Cleaners

J

justinchannell

New member
I'm using a Vesta Fire MR10Pro 4 track and I was wondering what head cleaner to use. Should I use a cassette based cleaner on it or is there a liquid that I can put on a q-tip to clean with?
 
If this is a cassette recorder, get yourself a bottle of Tascam HC-2 Head Cleaner and use quetip swabs. Far better than the cassette automated catridge. Also a bottle of capstan and rubber cleaner.
 
Welcome!

Go to the drug store and get yourself a bottle of 99% alcohol and use q-tips, it's a lot cheaper and will last longer. Don't leave the bottle open because it will absorb the moisture out of the air.
Also, don't try demagnetizing your heads, it's a waste of time, energy and your money.
 
NYMorningstar said:
Welcome!

Go to the drug store and get yourself a bottle of 99% alcohol and use q-tips, it's a lot cheaper and will last longer. Don't leave the bottle open because it will absorb the moisture out of the air.
Also, don't try demagnetizing your heads, it's a waste of time, energy and your money.
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Cheaper is not always better !!
Pure alcohol may not be a good idea. Tascam has specifically formulated a cleaner containing 1-Dichloro-fluoroethane, liquid carbon dioxide, and alcohol that leaves no residue. 1 bottle that will last a very long time is around $6.00
 
eyeslikefire said:

Here is some info on de gaussing...
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28152&highlight=demagnetize

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10647&highlight=demagnetize
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There's an old saying that if you can't dazzle them with brilliance then baffle them with bullshit. Telling you to demagnitize your recording heads is baffling you with bullshit.

Just think of it in simple terms. Let's say you degauss the head and remove all the so called residual magnetism that they say may or may not be there. As soon as you record it becomes a magnet again undoing what you just did. So... what's the point? There is none. It's a waste of time and energy and there is a chance of damaging the heads if you touch them with the degausser. Of course, if I'm selling degaussers I'm sure I could be real convincing you need one for the heads! IMHO
 
NYMorningstar said:


There's an old saying that if you can't dazzle them with brilliance then baffle them with bullshit. Telling you to demagnitize your recording heads is baffling you with bullshit.

Just think of it in simple terms. Let's say you degauss the head and remove all the so called residual magnetism that they say may or may not be there. As soon as you record it becomes a magnet again undoing what you just did. So... what's the point? There is none. It's a waste of time and energy and there is a chance of damaging the heads if you touch them with the degausser. Of course, if I'm selling degaussers I'm sure I could be real convincing you need one for the heads! IMHO
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Let me ask you............
If what you are saying is correct then if you demagnetize a head it should make no difference in sound quality right?

Then my friend could you answer me this one question, why when I have demagnetized tape heads has sound quality (both hiss and flutter) improved????? This is without cleaning them first, just demagnitizing.

I could be flashed countless theories across my face and I still would not be convinced because I have heard the difference.
 
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eyeslikefire said:
Oh by the way,...
This a PDF from the department of Naval education.
http://www.advancement.cnet.navy.mil/products/web-pdf/tramans/bookchunks/14195_ch3.pdf
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Well that sinches it for me, the NAVY said so, hehe.

Seriously though, I will answer your one question. The reason that you hear a difference in quality is because you are building up a residue on your heads from the oxides on the tape. These residues do become magnetized and when you deguass them you must be hearing a noticeable improvment.

The problem with only doing this is that as soon as your record again, this same degaussed residue becomes magnetized again and that puts you back in the same boat. (hehe, I'm feeling Naval :))

The best answer to your problem is to clean the heads first and then there is nothing on the heads to retain the magnetism. It sounds like you either don't clean them often enuff or you need to use a better quality tape.

Now the flutter improvment you hearing is real strange because flutter has to do with the mechanical condition of your machine and has nothing to do with magnetism, so I can't explain that. It's possible that when you poke around to degauss the machine you move and loosen up the pinch roller which if it's sticky could cause flutter. Give the capstan, pinch roller and tape guides a good cleaning and the should take care of the flutter.

Don't get me wrong now, I'm not saying don't degauss! Demagnetizing the metal parts of your tape path is a good practice and keep them real clean, all the time. Just don't waste your time on the heads and risk damaging them!
 
NYMorningstar said:

...snip
Give the capstan, pinch roller and tape guides a good cleaning and the should take care of the flutter
snip...
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When you clean the pinch-roller Do NOT USE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL - use something which will not disolve the pinch-roller - I use Windex.

After you've (CAREFULLY) cleaned the heads and guides (with isopropyl), AND you've cleaned the pinch-roller (with Windex), THEN de-gauss the heads and guides carefully follwing the instructions which came with the head de-gausser. Let us know how you get on... (if you like, although I don't really care - I just can't stand to see mis-information swilling around here like it was something special...)

Good Luck!

- Wil

BTW: Mr NYMorningstar - no offense meant, but I think your original comment about degaussing the heads being a waste of time, to be about as far from the truth as it could be. My experience has found the exact opposite to be true. Oh, I just noticed that we both have the same number of experience points - for what it's worth. ;)
 
Wil Davis said:



BTW: Mr NYMorningstar - no offense meant, but I think your original comment about degaussing the heads being a waste of time, to be about as far from the truth as it could be. My experience has found the exact opposite to be true. Oh, I just noticed that we both have the same number of experience points - for what it's worth. ;)
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Well we're all entitled to our opinions and until someone like yourself can explain to me why it's beneficial to demagnitize a magnet, I'm keeping mine.
 
Well we're all entitled to our opinions and until someone like yourself can explain to me why it's beneficial to demagnitize a magnet, I'm keeping mine.
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:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Star, we're all buddies here right?
Lets just say that everytime there is a post about tape head demagnitizing you and I are always going to have a friendly debate.... thats cool with me... ;)

By the way,. a tape head is not a magnet.
A magnet is,... well a magnet. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for years and years........... Well, except an electro magnet which is a magnet only when it picking up cars in a junk yard..................:p

I'm going to bed!
 
NYMorningstar said:


Well we're all entitled to our opinions and until someone like yourself can explain to me why it's beneficial to demagnitize a magnet, I'm keeping mine.
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The function of a tape head is to put an alternating magnetic field onto a tape. Over a period of time, residual magnetism could build up on a tape head. This could be caused by a number of things - residual magnetism on a tape which has been used on a tape machine with magnetised heads; putting something magnetic near the heads - a magnetic screwdriver, for instance. It is for this reason (to get rid of the residual magnetism) that it is necessary to de-magnetize the tape heads.

- Wil
 
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