A820 Maintenance Questions

[Ron Resnick]

1) How often do you clean the heads with alcohol? (I have been cleaning them after every two or three hour listening session, but is that too much cotton swab wear on the heads?)

2) How do you clean the rubber pinch rollers? My technician told me not to use alcohol on the rubber rollers.

3) How do you use the metal cover that swings up and down in front of the head stack? What is the purpose of this cover?

Once a tape is ready for playing, should I close that cover to cover the heads?

Thank you very much!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

1) How often do you clean the heads with alcohol? (I have been cleaning them after every two or three hour listening session, but is that too much cotton swab wear on the heads?)

i only use modern formulation tape. from the last 15 years. zero vintage tapes. i use alcohol to clean the metal parts only about every 10 reels, but inspect after each reel in case i see any flakes. rare that i do. observe your Q-tips and if they seem dirty then increase the frequency of the cleaning. every environment is different.

on the heads it's important to only move the Q-tip laterally and not up and down as you want to avoid getting any dirt in the grooves.

if you play vintage tapes then i'd be much more watchful.

2) How do you clean the rubber pinch rollers? My technician told me not to use alcohol on the rubber rollers.

i only observe and then brush off any debris off them. try not to touch the rubber.

3) How do you use the metal cover that swings up and down in front of the head stack? What is the purpose of this cover?

reduces noise. the heads are sensitive to any sort of RFI/EMF. you can hear when it's in place.

Once a tape is ready for playing, should I close that cover to cover the heads?

yes.

Thank you very much!

 

[Ron Resnick]

Thank you very much, Mike!

 

[dminches]

Ron, if you play enough tapes and you see a band on the rubber I would consider cleaning it with MG Chemicals Rubber Renue.

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I probably use this 2-3 times per year, depending on use.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

could be different for Studer, but for Ampex here is the manufacturer perspective on this subject.

From ATR Service Inc.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

1) How often do you clean the heads with alcohol? (I have been cleaning them after every two or three hour listening session, but is that too much cotton swab wear on the heads?)

As others have said, it depends on the tape quality. Look around the heads for dust or debris, since this is likely to indicate a tape that has shed some coating.

But, if you are careful and gentle, I think it's unlikely you will do any damage with cotton swabs. In studios, tape machines were used for hours on end, with editing, Chinagraph pencils etc. so cleaning them was a relatively low-risk activity!

2) How do you clean the rubber pinch rollers? My technician told me not to use alcohol on the rubber rollers.

We only gently cleaned pinch rollers with deionized water. Solvents make the surfaces hard.

 

[DasguteOhr]

a leather brush distilled water +a drop of dish soap to clean them right up is enough.

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so that rubber rollers and drive belts have a longer service life, get talcum powder. after cleaning with a small sponge, dab the rollers with talc and leave to work overnight. then wipe with a lint-free cloth. Put the drive belt in a freezer bag with talcum powder and then put it in the freezer overnight. this prevents them from becoming brittle and the belts then have their original length again.
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