Repairing a cassette that has no screws

V

vilmosz

New Member
I have a TDK CDpower 110 cassette with some valuable family interviews on it. The tape itself snapped at the beginning -- I think the reel might have gotten stuck from a long period of disuse. There are no screws on the housing -- it appears to be glued together. Can someone advise on the proper method for taking the casing apart? I'm guessing I'll just have to break it open, but thought I'd check first.
 
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Break it open carefully on the sides with a small screwdriver on the side where there is hardly any tape. Be careful not to damage the tape in any way. There are snaps in each corner that holds the case in place. Use the screwdriver to pop open the snaps. Be careful so you don't damage the tape or unravel the spool.

I would transfer the tape to an new casing with screws.

Next time when you playing an old tape that has not been played for awhile, rap each side of the cassette on a hard surface. It should loosen the tape for playing. On rare occasions it did not work, so I had to transfer the tape to a new casing.
 
After you repair the tape, I'd advise making a second copy on something other than a TDK CD Power 110 tape. I bought some of those awhile back and they had problems with jamming up right out of the box. Maybe a new shell will resolve some of the issues, but I have a hard time trusting some of the thinner tape stock that went into the longer tapes. It would probably be best to transfer on to two 60 minute tapes.
 
I would score the edges where it joins together with Box-cutting knife - use a fresh blade - and DON'T cut yourself doing it. It will break apart easier.
 
Since I was a child, I had to break apart shells that had no screws. You just run a razor blade along the seam and they come apart (OK, you might have to dig a little). They can be easily put back together with cellotape or, as suggesed (and better) put into a new screw-together shell.
 
fortycoats said:
Since I was a child, I had to break apart shells that had no screws. You just run a razor blade along the seam and they come apart (OK, you might have to dig a little). They can be easily put back together with cellotape or, as suggesed (and better) put into a new screw-together shell.
Click to expand...

+1 What he said... it really does work on most cases. I use an Exacto knife.
 
Talk about AudioKarma! I just did this last night with a pre-recorded tape of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass- Greatest Hits, A&M CS 3267. On one side, the tape was on the wrong side of the roller and coming through the wrong slot past the roller. :wtf:

I almost asked the same question last night here on AK. Since I got the tape for 50 cent at the thrift, I had not much to lose. I decided to perform my own surgery.

A sharp knife sounds like a better solution, but I just pried it open starting from the long end opposite of the tape. Apparently there are 5 snaps: one at each corner, and one at the middle of the long side opposite of the tape.

At the bottom of the short sides, near the rollers, are long thin tabs that stick out from the side. That appears to be the only place the cassettes was glued together. Once the glue there broke, the cassette snapped apart.

After moving the tape through the correct path (not an easy task), I just snapped the cassette back together. I did not use glue to hold it together. The 3 snaps seem to be holding it together just fine. I did not want to use a new cassette body because this one has the “album” title, information, and song list printed on it.

Good luck.
 
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Mission: Impossible

Ok, I'm going in again. My thirft store score of "Music from and inspired by the motion picture Mission: Impossible" has leader broken off the take up real.

Gonna try the knife/screw driver method.
 
I have had some success with opening shells that do not have screws.

Some opened with a little careful prying, while others would not. I will try the sharp knife technique on my next one.

Seems some were glued, while most were heat set. Depending on the quality of the glue, and how hot the shell halves were prior to bonding, some will pull apart rather easily, while others will just refuse.

Thanks for the tip Fortycoats :thmbsp:
 
aabottom said:
Ok, I'm going in again. My thirft store score of "Music from and inspired by the motion picture Mission: Impossible" has leader broken off the take up real.

Gonna try the knife/screw driver method.
Click to expand...
Well, 'twas partially successful. The tape broke during the repair and the take up reel was cracked. We'll see if it works.

Here's what I did:
1. On the top long side, put a screwdriver in the write protect slots and gently twist, 'till you hear a crack. This breaks the bonds at the top corners.
2. Now seperate the corners and insert the screw driver in between the two halves. Twist the screwdriver gently 'till you hear more cracks.
3. Repeat 2. until you work your way all the way arround.

Note to self (and others): Do the operation on a large surface table so that the leader will not fall to the floor, uncoiling the tape. :nono:
 
oldvinyldude said:
I have had some success with opening shells that do not have screws.

Some opened with a little careful prying, while others would not. I will try the sharp knife technique on my next one.

Seems some were glued, while most were heat set. Depending on the quality of the glue, and how hot the shell halves were prior to bonding, some will pull apart rather easily, while others will just refuse.

Thanks for the tip Fortycoats :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

No problem but good point on the heat-set vs glued shells. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever got too far with a heat-set in terms of putting it back together again afterwards.
 
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