Hi all:
I contacted Teac/Tascam regarding their head cleaner for my A-4300 and A-6100. I was told that it was NLA. Any suggestions?

Ron

Some Q-tips (actually, I prefer the long wooden handled "Puritan Applicators" myself) and some IprOH (isopropanol) is all I've ever needed or used to clean tape heads or tape paths (including pinch rollers). I guess you can use foam-tipped swabs if you worry about cotton fibers.

I might have an old bottle but it's not handy right now. I think their cleaner was 1,1,1 trifluroethane (plus some pink coloring). The head cleaner's I've seen are all based on the same combination of things, usually isopropanol (as above) or some hydrocarbon solvent, often fluorinated. Unless there is a specific warning about certain classes (and I don't believe teac has any that I've seen), either should work. With isopranol I'd tend toward at least the 91% or even the 100% rather than the 70%--just to avoid the water that might stick around longer, and let it dry good before playing something (and the less water, the less long it takes to dry). The other cleaners generally don't mix with water so there isn't a problem with them. Decks from the mid 70s on as far as I know shouldn't have a problem with any cleaner labelled as a "normal" head cleaner for VCR heads or the like having any laquer or something dissolve. I'm not saying older decks would either, but I'd be more cautious there.

Hi,

Try this link to a product I've used with good results in the past on my Nak decks. You should check directly with them to see if there is any compatibility problem with the TEAC/TASCAM heads/pinch rollers.

American Recorders products (http://americanrecorder.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=12&products_id=108)

They also have lots of other cleaning products for tape paths of all types.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Bart

Note that heads (& metal parts) are different thing than rubber stuff (pinch rollers and the like). Teac sold/sells a different much oilier thing for rubber parts; other companies sell something similar to that as well if Teac still doesn't.-kby

Parts-Express sell both head-cleaner and rubber-cleaner if you still looking.:)