Repairing and recovering a damaged 8mm video cassette

When an 8mm tape is wrinkled on the bottom edge due to a bad pinch roller it can usually be recovered this way.

[@GWindows3.1]

Its a good day when 12voltsvids uploads

[@12voltvids]

plasma tv later

[@GSGSongs]

What brand or set of miniature Philips screwdriver set should I purchase since my miniature screwdriver is to large for the screws?

[@dadbabyletsplayz5132]

That is so cool I have never seen an 8mm rewinder

[@OVPT]

I just got a new hi8 tape for my Sony camcorder and once I put that new tape in the camcorder the camera said to take the tape out so I did. Once I take the tape out of the camera the tape had unraveled itself in the camcorder. A strip of the tape Is on the top out of the cassette itself and the right side of the tape wheel has no tape in it while the left side has a full wheel of tape. If you could help me with this issue that would be awesome! Thank you.

[@12voltvids]

Sounds like your camera ate the tape

[@OVPT]

@@12voltvids Would you say that the tape is completely useless now or is it salvageable? And What to do with the camera to not make it eat the tape?

[@OVPT]

@@12voltvids I have a tape that has footage recorded on it and when put in to the camera in question the tape never gets eaten it only ate the new tape i just bought that is blank.

[@OVPT]

@@12voltvids the camera is a Sony handycam trv-138 if you know anything about those. 👍

[@12voltvids]

@@OVPT model numbers mean nothing as every market for different numbers. Chassis numbers are what I remember

[@dave631bnetzero]

Wow, amazing it plays

[@plesio2830]

why you not use firewire its much better quality

[@giragama]

I was wondering the same, maybe that camcorder doesn't support analog to digital conversion and FireWire only outputs Digital 8 tapes.

[@barrygill6975]

FireWire for NTSC is DV and sucks.

[@MattBrandon]

You just popped that cassette top back on. What about the small level that opened the tape gate to the play head? For the life of me, I can not get it back on as that little plastic lever keeps falling out! I am working on a Fuji Hi8. Any help would be appreciated!

[@ArmandoLacerda]

Thank you for posting this. I was thinking of a different approach. You gave me a better perspective. I've just bought a camcorder from eBay. I have 6 tapes to recover. Three are broken and I'll use your technique to recover them and capture the video. You rock!

[@nikhilm6947]

Hi,Sir I have one 8mm video cassette that one inserting tape to camcoder It’s not working and not inserting and not playing the video please how to fix it

[@12voltvids]

Have no idea

[@markmarkofkane8167]

I had bad times with audio cassettes. Sometimes the tape would twist and be put on the take up reel. So, the rest of the tape ends up facing the head the wrong way, making the sound very muffled. Getting the tape untwisted and the right side touching the head is sure a lot of fun. (Not). With that 8 mm, I'm surprised it would play with a crease in it. But, as long as it works! Interesting video. Oh, and on VHS TAPES, if the top edge or bottom edge is messed up, it will affect the analog sound track or the speed control track. (I think that's what it's called). I suppose 8 mm works differently? I only had VHS video tapes.

[@magdalenapetrovic6881]

Heya, Would you be willing to do repairs?

[@StuffJason437]

I have around +20 h8 tapes that were snapped had used this same exact method 2years ago to recover everything played it safe and done one reel at a time. Luckily enough the camcorder that recorded on those tapes only had bad switch contact and nothing else was wrong. it's Sony dcr-trv 238e.

[@johnvitetta3942]

This is great work thank you I would like to know if you are excepting taps for repair and transfer to digital We have this mold issue I spliced it once and it tour again My wife wants me to send to you to fix and transfer Her son is 23 now and it’s all she has left of baby video Can you help ? Thanks. John V

[@12voltvids]

You can contact me by email and i will try. Can't guarantee I can do anything till I see the tape.

[@johnvitetta3942]

@@12voltvids what’s your Email

[@nikhilm6947]

hi sir , i have one tape 8mm video cassette that tape is twiseted and wrinkled to much.... but that tape i had keep away

[@12voltvids]

If you have physical damage to a tape you won't get much off it.

[@tookeydookey]

Only tape I've had that suffered the tape damage like that was a VHS copy of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving I got at a consignment store over a decade ago, it didn't over-spool like this tape did though! I didn't know the film was in bad shape when I bought it at the time. The tape didn't play good at all cuz the picture wouldn't stop jumping. Needless to say I tossed it out as soon as I played it. This was a fascinating watch!😁👌

[@12voltvids]

The only reason this played is because on 8mm the video only occupies about 6mm of the tape width, the top 6mm. The bottom edge is where time code data and the optional PCM digital audio would go. There is no control track on 8mm, they use pilot signals recorded with the video for track finding. On VHS the control track is on the bottom edge. No control track no playback.

[@GhostRider-or3xr]

Hi

[@renemies78]

It's always incredible that you're able to fix these and get those precious memories out of a damaged tape. But I was wondering what is the model of your external rewinder? That looks pretty cool. Reminded me of the ones made for VHS tapes.

[@12voltvids]

Sony BE-V8. They were mega expensive, like 500.00 expensive when they were for sale, and that is why you don't see them around.

[@sf-dn8rh]

What about damaged vhs tape, where a machine damaged a tape?

[@leeboleebo6228]

I would never thought about doing that top man again Dave