Pinch roller: How clean is clean?

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joe lp

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Hi all,

I have a 488mkII and a 424mkII and really enjoy using them both. Lately I've been trying to do a better job of maintaining them and have found that I never seem to be able to rid the pinch rollers of gunk. My swabs always have a good amount of blackness on them. Now the manuals seem to state that you should continuing cleaning the rollers until they are spotless, but it just doesn't seem possible. Will I ever get these clean?
 
joe lp said:
Hi all,

I have a 488mkII and a 424mkII and really enjoy using them both. Lately I've been trying to do a better job of maintaining them and have found that I never seem to be able to rid the pinch rollers of gunk. My swabs always have a good amount of blackness on them. Now the manuals seem to state that you should continuing cleaning the rollers until they are spotless, but it just doesn't seem possible. Will I ever get these clean?
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If the pinch roller engages on the oxide side of the tape, worry about getting all the oxide debris cleaned off. Once cleaned, the black coming off is probably displaced puck surface. That's the time to stop. Hopefully, you aren't using head cleaner or an alcohol based solvent for this task.
 
RRuskin said:
If the pinch roller engages on the oxide side of the tape, worry about getting all the oxide debris cleaned off. Once cleaned, the black coming off is probably displaced puck surface. That's the time to stop. Hopefully, you aren't using head cleaner or an alcohol based solvent for this task.
Click to expand...

How do you tell if you are getting oxide debris or puck surface. Is there a color or texture difference?
 
ErichS said:
How do you tell if you are getting oxide debris or puck surface. Is there a color or texture difference?
Click to expand...

Look at the oxide side of the tape. If it's brown, the crud it leaves behind will be the same color. Unless you never cleaned you pinch roller, a few application of cleaner should clean it up just fine.
 
I recall calling Tascam several years ago to try and purchase rubber cleaner/conditioner from and was told they dont make the product anymore. Instead, they gave me a phone # of another place that they suggested ordering it from. That product was 'Rubber Renue' by MG Chemicals.

I also recall that I tried some of it after I got it and it seemed to leave a sticky, gummy residue on the pinch roller, which I dont think was the intended effect. I am now getting back into setting up my recording equipment again, and I just bought a Tascam 302 dual deck to archive a bunch of old cassettes I have. But I am hesitant to try the bottle of Rubber Renue I still have because of that 'stickiness' I mentioned.

Can anyone recommend another good rubber cleaner product suited to recorders, be it open reel or cassette decks? I dont understand why a Tascam rep recommended a product that doesnt seem to be suitable. ?? I recall Radio Shack made a decent one, but I believe its been discontinued for a long time.

As for cleaning the heads, I still have some bottles of 'S-711 Intraclean' which appears to work very well.
 
joe lp said:
Hi all,

I have a 488mkII and a 424mkII and really enjoy using them both. Lately I've been trying to do a better job of maintaining them and have found that I never seem to be able to rid the pinch rollers of gunk. My swabs always have a good amount of blackness on them. Now the manuals seem to state that you should continuing cleaning the rollers until they are spotless, but it just doesn't seem possible. Will I ever get these clean?
Click to expand...

Use Formula 409 only. A new roller can take other rubber cleaning products a few times, but as the rubber ages it gets softer. Older rollers will last much longer if you only use Formula 409.

You can clean the roller using rubber cleaner and the rag will show black until the roller rubber is gone. Nasty stuff.
 
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