NU Finish on tape deck

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thereelman77

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My metal capstan that touches the pinch roller seems to be picking up tape oxide alot more than anything else on my Teac 80-8 deck. If I clean it well and just put some NU finish on it, would that decrease or even stop the amount of oxide it seems to be pulling. I Know it's pulling a lot because of the amount coming off of my cleaning tips.
Thoughts?
 
Well....if you are losing a lot of oxide, the problem is probably not the capstan....but the tape.

Also, if you put that car polish on it...you might end up with Wow & Flutter issues if the capstan becomes too slick/slippery and doesn't grip against the pinch roller.

There a few loons out there who think they found the fountain of youth with Nu Finish...but IMHO, it's just a snake-oil tape remedy, without any actual science to back it...just a few loons who have made unscientific observations and come to scientific conclusions.

Clean your capstan and tape guides with the right stuff, intended for tape decks (not car polishing).
If the capstan is worn or pitted...then that's a different problem.
 
What tape? Review the thread here about sticky shed and if you are using certain e.g. Scotch or Ampex tape from before 1995 it is likely the tape, and nothing you can do about it. The supposed nu-finish remedy is for the tape itself, not the deck. If you need to retrieve music from sticky tapes, "baking" (there are detailed instructions on doing that) rather than car polish is recommended for that. If memory serves me correct, there is even a patent by Ampex for the process. Frankly, the idea of putting an abrasive car polish on tape doesn't make any logical sense.

EDIT: Also, don't use any alcohol cleaner on rubber pinch roller itself.
 
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Well the tape is new RMG911. The tape isn't shedding or anything like that, but it seems like I pick up a lot of brown tape oxide when I clean off the metal roller (not the rubber pinch roller). I use MG Chemicals Audio/video head cleaner along with their tapered double headed cotton swabs. It seems like perhaps the metal roller may just be really worn, but a thorough cleaning to it, and it looks fine. I may be over-reacting, but it's a Teac 80-8 and I don't want to take a chance, since I will start using it a lot more in the next few months for jobs.
 
some RMG tape has some oxide shedding issues. i had some and they exchanged it. they said i got an old batch from 2008 or something. where did you buy it ?
 
It's not sticky shed. RMGI puts a boatload of oxide on the LPR-35 and slits the tape a bit wider than normal. What you're seeing is probably edge shaving.

The famous Nu Finish trick is for repairing tape with sticky shed long enough to make a safe copy. You remove the abrasive from the Nu Finish in a centrifuge and apply it to the tape itself. Do not put it on your tape deck.
 
I've bought all my tape from Splicit Tape. US Recording Media is out of 1/2". I actually ordered and received a new reel just the other day, but upon looking at it, it is packed unevenly....So we'll see how it turns out. I'm looking into starting to buy used. A local studio has some Quantegy 456 (from about 05-06) for sale and I'm thinking about picking up a few reels to try them out.

If I were to take out the metal capstan and clean it up, is their some sort of finish I could put on it to help sustain it a bit better or is my option at this point replace it if it continues or just keep cleaning it as best as a I can? I mean I regularly clean before and after use ALWAYS.
 
I've had the same issue on my Tascam machines with RMG SM911. It sounds great but does leave more oxide than I'd like on the capstan. Check the heads for deposits as that will cause dropouts...I'm hoping Pyral who took over RMG will have this resolved. It's still great to be able to get new tape in 2013, so we should try to support current manufactures...oh, and forget about the nu finish mularkey on the capstan, the capstan needs to be able to grip the tape with the pinch roller.
 
I do agree with that, it is great that we can buy tape still, but add shipping to an $81 dollar reel and you're talking about $100 for every 33mins... I really hope that prices will come down, maybe their will be a huge re-surge or if we're lucky maybe Jack White will start a tape factory making quality tape for affordable prices :cool: . But I don't plan on using the NU Finish at all. I just was curious to see what other people thought and if perhaps their was another chemical out their I could use to clean it up with.
 
Have considered buying pancakes by the case instead of w/reels...and then just get some cheap used empty reels on eBay...?
 
Yeah, but it's hard to find 1/2" reels. Even if I got the 1/4" reels and just used the metal flanges, I would still have to get the 1/2" screw sets and then boxes, if I didn't already. Also unfortunately I'm a bit budget constricted to order bulk or anything. It'll probably be a bit less than new tapes w/metal reels. Though it seems like by the time I get everything together I would've been better off spending a few extra bucks just to get the metal reel and matching box....I dunno, worth a shot I suppose. Probably should start getting pancakes next, as well as a used reel or 2 to at least say I tried it.

I have already bought 2 reels of pancake 1/4" RMG tape and it's been fine. But I still don't have the 2nd pancake on another reel.
 
A capstan is somewhat rough when new. The problems start when it gets too smooth and slick from the tape acting like a super-fine grade sandpaper over time. When the capstan gets this slick it begins to slip, which in turn causes more oxide shedding than normal. You don't want to put anything on a capstan. It should be dry and free of any type of coating. Restoring the surface of a capstan involves refinishing with a grade of sandpaper that restores the grip, so it works with the pinch roller to pull the tape through without slipping past it.
 
thereelman77 said:
Probably should start getting pancakes next, as well as a used reel or 2 to at least say I tried it.
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Click to expand...

Nothing says you can't carefully store a pancake and re-use the flanges/screws. Just a thought.
 
Well, I'll probably get a ration of $?!% from someone here(,in particular),but I use the ATR Magnetics stuff here.I had a problem with a reel I bought two years ago,sent an e-mail,got a call from the owner Mike Spitz within 15 minutes,and all my tape was replaced.I guess they had a couple of batches with shedding problems,but they stepped right up,copped to it and supported their product.I have read about shedding/slitting problems with the RMGI,and decided to go for a product from the U.S.-and my clients are happy with the sound of their machines with the ATR stuff.
 
I've heard so-so on ATR stuff, but at least it works for you!

Yes, their is nothing wrong with carefully stored pancakes, as a personal nit-pick I wouldn't want to do that, you never know when that one accident can happen and shoot a master... I wouldn't mind buying tons of pancakes and then getting reels as needed though.
 
wkrbee said:
Well, I'll probably get a ration of $?!% from someone here(,in particular),but I use the ATR Magnetics stuff here.I had a problem with a reel I bought two years ago,sent an e-mail,got a call from the owner Mike Spitz within 15 minutes,and all my tape was replaced.I guess they had a couple of batches with shedding problems,but they stepped right up,copped to it and supported their product.I have read about shedding/slitting problems with the RMGI,and decided to go for a product from the U.S.-and my clients are happy with the sound of their machines with the ATR stuff.
Click to expand...

The problems with RGMI tape occurred several years ago. People who use the newer product are generally pleased with it.
 
Glad to hear RMGI has sorted out their slitting/shedding problems.Has anyone here used the newer RMGI tape,and has had good performance with it?I would like to offer my clients both options if the newer RMGI does not exhibit the too wide slitting and shedding problems that it did the last time I tried to use it on a client's machine,(customer supplied tape,new stock,about a year ago).That will give us two sources for tape.
 
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