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slowcentury
gettin' sounds
Joined: 08 May 2010
Posts: 121
Location: Middle of nowhere Canada
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 Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:56 pm Post subject: Tape head degaussing questions |
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| how does one go about degaussing tape heads. I have a few tape machines and have never done this process. Can this be done with a bulk tape eraser by any chance? Help help help! Thx! |
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Nick Sevilla
cryogenically thawing
Joined: 03 Mar 2008
Posts: 3642
Location: Los Angeles California USA
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: Tape head degaussing questions |
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| slowcentury wrote: | | how does one go about degaussing tape heads. I have a few tape machines and have never done this process. Can this be done with a bulk tape eraser by any chance? Help help help! Thx! |
You should buy a "HAN-D-MAG" kit from Annis.
It has a great manual that explains it all.
It is the best one for tape machine paths.
They recommend degaussing every 8 hours of machine use, but always to check with the magnetometer first, which is included.
NEVER use a bulk demagnetizer for this. EVER.
Cheers
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The Scum
deaf.
Joined: 04 Jul 2003
Posts: 1994
Location: Denver, CO
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 7:10 pm Post subject: Re: Tape head degaussing questions |
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First, it's actually somewhat unlikely that the heads are magnetized...and just as likely that the other metal tape handling (pins, lifters, rollers, etc) parts are magnetized.
Scott Dorsey recommended using a magnetometer to check them, if you really want to know if they're magnetized. A poorly done demag job is probably worse than no demagging, as you could magnetize things worse than they were to begin with.
The usual demag tools (RB Annis company Han-d-mag) have a pointed tip, that you point at each piece of the tape path, and wave them back and forth a few times.
A couple how tos:
home.comcast.net/~mrltapes/mcknight_demag.pdf
http://www.methodsandapplicationslaboratory.com/videos/?id=tape-demag
Be dead certain the deck is off before beginning.
The good tape degaussers that I know aren't the right shape, and would be almost impossible to wield correctly - they look like a bathroom scale (big enough to put a whole reel on, of course), but weigh considerably more. The not-so-good pistol-grip degaussers are fun electromagnet toys (pick up paperclips, open the fridge, etc), nothing more (well, maybe wiping cassettes...).
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Dominick Costanzo
pushin' record
Joined: 08 Oct 2010
Posts: 202
Location: New York City
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| Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:01 pm Post subject: Re: Tape head degaussing questions |
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If used correctly "pistol grip" tape degausser (ones that are 3" x 3" x 4") are effective hear demagnetizers and safe to use, if used properly.
I've been using one for the last 30 years on machines from cassette to 2" with no damage to any machine or tapes.
Shut off the machine.
The degausser must be 4' away from anything that can potentially be damaged by it, including the machine / heads to be demagnetized.
Plug in / turn on the degausser.
Slowly bring it closer to the items you want to be demagnetized in a gentle, not violent looping, trajectory.
Sweep across all potentially magnetized items, maintaining a slow but constant twisting of the magnetic field.
Slowly pull away from the degaussed items, maintaining the slow twisting of the magnetic field.
When the degausser is 4' away from all magnetic items, shut it off.
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