or the Tapes), and as pre-described, a section of the tape was smeared with dark grease like dirt. I didnt even get to digitize them at all Nor am I the kid of person to just disregards tapes.

[johns0]

Clean the tapes with alcohol and q-tips or foam swabs,might be lengthy process but if the tapes are irreplaceable then it's worth it,just be careful not to crinkle the tapes.

[Undead Sega]

Can you elaborate on that abit?

Anyone else perhaps?

[Cornucopia]

Well, I've had to clean some VHS's before. I did it the HARD way:

Either remove the reels from the tape, put the reel sprockets on a geared-sprocket holder (that you can wind), and wind th tape by hand from source reel to takeup reel, all the while passing the tape through a gap between 2 fingers of a non-linted cotton-gloved hand. Then put back into the tape housing.
Or don't remove the reels, but use a tape repair block to park & open the tape & door to a series of external pulley capstans, where you can do the same kind of wind through the fingers.

2 passes - one WET (usually 90-100% denatured alcohol or FreonTF), then one DRY. Replace the gloves (multiple times) if they start accummulating too much gunk.

BTW, this takes F-O-R E-V-E-R!!!
But it works.

Scott

[lacywest]

Well ... here is my story ... only did this one time ... once was enuff.

I had a lady friend ... a very friendly lady friend ... and she "had" a girl friend ... Adrienne ... who had a VHS recording of her wedding. Well sometimes cockroaches decide to find homes in the weirdest places. Yep ... she had cockroaches living inside her VHS video tape cartridge. And of course everytime she played it ... the VHS player got screwed up too. Never mind the VHS Player ... it was the tape cartridge that needed work.

I actually opened it up and took the tape out ... at the time I lived in an apartment back in ... 2002 ... I guess was the time. I had VHS tape everywhere and I simply used a simple wash towel ... same kind you get when you take a bath or a shower.

And wiped the tape of all the spots where the tape was contaminated with cockroach crap - junk ... whatever. Some spots had to be snipped out and reattached. I use a old fashion razor blade and reattach with scotch tape.

I then played the tape and recorded ... the wedding ... to my PC I believe ... I say that because ... the name of the recording is called ... Adrienne's Wedding ... and the avi file is on one of my hard drives.

A few years later ... Adrienne was admitted to the community hospital in town ... severe pneumonia ... hard to believe it ... she was way too young ... she died. She was a nice person.

[sanlyn]

If denatured alcohol is used, don't get the cheap 75% stuff: it'll leave a gray greasy film on plastic. So will high-octane alcohol to some degree, but not like the cheap stuff. Use the highest undiluted percent you can find, like 90 or even 100 (is it legal to sell 100%? Never tried it). DO NOT USE turpentine, lacquer thinner (it melts plastic), acetone (ditto), witch hazel, or anything even faintly resembling these products. Try the liquid on a little tape leader to check first. May as well take your time: a T120 VHS tape is 812 feet long.

[lordsmurf]

How do you clean tapes? You don't. It's beyond your means.

Send it to a service using one of these: http://www.rtico.com/tapechek/tc400.html
Those run about $10k.

Never put non-specialty cotton against video tape.
Q-Tips are one of the worst things you could ever use on any video hardware or media.

[johns0]

I've used q-tips for years cleaning vcrs and tapes in repair shops and never had a problem with them,the only thing is to make sure you don't tear the cotton off when cleaning.

[Undead Sega]

I suppose you are talking about Lint-free q-tips right?

[johns0]

Yup,not cheap q-tip copies.

[sanlyn]

I suppose you are talking about Lint-free q-tips right?

I'd avoid Qtips, lint-free or not. If your cleaning tape heads, even a lint-free tip will snag on the head, often injuring them. A 100% cotton cloth wrapped around something (like your finger) is better, but if Qtips are your only choice then definitely go lint-free. Somewhere (on the net, most likely) you can buy a flexible plastic stick that's tipped with a special chamois pad used to clean video heads. I bought a package years ago, still using them.

[lacywest]

Yup,not cheap q-tip copies.

I suppose you could use them to clean some ... cheap sunglasses ...

[Undead Sega]

I see, this is all very valuable advice people! Really appreciate it

The tapes as I said before might have a long smear of greasy dirt on them. This is actually the case for one of my Hi8 tapes, it was in prestine order until been played on a dirty camcorder and I do not want to play the tape on my clean camcorder or to even loose the tape.

So would you lot suggest if I was to clean the tapes, is to probably take a lint-free q-tip (or cloth perhaps?) and gently clean them or wipe it off? How do I do this exactly? And what kind of cleaning fluid to use, isopropyl alcohol perhaps?

[themaster1]

http://cgi.ebay.com/RTI-TapeChek-470-VHS-Video-Tape-Inspector-Cleaner-TAPE-/2905779001...item43a7cae27e

It's a a bargain i say

http://www.rti-us.com/tc400.html

[sanlyn]

Say, hey! Did you see the part in the description that says it powers-up but was never tested? A steal at twice the price.

[Undead Sega]

Hi, so sorry for the very late reply but yes I did at the time but considering I am from the UK the shipping is very expensive for me but I am abit gutted that I couldnt get one. However, the problem mainly goes to my Hi8 tapes which up til now I have not touched whatsoever and only will do so when I know how to clean them without destroying them.

So, if it's okay wityh you lot, can someone 're-advice' me or recap on how I would be able to clean my tapes, either them being VHS or Hi8, unless the process of the two would be completely different?

[Undead Sega]

Anyone at all may i ask?

[Cornucopia]

We've gone through this before on this site - do a lookup. (I'm not about to repost without new/different info)

Scott