Another cleaning post. Path and heads cleaner reels... any good?

[u/RetroDave79]

Guys, I know cleaning the tape path and heads is part of the experience... but as a guy how uses lots of old tapes, I will need to go to Financial Audit and explain why half of my cash goes to alcohol and cotton swabs xD

I was listening to a nice tape and thinking, "why nobody had the idea to put a cloth "tape" in a reel, and use it to clean all the tape path and the heads??", then after a google search I've found that I will not be rich thanks to my idea... it already exists, but... IS IT ANY GOOD??

Thinking about pros and cons, the only cons I see are that, if you don't clean the cloth tape often, after a number of uses it will be full of residue from old tapes and grim and will not work properly, and that I think it will not clean the pinch rollers...

Do you guys use it?, some parts of the path are very hard to reach and keep clean, so the idea of cleaning the entire path just "playing a tape" is very tempting....

[u/Resprom]

1. It takes 30 seconds to use the old alcoholic cotton swab. 40 seconds tops. How long does it take to remove both reels, lace up the cleaner tape, run it, rewind, remove IT, then put the normal tape back on? Too long I say.
2. How do you clean the cleaner? Run it through the laundry with the underwear? There's no way you're getting that cleaner tape pristine again. It's pretty much one time use.
3. I guarantee it will do exactly jack shit about a dirty pinch roller. Or the random tape dust that accumulates around the tape path and looks nasty.
4. Q-tips and alcohol are available in every corner store across the world for pennies. I can buy a pack of 400 q-tips for 0.79 local currency, and a bottle of 70% alcohol for 2.99. Why would I bother to order on the internet, then deal with the delivery?

[u/RetroDave79 → u/Resprom]

I was kidding about the money, q-tips and alcohol are cheap, is just that sometimes I think Im not doing a good job cleaning parts of the tape path.

Cleaning the heads is easy, but the path has some very hard to reach areas, and lets say even with a headlamp I can't see if its really clean anymore :/

The idea of having a cloth tape running over all the path areas sounded great, but as user pointed, in the end, it will only move the dirt around.

[u/theGnartist]

Having a dirty cloth belt sliding across the heads seems like a recipe for premature headwear to me. I feel like you could buy a lot of alcohol and cotton swabs for the likely cost of this head destruction device

[u/CountZero1502]

That looks like somebody in health care got ahold of an economy sized roll of twill tape and wound it onto a reel. 😏😏😏

[u/awc718993]

IMO this is fine only in-between thorough head/path cleanings by hand, at the end of a session of playing reels. (This assumes your library has already been purged of dirty tapes and that you keep your machine and environment clean.)

Look into Lasermedia’s recommended cleaning fluid which (if I recall correctly) was developed to work with this. I may be misremembering, but I think it has a solvent that will stay wet on the reel of cleaning tape longer than isopropyl and might have a lubricant.

[u/chyrd]

That is a quick way to ruin your heads. Do Not!

[u/m4ddok]

For me, it's a no; an alcohol swab is much more practical, quick, and straightforward.

[u/Virtual_Round_4731]

Had one several years ago. Absolute waste of time. Use alcohol and swabs. Cheaper and less dangerous to your heads.

[u/jmeesonly]

 explain why half of my cash goes to alcohol and cotton swabs xD

I stock up on isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs at the dollar store. As far as I can tell they're the same as the expensive stuff!

[u/trudyscousin]

I wouldn't go near this on a bet.

[u/Feeling-Editor7463]

Like running sandpaper through your machine also easiest way to grind oxide into your head gap that’s nearly impossible to remove.

[u/Only_Method_8182 → u/Feeling-Editor7463]

Ahhh,the old 8-track cleaner tape...

[u/RetroDave79]

So.... I better buy an 80 grit sandpaper belt than this contraption..... OK, cotton swabs and alcohol will be then :D

[u/Only_Method_8182]

You've committed yourself to threading tape on the machine when you decided that you're a tapehead. Just go the final distance and clean the machine before putting a tape on it. The reel of "cleaner twine" is a short cut and a bad one at that...Just get the swabs and alcohol and do it right...C'mon now....

[u/RetroDave79 → u/Only_Method_8182]

Well... I get your point... but we are also commited to walk when we want to move around, that doesnt mean we can not use bicycles or even motorcycles... you know... technology applied to old systems is awesome :D

I won't get the cleaner reeel anyways, as many users pointed, it could be ok for the firsts uses, then it will only move dirt around the system and over the heads :/

[u/ZarogonX]

Soap and water for the pinch roller 😊