Cassette repair service, tape splicing and cassette casings

Tape and Cassette Repair Service

This service is only for tapes that DVD Conversions are converting.

We do not offer this as a stand alone service.

We get a lot of tape through our doors, for the most part they are in good condition and do not require any attention prior to commencing the transfer process.

We get a fair amount of tapes that have not been cared for or have been damaged due to incorrect storage and moisture damage. Cassette repair, treatment and baking is then required.

All is not lost, in most instances we are able to recover most if not all of the video footage. The extent of the damage determines what footage can be recovered.

Tape Splicing

In some cases the actual magnetic tape is damaged and requires splicing. We use a range of professional splicing blocks and adhesive films designed for this purpose.

Standard adhesive tape can cause damage to the tape surrounding the splice point. We use a range of specialist splicing films.

White splicing tapes in various sizes for VHS, 8mm and DV tape

Tape Cleaning and Tape Baking

8mm Cassette cleaning jig custom built for 8mm and hi8 tape cleaning and repair

We have custom built tape jigs to assist with tape cleaning and preparation. Moldy tapes are our most common issue.

We use various methods to clean and prepare the tape prior to running in our machinery, one of which is tape baking. In extreme cases we “bake” the cassettes at constant temperature and humidity levels. This process removing excess moisture and prepares the tape for cleaning and transfer.

Damaged 8mm video tape

Mould on a 8mm cassette before our cleaning process

This is a typical example of a Hi8 video cassette with mold on the edges. 8mm tape is particularly difficult to deal with as it is very thin and tears very easily.

In extreme cases we manually rewind each meter of tape and in doing so remove the bulk of the mold. If the mold has been on the tapes for a prolonged period, it can get between the tape layers and cause the tape to stick together and in some cases it will tear.

We would generally bake an 8mm cassette for at least 12 hours before attempting to clean it. We use a custom made 8mm tape splicing block to perform a splice point that does not cause the playback deck to jam.

Audio tape damaged in fire before and after repair

Audio tape damaged in a house fire.

This audio cassette tape was damaged in a house fire, we removed the tape from the damaged casing and inserted it into a new casing, we managed to recover everything from this audio cassette.