Well done, It always irritates me how people bodge things up, back in the day, this was a common problem with returned rental tapes, I have seen tapes "repaired" using glue, Sellotape, even insulation tape!
Any help? I have a couple of tapes with extra spring to shut and open the cover, spring popped out and I can't for the life of me figure out how to put the spring back in to let the cover close properly any advise would be helpful
If it is crinkled, it may have been folded over along one edge by a camcorder with a defective pinch roller. It's almost impossible to recover a tape which has been folded over like that. But if the tape damage is only over a short section of tape, the rest may be recoverable. It needs to be looked at by someone who knows what they are doing. You can contact me if you wish via colin@video99.co.uk or my website video99.co.uk
Hey I’m here in 2024, what does the top slider do that says Save/Rec? I just got a Song Handycam 8 and I can’t find anything on what that top slider function is for
Well i never, i thought it was something silly like the reel lock having a bad hair day :-) So it's likely the flap release fell inside when the tape was dropped on the edge and damaged the tape. Then the owner just cut a bit out with a garden spade and slapped some tape on it. I know propper editing tape is very different to sticky tape, i would imagine a super thin adesive that won't leak out of the edges in use, and thinner tape perhaps.
Hey sorry I have another question. After screwing the screws back after fixing my tape, one of the screws keeps spinning but just won’t come out, do you know how to get it out? 😭 In case I can’t get it out, can I transfer my tape (TDK 8mm MP Premium 120 min) into a Sony 120 Hi8 MP Tape case?
I was enjoying the vid. until you said if you have a Maxell tape then replacing the spring is almost impossible.🤣Guess what tape I’m trying to replace a spring in? 😆
If you're going to play the tape in a camcorder, you can leave the spring out. If you're going to play it on a mains machine then maybe transplant the spools over to different shell.
I had the same issue, it is actually easy when you look at the process. Assemble the case with the lever in but without the spring and scew it together. Then lay the cassette upside down, the spring is a strip with a 'V', lay the spring with the v pointing down ito the gap between the lever and the case and then push it into the gap using a cocktail stick in the back of the V until both ends click into place. The spring folds in half and pushes on the back of the lever and the case.
Very interesting videos! I have another question: How does the splicing block to keep the tape in place? Does it have something like a sticky surface? Thank you.
The block has a channel in it with a gently concave polished face. The tape sits in the channel (well most of the time!) while you can apply the splicing tape.
Many thanks for the really helpful and informative video. I'm digitising a bunch of old family recordings on Video8 cassette, some of which have jammed and snapped as a result of poor storage in the loft. I can't find an 8 mm splicing block for sale here in the UK: however there are lots of 1/4" splicing blocks for sale on eBay. 1/4" is around 6.2 mm I think, which is narrower than Video8, but is there sufficient tolerance in their design that in practice I might be able to use a 1/4" block to help align and splice the slightly wider 8 mm Video8 tape? Also, I notice you splice perpendicular to the tape rather than at 45 degrees - why this choice? I imagine the 45 degree splice would result in more overlap and a potentially stronger repair, but more fiddly...
Your TH-cam videos in this series have been invaluable in teaching me how to disassemble, repair and reassemble Video8 cassettes, and how to fix the 'sticky mould' problem. I was able to recover and digitise footage of irreplaceable family memories which I thought had been lost for ever from two badly damaged cassettes . I don't have professional equipment, but managed to do reasonable quality perpendicular non-overlapping splices by following your examples, and in the absence of an 8mm splicing block I used (non-ferrous!) coins as weights to hold the tape in position as demonstrated in another TH-cam video: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284165784423 (although I only applied the splicing tape to the side of the magnetic tape which is not in contact with the tape head!). I didn't have an electrical tape winder, but used the shells of two sacrificed cassettes to hold the spools directly opposite each other, and manually wound them fully forward then back again before reassembling (not too arduous if only doing 2 cassettes: took about 15 min per spool to fully transport tape in one direction). Thanks again for sharing your expert advice.
Update: I bought my splicing tape from a UK based eBayer who was incredibly helpful. Following our correspondence, he has recently started to manufacture and sell high quality CNC 8mm aluminium splicing blocks: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284165784423 I now have no need for an 8mm splicing block, as I've repaired all my broken cassettes; but hope this information is helpful to others in the UK who are looking for splicing blocks for Video8 and similar formats (I have no commercial interest to declare).
Hey, I have an important question to ask an expert like you. Please help!! I’d really appreciate it. While unwinding my snapped tape (it was sticky at certain areas), the edges of the tape tore and I removed them, (really thin and short pieces), can I still play the tape in the camcorder?
The damaged parts will have a corrupted picture and sound but it will still play. Just don't start fixing snaps with Sellotape because that will foul the heads or worse.
A good splice is safe to run past video heads. There will be disruption to the picture for a few seconds as the splice runs over the head drum, but that's all.
In the case of Scotch branded tapes, just miss it out. It's hellish to get the spring in the right place. Most video recorders and camcorders will work fine with the spring and latch missing (though a few models won't tolerate it).
Hey thank you so much for the informative video, it's really helpful as I think I'll be opening up some tapes. Currently I have two cassette tapes from my Sony Handycam that I noticed don't rewind/fast forward anymore (when I try to record a cassette logo flashes). Is the simple fix opening em up and manually rewinding? They aren't that old of tapes (bought/used them earlier this year no problem) but once the tape ran out they stopped working as well. Any help/advice would be amazing, thanks everyone!
There can be several reasons. If the tape has been folded over along one edge by a faulty camcorder, then the spools fill up with too much tape since it no longer sits flat. I cover this in another video. The tape could be sticky due to grease from a mechanism having got onto the tape. There could be other issues though I don't think sticky-shed is the cause in your case.
Love your channel! Could you possibly tell me why a Hi-8 would snap twice? I opened one and used splice tape and it snapped in a whole new area when I tried to watch it for a while! Should I swap out the reel onto a new tape container? Cheers!
Very interesting video. Would you recommend to use a Sony tape cleaner tape to clean camcorder heads or is there another better method? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I prefer to use chamois swab sticks with 99% IPA to clean the heads on camcorders and VCR's. It's the safest and most effective way to clean the video heads. I'd use a piece of print paper soaked in 99% IPA too if I don't have anything else at hand.
@@video99couk I have used the Sony head cleaner tape and it worked perfect. Thank you very much for the advice. I have another question: How does the splicing block to keep the tape in place? Does it have something like a sticky surface?
No, but see my first video on Chris Squires of savethosememories.co.uk who does: th-cam.com/video/kKmr-s6Xhy4/w-d-xo.html Also I'm just about to release a new YT video on the same subject this week.
Don't confuse 8mm video with 8mm film. You need a professional scanner to transfer from 8mm film. One that scans the film one frame at a time (this is crucial for restoration jobs) and ideally equiped with wetgate. I use the HDS+ from Filmfabriek. These are pricy but are worth every penny. Please don't use that crap made in China (Wolverine).
@@josegti84 Yes I know the diffrence beetween Video 8 and Super 8. But I have some super 8 movies and Im wondering how youre supposed to transfer them since the only super 8 machines where projectors. Im going to buy a scanner then since I want to transfer the movies
hi edit tape is not the same age can get to it i have a 1/8 tape set up video tapes are a pain age gets to them as well betacam sp digi i have for masting audio not lost one yet like you said you only have small space in the house
You think sellotape repair is bad? I had a VHS tape where some idiot spliced it with a company's advertising sticker. I still have the broken pieces of the sticker as a souvenir. :D
Regular scotch tape is usually ok for a quick repair job but it's a temporary fix. The best way to repair these tapes is with professional splicing tape. The worst thing about these butchery jobs is that most of he times the bad splices are hidden and when you finally see them it's too late. That's why I always use a dedicated rewinder before actually digitizing the tapes. You usually spot the bad splices with a close up inspection of the reels.
I found a video 8 tape still sealed at the thrift store last year and still have it sealed
To 3:35 just imagin it would have a spring ist there any explanation or image where on the internet how to fix it 😅
Well done, It always irritates me how people bodge things up, back in the day, this was a common problem with returned rental tapes, I have seen tapes "repaired" using glue, Sellotape, even insulation tape!
It's also known as something related to Scotch tape (as 3M would call).
Many thanks for you 🌺
Any help? I have a couple of tapes with extra spring to shut and open the cover, spring popped out and I can't for the life of me figure out how to put the spring back in to let the cover close properly any advise would be helpful
Help! I need to transfer my Hi8 onto a VCR or DVD. Sadly VHS Tape adapter isn't compatible and I don't have the camcorder. Any suggestions?
My tape flap doesn't open or close but my release catch is present.. what gives?
Such a special tape of mine won’t play either and the tape is crinkled so bad it can’t play. I’m scared to take it apart like I’ll break it.
If it is crinkled, it may have been folded over along one edge by a camcorder with a defective pinch roller. It's almost impossible to recover a tape which has been folded over like that. But if the tape damage is only over a short section of tape, the rest may be recoverable. It needs to be looked at by someone who knows what they are doing. You can contact me if you wish via colin@video99.co.uk or my website video99.co.uk
Hey I’m here in 2024, what does the top slider do that says Save/Rec? I just got a Song Handycam 8 and I can’t find anything on what that top slider function is for
That's the switch on the tape? When in the save position, the tape can't be over-recorded.
@ yes the switch on the tape, thank you for letting me know. I’ve never owned a device like this before so thank you
Well i never, i thought it was something silly like the reel lock having a bad hair day :-)
So it's likely the flap release fell inside when the tape was dropped on the edge and damaged the tape.
Then the owner just cut a bit out with a garden spade and slapped some tape on it.
I know propper editing tape is very different to sticky tape, i would imagine a super thin adesive that won't leak out of the edges in use, and thinner tape perhaps.
Hello, can I use/play a tape that has lost the cover spring?
It will generally play fine in a camcorder like that, but bigger decks like the Sony EV-S9000E won't accept a damaged tape.
Hey sorry I have another question. After screwing the screws back after fixing my tape, one of the screws keeps spinning but just won’t come out, do you know how to get it out? 😭 In case I can’t get it out, can I transfer my tape (TDK 8mm MP Premium 120 min) into a Sony 120 Hi8 MP Tape case?
I just want the assurance that if one day I want to open it up again, I can. For now, the screw just won’t come out 😭
It might be that you missed the screw hole and put it into one of the ident holes nearby. They are sometimes confused. It probably won't do any harm.
Great video!
Excellent guide for this aspect/issue!
K0⁰
Thank you. Excellent.
Can you superglue the broken plastic reel together? Just a small dab.
I've done it on VHS tapes. Yes you can do it but the clear plastic flange has to sit perfectly flush with the hub of the reel.
My tapes do not have screws. Is there a safe way to take them apart?
Some don't and that's a pain. You have to break open the shell by force and transplant it into a cassette shell which does have screws.
I was enjoying the vid. until you said if you have a Maxell tape then replacing the spring is almost impossible.🤣Guess what tape I’m trying to replace a spring in? 😆
If you're going to play the tape in a camcorder, you can leave the spring out. If you're going to play it on a mains machine then maybe transplant the spools over to different shell.
I had the same issue, it is actually easy when you look at the process. Assemble the case with the lever in but without the spring and scew it together. Then lay the cassette upside down, the spring is a strip with a 'V', lay the spring with the v pointing down ito the gap between the lever and the case and then push it into the gap using a cocktail stick in the back of the V until both ends click into place. The spring folds in half and pushes on the back of the lever and the case.
Very interesting videos! I have another question: How does the splicing block to keep the tape in place? Does it have something like a sticky surface? Thank you.
The block has a channel in it with a gently concave polished face. The tape sits in the channel (well most of the time!) while you can apply the splicing tape.
Many thanks for the really helpful and informative video. I'm digitising a bunch of old family recordings on Video8 cassette, some of which have jammed and snapped as a result of poor storage in the loft. I can't find an 8 mm splicing block for sale here in the UK: however there are lots of 1/4" splicing blocks for sale on eBay. 1/4" is around 6.2 mm I think, which is narrower than Video8, but is there sufficient tolerance in their design that in practice I might be able to use a 1/4" block to help align and splice the slightly wider 8 mm Video8 tape? Also, I notice you splice perpendicular to the tape rather than at 45 degrees - why this choice? I imagine the 45 degree splice would result in more overlap and a potentially stronger repair, but more fiddly...
Your TH-cam videos in this series have been invaluable in teaching me how to disassemble, repair and reassemble Video8 cassettes, and how to fix the 'sticky mould' problem. I was able to recover and digitise footage of irreplaceable family memories which I thought had been lost for ever from two badly damaged cassettes .
I don't have professional equipment, but managed to do reasonable quality perpendicular non-overlapping splices by following your examples, and in the absence of an 8mm splicing block I used (non-ferrous!) coins as weights to hold the tape in position as demonstrated in another TH-cam video: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284165784423
(although I only applied the splicing tape to the side of the magnetic tape which is not in contact with the tape head!). I didn't have an electrical tape winder, but used the shells of two sacrificed cassettes to hold the spools directly opposite each other, and manually wound them fully forward then back again before reassembling (not too arduous if only doing 2 cassettes: took about 15 min per spool to fully transport tape in one direction). Thanks again for sharing your expert advice.
Update: I bought my splicing tape from a UK based eBayer who was incredibly helpful. Following our correspondence, he has recently started to manufacture and sell high quality CNC 8mm aluminium splicing blocks: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284165784423
I now have no need for an 8mm splicing block, as I've repaired all my broken cassettes; but hope this information is helpful to others in the UK who are looking for splicing blocks for Video8 and similar formats (I have no commercial interest to declare).
Hey, I have an important question to ask an expert like you. Please help!! I’d really appreciate it.
While unwinding my snapped tape (it was sticky at certain areas), the edges of the tape tore and I removed them, (really thin and short pieces), can I still play the tape in the camcorder?
The damaged parts will have a corrupted picture and sound but it will still play. Just don't start fixing snaps with Sellotape because that will foul the heads or worse.
So it's ok to run correctly spliced tapes past the video heads, and isn't going to damage them?
The spliced part of the tape will be unusable?
A good splice is safe to run past video heads. There will be disruption to the picture for a few seconds as the splice runs over the head drum, but that's all.
how exactly do u get that little latch back in
In the case of Scotch branded tapes, just miss it out. It's hellish to get the spring in the right place. Most video recorders and camcorders will work fine with the spring and latch missing (though a few models won't tolerate it).
@@video99couk mine doesnt tolerate it though
Hey thank you so much for the informative video, it's really helpful as I think I'll be opening up some tapes. Currently I have two cassette tapes from my Sony Handycam that I noticed don't rewind/fast forward anymore (when I try to record a cassette logo flashes). Is the simple fix opening em up and manually rewinding? They aren't that old of tapes (bought/used them earlier this year no problem) but once the tape ran out they stopped working as well. Any help/advice would be amazing, thanks everyone!
There can be several reasons. If the tape has been folded over along one edge by a faulty camcorder, then the spools fill up with too much tape since it no longer sits flat. I cover this in another video. The tape could be sticky due to grease from a mechanism having got onto the tape. There could be other issues though I don't think sticky-shed is the cause in your case.
Love your channel! Could you possibly tell me why a Hi-8 would snap twice? I opened one and used splice tape and it snapped in a whole new area when I tried to watch it for a while! Should I swap out the reel onto a new tape container? Cheers!
That's due to mould on the tape. I've done a detailed video about that problem.
@@video99couk Thanks I'll check it out!
Very interesting video. Would you recommend to use a Sony tape cleaner tape to clean camcorder heads or is there another better method? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Actually I've found Sony head cleaner tapes to be excellent, they are my go-to brand for head cleaners, along with TDK.
@@video99couk thankyou very much
I prefer to use chamois swab sticks with 99% IPA to clean the heads on camcorders and VCR's. It's the safest and most effective way to clean the video heads. I'd use a piece of print paper soaked in 99% IPA too if I don't have anything else at hand.
@@video99couk I have used the Sony head cleaner tape and it worked perfect. Thank you very much for the advice. I have another question: How does the splicing block to keep the tape in place? Does it have something like a sticky surface?
I have i question how do you transfer super 8 tapes? You know those old movies that looked like reel to reel.
No, but see my first video on Chris Squires of savethosememories.co.uk who does:
th-cam.com/video/kKmr-s6Xhy4/w-d-xo.html
Also I'm just about to release a new YT video on the same subject this week.
Don't confuse 8mm video with 8mm film. You need a professional scanner to transfer from 8mm film. One that scans the film one frame at a time (this is crucial for restoration jobs) and ideally equiped with wetgate. I use the HDS+ from Filmfabriek. These are pricy but are worth every penny. Please don't use that crap made in China (Wolverine).
@@josegti84 Yes I know the diffrence beetween Video 8 and Super 8. But I have some super 8 movies and Im wondering how youre supposed to transfer them since the only super 8 machines where projectors. Im going to buy a scanner then since I want to transfer the movies
@@SwedishRetroTechNerd You can build your own scanner using parts from a projector but that usually takes skill and lots of time.
hi edit tape is not the same age can get to it i have a 1/8 tape set up video tapes are a pain age gets to them as well betacam sp digi i have for masting audio
not lost one yet
like you said you only have small space in the house
Waving around the tape with (potentially magnetized, I'll admit I do not know) screwdriver makes me feel uneasy...
Video8 tapes are metal formulation. You would be amazed how much magnetic energy it takes to erase one.
You think sellotape repair is bad? I had a VHS tape where some idiot spliced it with a company's advertising sticker. I still have the broken pieces of the sticker as a souvenir. :D
Regular scotch tape is usually ok for a quick repair job but it's a temporary fix. The best way to repair these tapes is with professional splicing tape. The worst thing about these butchery jobs is that most of he times the bad splices are hidden and when you finally see them it's too late. That's why I always use a dedicated rewinder before actually digitizing the tapes. You usually spot the bad splices with a close up inspection of the reels.