Head Cleaner and Rubber Cleaner

analog aaron

Swami King of Poppers
Can someone send me some links to where I can buy some rubber cleaner, tape cleaner and or all around analog supplies? I mainly need some rubber cleaner but I'd like to get an idea of any other tape related supplies that are available. Thanks guys,
Aaron
 
I dont remeber where I got it but someone around here recommended it and that is Caikleen rubber cleaner/rejuvenator seems to work well for me.
Made by Caig.
As far as head cleaner I use 95 % alchol from the drug store.
 
RUBBER CLEANER:
http://store.caig.com/s.nl;jsession...3eTaxeKbh0Te34Pa38Ta38Nah50?sc=2&category=179

For heads and other metal parts in the tape path, go to your local drug store and ask for at least 90% isopropyl alcohol. (I use 99%). Get some make up remover cotton pads (low or no lint), if using on anything larger than a cassette deck. For those you wanna get q-tips, preferably on wooden sticks. As far as other supplies, tell us what you need and we'll try help with that too.;)
 
When I worked for Al Borkow, Jr., recording The Philadelphia Orchestra at The Academy of Music, he would only use 190 proof Neutral grain spirits (a.k.a. pure grain alcohol or grain neutral spirits) with wiping pads to clean heads, paths and roller. It evaporates immediately, leaves no residue and didn’t ruin the old Ampex black rubber pinch rollers. I use 99% Anhydrous-Pure Isopropyl Alcohol and Kimwipes for tape guides and heads. You can order these at GC Electronics.

http://www.gcelectronics.com/order/catdisplay.asp?CatID=3

For pinch rollers, I use highly diluted dish washing soap on Q-tips to wipe any oxide off and carefully rinse with water dampened Kimwipes. Allow a couple minutes to air dry before threading on a tape. I find alcohol and certain rubber cleaners tend to ruin some types of pinch rollers made now.
 
I use Windex on pinch rollers and use rubber conditioner only once in a while, which is really how rubber conditioner/restorer was intended to be used. You can overdue it with chemicals on Urethane rubber, so don’t use it daily.

I’ve used the old TEAC rubber conditioner since about 1979 and I still have about ½ oz left of an old 2 oz glass bottle. That’s how far it goes when used in moderation. That was my favorite for pinch rollers. The bad news is TEAC doesn’t sell it anymore. The good news is it was made for TEAC by Rawn and they still sell the latest incarnation as “Re-Grip” They changed the formula a couple times because someone in California found some chemical in it to be carcinogenic. But none of my tape decks have gotten cancer, so I guess the joke’s on California. :D

http://www.aedwis.com/rawn.html

I use denatured alcohol on heads and tape guides, but not on rubber. The old GC Electronics Tape Recorder Head Cleaner (#30-124-1) was denatured alcohol. They have something similar called VCR/Magnetic Head Cleaner (#19-5302), but I’m not sure what it has in it. I would call and find out but since I just buy 32 oz cans of Klean-Strip denatured alcohol at Lowes or Home Depot for $3.99 I’m not too motivated to find out. I just keep refilling my 15-year-old glass bottle of GC head cleaner from the can.

99% isopropyl is fine as well. If you can’t find one type, then use the other. Either type will get the job done.

One little tip… make it a practice to clean right after a session rather than right before the next session. That way you don’t have tape residue and other particles sitting around on your tape path for extended periods of time. You want to leave a clean machine as you turn out the studio lights for the night.

:)
 
I use Windex on pinch rollers and use rubber conditioner only once in a while, which is really how rubber conditioner/restorer was intended to be used. You can overdue it with chemicals on Urethane rubber, so don’t use it daily.

I’ve used the old TEAC rubber conditioner since about 1979 and I still have about ½ oz left of an old 2 oz glass bottle. That’s how far it goes when used in moderation. That was my favorite for pinch rollers. The bad news is TEAC doesn’t sell it anymore. The good news is it was made for TEAC by Rawn and they still sell the latest incarnation as “Re-Grip” They changed the formula a couple times because someone in California found some chemical in it to be carcinogenic. But none of my tape decks have gotten cancer, so I guess the joke’s on California. :D

http://www.aedwis.com/rawn.html

I use denatured alcohol on heads and tape guides, but not on rubber. The old GC Electronics Tape Recorder Head Cleaner (#30-124-1) was denatured alcohol. They have something similar called VCR/Magnetic Head Cleaner (#19-5302), but I’m not sure what it has in it. I would call and find out but since I just buy 32 oz cans of Klean-Strip denatured alcohol at Lowes or Home Depot for $3.99 I’m not too motivated to find out. I just keep refilling my 15-year-old glass bottle of GC head cleaner from the can.

99% isopropyl is fine as well. If you can’t find one type, then use the other. Either type will get the job done.

One little tip… make it a practice to clean right after a session rather than right before the next session. That way you don’t have tape residue and other particles sitting around on your tape path for extended periods of time. You want to leave a clean machine as you turn out the studio lights for the night.

:)

Yup. Good advice. Many "rubber" cleaners have petrolium agents in them and will destroy a pinch roller. I use Formula 49 type cleaners like you. Some pinch rollers are horrifyingly expensive too.
 
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