fixing vhs tape


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Old 01-02-01, 03:13 PM
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I knocked a vhs tape belonging to my son off a shelf. of course this is the only damaged one out of the several that fell.it is a $30 pay-per-view wrestling event which is no longer available.the outside case cracked and the tape inside tore.is there any way to fix this? i hate to throw it away if it can be fixed at all. any help would be appreciated. thank you
 
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Old 01-02-01, 06:50 PM
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Originally posted by dianalynn
I knocked a vhs tape belonging to my son off a shelf. of course this is the only damaged one out of the several that fell.it is a $30 pay-per-view wrestling event which is no longer available.the outside case cracked and the tape inside tore.is there any way to fix this? i hate to throw it away if it can be fixed at all. any help would be appreciated. thank you
you might be able to splice the tape, but here is the risk - splices are hard on the video heads of the machine, I work in a broadcast tv station, and we do have splicing blocks with special splicing tape, but it is extremely rarely used, if ever. There is a risk of the splice damaging the video heads . How great the risk, depends on well the splice is done, but the risk still exists in head damage , no matter how good the splice. Any crinkle or twist in the tape is equally as bad on the heads , if not worse. If the tape is toren near the beginning or right at the end , you mught be able to open the case up and cut the beginning or end off and attach the new beginning (good tape) to the spool, but your nerves must be good or you will be so fustrated , you will be quickly trowing miles of tape into the garbage. Since the case is also cracked...is the cracked case rubbing against the spools, if any loose pieces are removed,( don't want anything falling off in the machine), and you want to go the splice route, then remember this , the splicing tape must be on the back of the videotape ,not on the front that actually comes in contact with the video heads, cut any twisted tape off, the clean ends of the tape to be spliced MUST meet exacting together with no tapes where the splicing tape could touch the video heads, once spliced the ends of the tape joined must be completely stuck to the splcing tape so the edges of the splice does not lift up as it moves thru the tape transport and heads. The splicing tape should be a thin as possible and only on the back of the tape, There is professional slicing tape , I am not sure what is available for consumer use, just be sure it is thin. The video will break up some as the splice passes the video heads when played. If you do decide to take this route , play the tape only once, and dub (copy) the tape to another tape (hooking 2 machines together to do the copy). You greaten the risk of video head damage thru repeated passes of the splcie thru the heads. I am asuming here that the case is not so badly damaged that it simply cannot be played, in which case you would have to find another vhs good tape case, possibly destroying the tape that was in, taking the cases apart and carefully moving the tape from one case to another.
 
  #3  
Old 01-03-01, 03:59 PM
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Safest thing available to prevent undue wear on the video heads and problems with the machine is to TRASH the tape.

Get on with your life, save your machine, and forget about it. The wrestling community will come up with something even better next week for you to record.

Smokey
 
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Old 01-03-01, 04:12 PM
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Originally posted by Smokey
Safest thing available to prevent undue wear on the video heads and problems with the machine is to TRASH the tape.

Get on with your life, save your machine, and forget about it. The wrestling community will come up with something even better next week for you to record.

Smokey
This is the only 100 % safe method.
 
  #5  
Old 01-03-01, 04:48 PM
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Wink

Smokey says amen!
 
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Old 01-03-01, 08:00 PM
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i thank you for your responses. obviously throwing the tape away would be the first option one would consider. however the tape is my sons and $30 does not come easily for a youth. that is why i asked if there were any other options to consider. i really did not need a flippant response when i was asking for help and that is what this website is for is it not? once again my son and i thank you for your quick and helpful responses.
 
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Old 01-03-01, 08:08 PM
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Your welcome
 
 

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