Just Got This Degausser

Mark7

Well-known member
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As you can see, the paint has worn away from the tip, Can I use as is, or should I wrap some tape (which kind?) around the head?
 
Supposedly you can destroy the heads by directly touching them with the demagnetiser. I don't know if that's actually true, but if it were me, I'd definitely put some kind of insulation on it so I didn't end up finding out empirically.
 
Well - difficult to see, but is it alloy, or plastic? The nicest looking solution is to give it a quick spray with some paint. As you never touch the heads front face with anything hard (metal or not) it won't impact on how well it works at all. The thing to remember about demagnetisers is that all they do is magnetise the heads with one polarity, then the other, 50 or 60 times a second. The key to successful demagnetisation is to decrease the field slow enough that you don't remove it too quick, which would leave the heads polarised. I've personally never destroyed a head with magnetism - but I think the legend comes from what happens if you do touch the head accidentally - you get a loud vibrating 50 or 60Hz buzz, which can physically damage the perfectly smooth surface by a few hundred micro-collisions. I had a friend once who used to collect used clarinet reeds, split them down the middle and he'd place one float on the head gap where the reed was thinnest. He then touched that with the tip of the demagnetiser, and slowly removed it. As close as he could get, bar the really thin bit of the reed - and the wood stopped the surface being damaged.
 
My 388 manual (the original, not the PDF) gives specific instructions concerning degaussing the heads and tape path

If you are not using the TEAC E-3, be certain that your degausser has either a plastic tip or plastic tape covering the tip [the tip of mine. where the paint has worn off, is a metallic silver colour, so unlikely to be plastic]. Make sure no metal ever touches the tape heads as it will scar them beyond repair

So, the question is. Will ordinary Sellotape® suffice or do I need to get insulation tape?

It also says to demag with the machine off.
 
You seem to be making this a bit harder than it need be. Insulation tape, sellotape, a lump of blu-tac - the idea is simply to stop you scratching it. You could get some of that latex like stuff you drop screwdrivers in to insulate them. Almost anything will do the trick, performance wise - it's just how they work. I'd watch tape though - how many times have you seen the sticky mess when it gets a bit warm - and you leave this on the heads if you are not careful. You must be able to cobble something up - there is a plastic spray available from amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plasti-Dip-Multi-Purpose-Rubber-Coating/dp/B0006SU3QW
 
My 388 manual (the original, not the PDF) gives specific instructions concerning degaussing the heads and tape path



So, the question is. Will ordinary Sellotape® suffice or do I need to get insulation tape?

It also says to demag with the machine off.

It's not about "insulation" as in the heads will be electromagnetically damaged by the exposed metal tip...it's about physical damage by the exposed metal tip, since it is actually vibrating and could scrape the heads if you touch them.
So...anything that prevents metal on metal contact will do.

Also...don't lose your mind with the degaussing. It's highly overrated and overdone by people...at least it was back in the early days of home recording, where we all thought it had to be done almost daily.
Maybe on the real small format decks where the HF response is pretty low anyway you would degauss more often, but like...after a lot of hours of use.
 
This video actually features hot degaussing action (warning... Do not watch if under 18 or of an excitable disposition)



No idea if he's doing it right or not. Also, I don't think my tape path's ever been degaussed. I know I haven't and I'm not certain the previous owner ever did either. Mind you, nor do I have any idea how many hours he used the machine for
 
He's doing it kinda the right way...but no, you will not ruing the heads if you touch them with the tip...at least not in any electronic way. It's more about leaving marks on them...which a bare, metal tip could certainly do.
As long as the machine is OFF...the de-mag won't hurt the heads if you accidentally touch it...and you will most likely, because there is a pretty strong magnetic pull when it is on, so the heads will want to pull the tip. Might not be as noticeable with the smaller de-mag units, but I know my bigger Annis Han-d-Mag really kicks out some magnetism, and it certainly does pull hard.

Also, most of the guides are kinda pointless to de-mag, because they are usually mad of aluminum on most machines of the last 40-50 years. Yeah, the center spindle may be some other metal, but really...I think people over estimate how much magnetism is left behind on the heads or guides from use.
It's pretty insignificant overall...but with the small heads/small format/small track widths...I guess every bit help to keep things sounding the best...just no need to overdo it.

You can actually cause more problem because of the de-mag process if you don't do it right...but even that is not as critical as has been made out to be.
People afraid to move too quick or needing to stop back 3 feet before shutting it off, and all that.
Just move it fairly smoothly, and bring your arm well back before you shut it off. I like using a power strip with a switch...that way with my one hand I can flip the switch on/off while I hold the de-mag with the other. Easier than pulling the plug to shut it off.
I like to make the heads the last spot I use it before I pull it back to shut it off...since that's really the area you want to clean, more so than the aluminum guides.
 
My guess would be that (accidentally) touching the head could magnetise it more strongly than the degausser is capable of removing. If you take a bar magnet and attach it to a piece of iron, the piece of iron will conduct the magnetism and is liable to retain some of it afterwards. If you do that to the head with the degausser, the magnetic element of the head is going to receive a far stronger field than it would via electromagnetic induction (i.e. the normal operation of the degausser), and so you may not be able to clear it out with that particular degausser.
 
Not really - the killer thing with an AC degaussing tool is that you mustn't switch the power off when you are close. There's no mystique or magic here. If you are at the peak of the magnetism field in the AC cycle and the power suddenly dies, then the tool would happily magnetise your head pretty heavily. If the power went off at the middle of the cycle it wouldn't. If you have never used one before - try demagnetising a screwdriver. One of the ones we all have that is accidentally magnetised and attracts (sometimes conveniently) screws and nuts and bolts. You get used to the strange sensation and know how it reacts.

Most tape machines I suspect are in need of demagnetising. Only a tiny part left with magnetic capabilities partially erases your tapes every play! In some early tape machines, the erase head was a swinging magnet! Touch the tape and it destroys any recordings.

If you have one, use it, put it away and use again in six months. Usually the point when you give the machine a good clean - just part of the process. Don;t get het up over it. Just try it on a screwdriver - even a non-magnetised one and see if you can do it so badly you can induce magnetism. I bet you can't without serious effort.
Number one aim - DO NOT sratch the head.
 
Not really - the killer thing with an AC degaussing tool is that you mustn't switch the power off when you are close.


If you have one, use it, put it away and use again in six months.


Number one aim - DO NOT sratch the head.

Right.
I've accidentally touched the heads...it had no bad effect on them AFA any residual, non-removable magnetism.
It's really about not physically damaging them with the tip...which can get "sucked" into the heads by the magnetic forces.

Every six months is probably the most you need to use it unless you are running your deck 24/7...which most here are not.

TBH...I don't remember the last time I degaussed my MX-80....??? I haven't used it much the last several months, but even before that when I was tracking a bunch of songs, I think maybe once during several months of on/off use.
I've got some new material lining up...and I think at this point I will do a complete recalibration, or at least go through the motions and check everything...but I know when I throw a reel of tape on, I'm not seeing any degradation in the signal or frequency response. I just think it's due for a complete physical, especially since it's been idle for a few months...though I have turned it on occasionally and left it powered up for awhile. One of the former Otari USA guys told me not to leave it un-powered for long periods.
 
The most important thing to remember is to NOT turn the degauser off until it is a great distance away from the heads. Otherwise you could end up magnetizing the heads.
 
It's also a great little tool if your significant other still has a credit/debit card with a magnetic strip (not chipped). One or two swipes of the 'magic wand' over the strip will put a crimp in her shopping at brick & mortar stores for a while. :D
 
It's also a great little tool if your significant other still has a credit/debit card with a magnetic strip (not chipped). One or two swipes of the 'magic wand' over the strip will put a crimp in her shopping at brick & mortar stores for a while. :D

:laughings:

Now that's sinister thinking. :p
 
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