Damaged tape?

[Ron Stoecklein]

AS mentioned in another post my canon cam I use for playback and capture ate my tape--it's possible the tape was bad. By the way I use panasonic's Master tape only and have never had a problem before. this tape was not shot with my XL2 but with my GL2.

I plan on purchasing a quality deck(something I have been putting off).

In the mean time my question---while rewinding the tape--the tape at the beginning was damaged and was actually cut---I would like to recover the 30 minutes of capture on the tape--some of which was during the recent California fires.

Is anyone aware of anyone I could sent this tape to--or an easy fix?

Thanks

Ron

[Martin Catt]

Well, if it was me, I'd open the case, splice the tape back together with a piece of scotch tape, manually wind the tape to where the splice was on the takeup reel and NOT likely to come across the playback head when the tape is loaded, then download everything from that point on, then eject the tape without rewinding and destroy it so I wouldn't accidentally use the tape again. The important point is to NOT have the splice go across the recording/playback head, where it might catch or transfer some of the adhesive goo.

I've done similar emergency repairs on VHS and cassette tapes in the past, and have a 100% success rate to this date. However, I'm an old reel-to-reel audio tech, and I'm used to joining tape. YMMV.

Martin

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Ron,

I have actually tried to do this with a MiniDV tape.

I found it very difficult. In the end I was not successful.

Disaster story:

My dog found a MiniDV tape on my desk, and then chewed up the case. I tried to transfer the tape reels from one tape into another brand new cassette.

I had already captured the tape, but I wanted to see if I could actually repair a tape.

If you want to attempt to repair your tape:

I would attempt to open the flip-up lid, then using Scotch tape, temporarily hold the lid open.

Then, I would attempt to get some of the tape out from both reels.

If you can do this, then you can splice the tape.

Then I would rewind the tape back in to the supply reel, then attempt to capture without rewinding the tape. The goal is to not allow the splice to go over the tape heads.

In the old reel to reel days, we used special splicing tape, which may now be very difficult to find. We also used a tape splicing block to ensure alignment of the two ends. Also, in the old days, the tapes were much thicker and much sturdier, nor did the tape have to go past a tape head spinning at very high speeds.

From a personal point of view, I would not run a spliced tape past the spinning heads on a good camera or tape deck.

[Ron Stoecklein]

thanks for your replies--

I think the cassette itself was the problem as the "flap" no longer closes all the way.

thought about taking the cassette body apart then taking another cassette body apart that's a new cassette--and placing the spool from the damaged cassette into the new body--and then splicing the tape--

Is that possible?

Thanks
Ron

[Martin Catt]

Depends on the brand tape, and how the case is held shut. Some use screws, which are easy (relatively) to get open and swap the innards. What you have to look out for are all the little rollers, pins, and tension springs that might be inside and might go flying when you carelessly open the case.

Others are ultrasonically welded shut, where the plastic is fused together. Good luck on getting one of them open and shut successfully. It can be done, but the footage you're trying to salvage had better be pretty darned valuable. One slight possibility is to take the tape and reels from the ultrasonically welded case and swap them into a screw case, but in my experience there are just enough differences between the brands to where parts don't interchange.

Martin