Great tool, thanks for the share! Just a question though - is the pinch roller issue (mentioned to cause dimples at regular intervals in tape) common in Walkmans? I have serviced all my units as best as I can, and my Technics deck seems fine too, but how would one go about checking for a regular pinch roller before encountering this problem? Would you just move it manually - as this guide says - and inspect for any irregularities?
Hey stereomecha99, I didn't see you replied to this thread, my experience with the rollers is more from reel to reel where "tape shred" is much more common or even VHS machines. Little tiny pieces of tape stick to everything, some of the pieces are very small. I had a job as a tech measuring how dirty the transport was and then we'd clean it with our cleaning tapes. I have several R2R machines and there's always a chance the tape has turned to goo and it sticks on everything, cassette tape seems to be a huge improvement but it can still leave small pieces in the player. Get out a microscope or even feel with your fingers if there's room. The goo can be like tar and difficult to get off and it can ruin your day.
In my (admittedly very limited) experience reviving Walkmans, they (Walkmans)have a nasty way of being left in Play Mode when Dead. Esp auto-reverse models. With a pinchroller being pressed onto capstan for 30+ years it gets a dent! You see the dent, and if it is there you must get a new pinchroller
As masochistic as it sounds I'd like to see this tested. Would also like to thank you and others who advised me to get a light magnifier to look at my pinch rollers recently, I picked one up and yeesh... These things get dirty fast. I must be using them quite a bit as they're not exposed to the elements enough to get dirty normally.
The only thing is that I never figured out how to properly replace pinch rollers. A few folks do sell replacement pinch rollers on eBay but I imagine they're not super reliable. Still it's much better than nothing.
They get dirty or glazed over and cause havoc. Check out Fix Your Audio on the front page, he's got all of those parts. I'm getting closer to making my own, maybe this winter, I've got the equipment I just know the steps they take to finish the rubber, I think they sand it to size, and not cut it with a lathe but information is non-existant.
I see... Guess it's up to us to experiment and figure out the steps needed to finish them up! This would be an invaluable asset, I'm very fortunate none of the Walkmans or decks I've gotten have come stuck on play but I'm sure they've probably been left to play for a long time at some point in their lives...
Some more basic information with some great phots on cleaning the tape deck. From HiFi Stereo Review 1984 Tape Recording Issue.
