I hope this comment helps people, I had worked for a multi-state Video/RTO company repairing VCRs/ TVs and Videotapes during the 80s and 90s. You can imagine the gunk that would be found in these devices and the service it took to maintain them. The importance of using a high grade of alcohol cannot be stressed enough. This educational video is fairly thorough, although it may only be my preference, I would never use any screwdriver that had a magnetic tip or a motor that could create a magnetic field around the magnetic tape, that's just asking for trouble. Otherwise, this is a safe and effective way to clean your video cassette tapes. Good job.
My method of cleaning tapes is different. I use a 2 way vhs rewinder and some alcohol prep pads. Thats it. I open the prep pad and wrap it around the tape under the cassette flap and pop it in the rewinder and let it do all the work. For me its the most easiest and quickest way to clean a moldy tape. Sometimes ill have to take apart a tape to clean the spindles with a prep pad but overall super easy way to do it
This is GENIUS. Still gotta open the tape up and disinfect the inside of the tape casing and empty reel, but yes this saves a ton of time. For non moldy tapes, i am sure this works well for tapes that have constant dirt and tracking problems. Thanks for the idea!
Just watched this as I have done this a 1000 times. But this is an excellent video with full explaintions. The first time I took a tape apart everything fell out, it was a total loss. So next time I took photos. Never happened again. As they say, you learn by your mistakes. But well done mate, brilliantly explained. 👍
One thing I did find that at the beginning of a tape it had become twisted somehow, maybe after years of rewinding. Anyhow, the fist 3/4 minutes of the tape was so chewed up it was unwatcheable. So after taking the cassette apart, I cut off the twisted and ruined tape, and then using a small piece of sellotape carefully reattached the tape to the spool. As it was right at the beginning of the tape it never went near the heads. That was 25 years ago, and I'm still using the tape today! Perhaps that explains my name, scrooge! lol
Hi , i have a different way to do this that will blow peoples minds 😂. I have noticed no one cleans the (non read side of the Tape! ) half the mold is on that! I have a very simple tape rewinder machine only slightly bigger than a vhs tape and maybe 3 x depth. You can fold the cloth over both sides of the tape , let the tape trapdoor close then it holds in place. Then just rewind. After that just change the cloth re add alcohol and run it back opposite direction. Then you can do the disassembly stage if you wish. But trust me if you only clean one side the mold will be straight back in fact even if you rewind the tape straight after that first one sided clean. The 50% of the mold will get dragged back and you will see what you missed😊.
this is great! I have a very similar model Sharp VCR which produces crap video so I bought a second good player, so as it so happens, I have a spare VCR ($4 at Goodwill) for cleaning that moldy tape of mine which I've left until last to digitize.
The issue people forget is the fact that these have mould is due to humidity content, drying the tapes out after a proper decontamination, and then vacuum packing them is an essential to long-term preservation. Well that and FM RF archival captures and good old VHS-decode 😉
I was thinking that one thing people forget to do/mention is to wash your hands before starting this. That way you reduce the risk of getting oils on the tape. Yes, you can also use gloves. However, I didn't think to vacuum seal the tapes. That's a great idea, great advice. When I clean my old tapes from the late 80's, I'm going to do that. Thank you for that advice.
@@woodandwheelz One very annoying thing with destroying the oils in your skin is you can only properly do that with chemical mixes such as 99% isopropanol which will have later complications like slowly destroying your skin membrane barrier but you won't have oil for 5 minutes or so at least in an air conditioned room. This is why thin gloves are very helpful, because sunlight destroys my flesh now like a bloody vampire from years of chemical handling, A lot of people say screw it gloves are so unusable really it's just laziness in terms of actually finding the ideal glove type for your skin and hand size.
@@TheRealHarrypm Agreed. I just use Dawn Dish soap that works for about 10 minutes which is pretty much all I need. When I handle a lot of my 35mm negatives, I wash my hands then wear cotton gloves. I don't have chemical problems with my skin, but I have come to wear them a lot more often. I mostly do woodworking, I have a YT Channel, and at time I use oil based stains. I used to not care, but now I wear gloves.
This is definitely a very boring subject but very important in order to clean and preserve your dearest tapes. Dream Emulator did a great job with his moderately fast pace and still provided detailed information about the process with an upbeat and light narrative. Outstanding!
You must definitely not be an old fart like us old folks. This was considered a high technological achievement . Now today just to answer the phone has become a science fiction project.
There used to be other ways to do it in Asia, very common, but cant place how they did it. They washed the tape in some liquid? Could it be film fluid?
Because the play side of the tape will have the back side of the tape wrap around it on the spool, I would suggest yes to cleaning both sides of the tape.
@@bigtim323 If you are technically minded, you can open up your machine and look at the leading tape guide for a build up. Simply clean it off with a high grade alcohol. If there is not a build up on the tape guide in your VCR, then I would suspect that the tape had been used in a machine that did have that build up, and now the tape has a crease in it.
Is it possible to actually take apart the clear reel on the spool so you can reach the actual black tape reel? Right now I don't have a working VCR I can use to clean my tapes and since most of my tapes aren't as moldy, I'm just manually cleaning
That’s the side that is magnetic and stores all the data. If the bottom is dirty you can certainly clean that as well, it just doesn’t seem to get much dirt.
@@dreamemulatorhvsc It would make sense to clean both sides, since the back side is wrapped around (over the top of) the front side of the tape on the spool.
I feel less moldy already. Great video!
I hope this comment helps people, I had worked for a multi-state Video/RTO company repairing VCRs/ TVs and Videotapes during the 80s and 90s. You can imagine the gunk that would be found in these devices and the service it took to maintain them. The importance of using a high grade of alcohol cannot be stressed enough. This educational video is fairly thorough, although it may only be my preference, I would never use any screwdriver that had a magnetic tip or a motor that could create a magnetic field around the magnetic tape, that's just asking for trouble. Otherwise, this is a safe and effective way to clean your video cassette tapes. Good job.
My method of cleaning tapes is different. I use a 2 way vhs rewinder and some alcohol prep pads. Thats it. I open the prep pad and wrap it around the tape under the cassette flap and pop it in the rewinder and let it do all the work. For me its the most easiest and quickest way to clean a moldy tape. Sometimes ill have to take apart a tape to clean the spindles with a prep pad but overall super easy way to do it
This is GENIUS. Still gotta open the tape up and disinfect the inside of the tape casing and empty reel, but yes this saves a ton of time. For non moldy tapes, i am sure this works well for tapes that have constant dirt and tracking problems. Thanks for the idea!
Well done, explained thoroughly and seems easy enough. Thanks for the info!
You bet!
Just watched this as I have done this a 1000 times. But this is an excellent video with full explaintions. The first time I took a tape apart everything fell out, it was a total loss. So next time I took photos. Never happened again. As they say, you learn by your mistakes. But well done mate, brilliantly explained. 👍
@@Scrooge911 thank you so much! I’m glad I could help! First time I took a tape apart everything fell out too lol so don’t feel too bad.
One thing I did find that at the beginning of a tape it had become twisted somehow, maybe after years of rewinding. Anyhow, the fist 3/4 minutes of the tape was so chewed up it was unwatcheable. So after taking the cassette apart, I cut off the twisted and ruined tape, and then using a small piece of sellotape carefully reattached the tape to the spool. As it was right at the beginning of the tape it never went near the heads. That was 25 years ago, and I'm still using the tape today! Perhaps that explains my name, scrooge! lol
Great rescue 🤘😎 VHS 4 LIFE!
Thank you! 4 LIFE! 📼
VHS4THETRASH!
Best tutorial I’ve seen. Killer job!
Hi , i have a different way to do this that will blow peoples minds 😂. I have noticed no one cleans the (non read side of the Tape! ) half the mold is on that! I have a very simple tape rewinder machine only slightly bigger than a vhs tape and maybe 3 x depth. You can fold the cloth over both sides of the tape , let the tape trapdoor close then it holds in place. Then just rewind. After that just change the cloth re add alcohol and run it back opposite direction. Then you can do the disassembly stage if you wish.
But trust me if you only clean one side the mold will be straight back in fact even if you rewind the tape straight after that first one sided clean. The 50% of the mold will get dragged back and you will see what you missed😊.
this is great! I have a very similar model Sharp VCR which produces crap video so I bought a second good player, so as it so happens, I have a spare VCR ($4 at Goodwill) for cleaning that moldy tape of mine which I've left until last to digitize.
The issue people forget is the fact that these have mould is due to humidity content, drying the tapes out after a proper decontamination, and then vacuum packing them is an essential to long-term preservation.
Well that and FM RF archival captures and good old VHS-decode 😉
I was thinking that one thing people forget to do/mention is to wash your hands before starting this. That way you reduce the risk of getting oils on the tape. Yes, you can also use gloves. However, I didn't think to vacuum seal the tapes. That's a great idea, great advice. When I clean my old tapes from the late 80's, I'm going to do that. Thank you for that advice.
@@woodandwheelz One very annoying thing with destroying the oils in your skin is you can only properly do that with chemical mixes such as 99% isopropanol which will have later complications like slowly destroying your skin membrane barrier but you won't have oil for 5 minutes or so at least in an air conditioned room.
This is why thin gloves are very helpful, because sunlight destroys my flesh now like a bloody vampire from years of chemical handling, A lot of people say screw it gloves are so unusable really it's just laziness in terms of actually finding the ideal glove type for your skin and hand size.
@@TheRealHarrypm Agreed. I just use Dawn Dish soap that works for about 10 minutes which is pretty much all I need. When I handle a lot of my 35mm negatives, I wash my hands then wear cotton gloves. I don't have chemical problems with my skin, but I have come to wear them a lot more often. I mostly do woodworking, I have a YT Channel, and at time I use oil based stains. I used to not care, but now I wear gloves.
This is definitely a very boring subject but very important in order to clean and preserve your dearest tapes.
Dream Emulator did a great job with his moderately fast pace and still provided detailed information about the process with an upbeat and light narrative.
Outstanding!
Thank you so much!!
You must definitely not be an old fart like us old folks. This was considered a high technological achievement . Now today just to answer the phone has become a science fiction project.
Excellent how to video.
Thanks Swaggy!
I just took a VHS tape apart for the first time, and pieces went everywhere. I had no idea they were so fiddly.
1:07 - 1:10
[VHS Tape Drops]
Thank you very much for the explanation. As someone who is almost 60, I can relate to the beginning of the video. LoL! You have a new subscriber.
@@woodandwheelz lol thank you very much!
Get A video tape rewinder. that might work as well as some to wind tapes both ways as well.
Fantastic video, thank you! :)
You Sir, have a new subscriber!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed! 🤘
Question, would the microfiber cloth with alcohol running through the tape scratch it at all?
There used to be other ways to do it in Asia, very common, but cant place how they did it. They washed the tape in some liquid? Could it be film fluid?
Awesome video! Thanks!
QUESTION: Do you clean both sides of the tape or just the play side?
Because the play side of the tape will have the back side of the tape wrap around it on the spool, I would suggest yes to cleaning both sides of the tape.
Is there anything that can be done with the top curve on the video, or is that just a bad tape? Thanks
I’m not sure, I’ll look into that. You mean on the screen? It could be your heads need to be cleaned. I’ll try and get back to you!
@dreamemulatorhvsc Thanks. Yes On the screen. Some tapes don't have it. So it might just be the tape.
@@bigtim323 If you are technically minded, you can open up your machine and look at the leading tape guide for a build up. Simply clean it off with a high grade alcohol. If there is not a build up on the tape guide in your VCR, then I would suspect that the tape had been used in a machine that did have that build up, and now the tape has a crease in it.
@dean5263 Thanks I'll give take a look at it
I'm really surprised you dont have a nice cheap, and easy to leave open, tape winder.
Is it possible to actually take apart the clear reel on the spool so you can reach the actual black tape reel? Right now I don't have a working VCR I can use to clean my tapes and since most of my tapes aren't as moldy, I'm just manually cleaning
Who the dude at 11:45 it the about
Hi. So the tape it self is not cleaned. Correct?
Incorrect. What do you think the cotton buds in the microfibre cloth and isopropyl alcohol were for? :)
Will this same method work with tapes that have been in a flooded basement?
I’ve never tried that, but if the tape is still in working condition it may work
Why do you clean only one side of the tape?
That’s the side that is magnetic and stores all the data. If the bottom is dirty you can certainly clean that as well, it just doesn’t seem to get much dirt.
@@dreamemulatorhvsc It would make sense to clean both sides, since the back side is wrapped around (over the top of) the front side of the tape on the spool.
You look exactly like someone who cleans VHS tapes.
How to clean your vhs 19:90 minutes wasting times and
10 secend how.
I miss the old yt
Put them in the trash as VHS sucks!! 🗑️👎
I passed on a 4 Superman movie set that had a nice silver box, cause all the tapes were moldy. Kinda wish I got it now 🫤