Comments on: How-to: Repair a VHS tape

By: Chris Duckworth

Chris Duckworth — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:27:57 +0000

Sorry about delay in response. It slipped through. I don’t really have any ideas. This article was brought together through trial and error. The only thing I can think of is to unwind the tape with less pressure by hand, but there are obvious risks with leaving the tape exposed, and getting the right pressure by feel will also be near on impossible. I am sorry I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve that might work.

By: Karla McKitrick

Karla McKitrick — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:04:18 +0000

Good morning Chris,
I found your website with helpful techniques for better recording and fixes for tape issues. Nicely done. I have been in the video biz for 30 years or so and I have come across a problem that I have never seen before. One of my customers brought in a VHS done in the early to mid 80s that she used to put old 8mm home movies on. It’s all the footage she has of her daughter and the tape won’t play beyond 49 minutes. The hubs seem to be tight. I have removed the reels and placed them in a new case, and I have lubricated the bottom of the hubs, but nothing seems to work. Since the hubs float inside of the case, what can possibly be keeping the tape from playing and fast forwarding and rewinding? I have checked the brakes and they are working fine. Help! I want to give this lady a DVD of her child. Any Ideas?

Karla
The Video Factory
Albuquerque, NM

By: Khawar Agha

Khawar Agha — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:18:17 +0000

I have some old vhs tape I play them like half way then it kind of jams but when I fast FWD it goes all the way to the end but the couter meter doesn’t move, lets say I play up to 2 hours and 35 minutes and it jam I fast FWD to the end but meter doesn’t move ,after I rewind the tape the count meter still don’t move until it reach the 2:35 hrs count and then it start moving back ward,and I can play that portion ,,,why is that with fast FWD the count meter should move as long the tape is moving …What should i do. Thank you

Khawar Agha

By: Richard Kukan

Richard Kukan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:49:39 +0000

About those TDK tapes with “rivets”. I have taken apart three of them. It is impossible to do so without breaking the shell. The first time, I simply hacked away at it until I was able to free the tape reels for transfer to fresh shell (with screws!). After that, I decided to try drilling the “rivets” out. The “rivets” are in fact solid plastic built into the structure of the shell itself, so there’s no real way of removing them, you just drill at them until they break. I used a 9/64″ bit, and started with the “rivets” farthest from the tape track. If you can break the two at the base of the shell, and the one where the security screw is on normal tapes, you should be able to pry the shell apart into two halves. Be careful to inspect the salvaged tape reels for shards of broken plastic, which you definitely do not want to transfer to a new shell! In short: it can be done, but it’s a bit messy.

By: Linda Baker

Linda Baker — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 02:52:45 +0000

I have quite a few VHS movies of the family and kids growing up………the “kids” are now late 20′s and up through the early 40′s……..a divorce, several moves and the movies were tossed around and lost for awhile. When I finally found them they appear to have mold on them……how do I clean these? They cannot be replaced. Is there a way to save these? Any help would be appreciated.

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:10:07 +0000

Very helpful to have pictures to look at. My tape still did not work but I think it is because of my system. The tape had a really missed up feed I fixed it but would only work off and on, with out you pictures and the way you explained everything I would of been lost. Thank you so much for this posted web site.

By: kyle

kyle — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 02:28:57 +0000

PS mine actually had one spring that sat in between the two plastic pieces and controlled both., needless to say it was difficult to put on.

By: kyle

kyle — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:47:19 +0000

Thanks for this…I opened a tape and it basically exploded, I put it back together *sorta* but the springs confused me. Thanks again.

By: R Hunter

R Hunter — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:17:33 +0000

Thanks so much. I had a tape of a trip I took to Brazil many years ago and it broke. These directions Helped me to repair it.

Thanks again.

By: Chris Duckworth

Chris Duckworth — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:10:41 +0000

Hi Priscila, There is a link dow the bottom right of the page, or you can press the subscibe menu item up the top. There hasn’t been much going on the site of late, but I am writing a bunch of content and creating a new theme for the start of next year which I am quite excited by. Life got in the way for a bit, but I hope I can have another good run of it when it relaunches. Thanks for your interest.