r/8track • u/MadEyeMercenary • 17d ago

Technical question I pulled the felt pressure pad out of a tape because it was rotted out and now it sounds better?

How is this possible and how soon should I fix it lest my tape becomes irreversibly fucked (also dont worry guys it was cheap and old)

8 Upvotes

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3

u/whatapunk95 17d ago

If the pad had gotten sticky or malformed severely, I could see it. I don’t know if I would play it like that. Some players are more lenient to shrunk pads than others, but since you removed it completely I would replace it ASAP. There are several good YouTube videos on how to do it and servicing them in general

3

u/Krogmeier 17d ago

Co-sign to this advice. If the tape is tight enough to hold itself against the heads with no pads, it’s likely binding and needs servicing.

2

u/MadEyeMercenary 17d ago

The sound before removing was having oscilatting for lack of a better word shifts in volume and some crosstalk which seemed to go away. Would that also be a sign of what you guys are talking about? (Sorry if this is a dumb question, i know next to nothing about these things)

1

u/Perna1985 17d ago

You can replace the felt pads with those felt pads you could stick on like drawers and stuff like that. Just get large ones trim them and then glue them down to the springs. Afterwards I like to bend the metal tabs they sit on to kind of raise the tape up a little bit. It seems to help fidelity

1

u/Vincentus_Eruptum 16d ago

As a general measure. If the pads are dead, replace them. And resplice at the same time. For pads you can find pre-made sets on ebay for about $20. I make my own pads from insulation foam tape and ultra high molecular weight tape (used in industry for its close to zero friction). Both are available on Amazon for cheap.

1

u/wild_ty 15d ago

Can we get links for the pad material?

1

u/Vincentus_Eruptum 15d ago

Here is a link to the type of material I use: pad material. There are multiple variations of this type of foam tape. What matters is the thickness: 3/8". I buy 1/2" width because it is the only size I could find and then cut it lengthwise. It does not have to be perfect. Then here is the link for the surface tape (in contact with the magnetic band): UHMW tape.