Cleaning VHS Recorder Heads

Use IPA

on 06/03/2015, george supposed :

Or meths, or lighter fluid.

Don't use cotton wool or similar with fibres, the fibres will catch on the head.

I have no idea what's in that product, but going by the complete bollocks you have quoted I wouldn't want to use it as a contact cleaner or anything else.

Use IPA. Put some on a piece of paper apply light pressure with finger and rotate the drum by hand. do not subject the actual heads to any vertical force

My thinking is to go with Harry on this one. What you use to apply it is another Q. I have used a nylon brush in the past. As a matter of interest. How do you intend to transfer old VHS to digital? Only asking as I have some 30yo tapes that I would like to digitise. Nick.

Used to work with digital (exabyte) devices ages ago which had simular heads to a vcr. We used to use Asctone (not the lower grade nail varnish cleaner) and a lint free cloth, as neither leave any remains on the surface. We also used Isopropyl with lint free clothes but it was not as good

And only ever wipe over the head in the direction (and/or reverse direction) of the tape motion, and never across the head as you risk snapping the very fine ferrite head gap parts.

In message , Nick writes

Use a video capture device.

When I did this a few years ago, I got a little box that took the output from the VCR and input it into the computer via USB.

Alternatively an internal PC video capture card.

Before you resort to chemicals, try this. Get a strip of clean new bog- standard A4 paper and fold it so it's fairly stiff. Run the machine and gently press the end of the strip against the head, holding the strip at the other end. Angle the strip so the end can't dig into the head.

Bill

I have never been tempted to use acetone, my thinking being that the head coil wire is insulated with enamel, if Acetone can make short work of enamel nail polish...

We in the trade use a £5 note, I know you use them as bog standard bog paper so you better use a tenner.

Seriously though, I wouldn't advocate doing it with the drum spinning under power. The drum should rotate without undue friction under the banknote, if it doesn't the machine has probebly been an a smoke filled room and it is the drum rather than the heads that need swabbing with IPA.

I wouldnt use it, since I don't know if it would be ok or not. IPA works the same as ethyl alcohol, just use meths or vodka

NT

I use a device called EZCap. It comes with software that works on Win7, and does the job. It costs about £25 or so. Look for the thread: Sky+HD and DVD recording.

Now most vhs machines hav a slot that the heads rotate in. It is a very good idea not to use any spray product that could get inside this slot. For what its worth I cleaned all guides and tap path witth IPa and usually the pressure roller as well. the heads, and there are usually more than two, need to be very carfully cleaned , aand not up and down, only in the direction of rotation using some kind of rough, but non abrasive surface with very light use of IPA. Too may people have sheered the things off trying to do this which was why cleaning tapes were used.

Of course if you still get crap results they could be just worn out. There used to be companies making after market replacements, but I'm out of touch these days. Brian

Video-40?

I'd be careful with using an aggressive solvent like acetone as it *might* attack the glue used in the heads.

IPA or any pure alcohol is one of the safer ones. At work, we used AF spray for cleaning all tape heads - both video and audio. And a lint free cloth. Although an aerosol should blast away any debris anyway.

In message , newshound writes

But make sure that it's a genuine device as there are various (probably cheaper) copies with similar names, that don't work properly.

Once bitten, twice shy, I bought the more-expensive Video-2-PC device. I haven't used it much, but it seems to work well, and has lots of additional features.

Yes, according to their website when I bought mine, the EasyCap is a rip-off of the EZCap.

Only use IPA and a small piece of the smoothest bit of chamois leather you can find, soak, hold against the head drum and rotate the drum in its normal direction.

At a push a piece of kitchen paper will do instead of the chamois