HOW TO: Cassette Tape Repair FELT PAD Replacement

[@bdmograph]

Excellent viddie, thank you Mr. Pilmer. Does anybody know of a viable replacement for the felt pads if you're working from scratch?

[@martinwatson9615]

Not just any tapes, either. Great Sire and Beserkley reissues of The Saints, Flamin Groovies and Jonathan Richman looking very smart in their blue. I’m here because of this exact pad problem with my Sire Warners U.K. tape of the first Ramones album. Thanks!

[@Anman619]

I just got several cassettes with this issue and went looking for the best fix. Glad to find it.

[@H-Man1]

Thanks for the video! Some really useful stuff here. I had a few tapes stacking up needing pads put back, but I wasn't sure about taking the risk and trying to glue them back in place with the tape going everywhere. I finally decided to give it a go after picking up a few "new" tapes with this problem. I used a box of Quaker instant oatmeal instead of a nice cassette box and left leader tape exposed while I worked instead of the magnetic section, but I was actually quite pleased with the results using markers as a counterweight. I used a fraction of a drop of Gorilla Glue and a toothpick to apply it to the cassette. Results are great!

[@alvaroduranmartinez9519]

Thank you, I've taken your video as an inspiration to fix a Queen's Flash Gordon cassette with a loose pad. Very useful, problem solved, thanks.

[@terencemartin523]

Brilliant..love it..pretty well organised...and nicely explained too.

[@damusicianstrikesback5337]

That’s exactly how I re-pad tapes, except I don’t pull the tape all the way out. Instead, I rewind the tape all way to the leader and pull about .5” up. Being the leader is rigid, it doesn’t get in the way.

[@hamburgerklay7679]

Worked great my favorite cassette tape works great now

[@johngallagher9936]

3 amazing BLUE tapes!

[@BeatStylist]

Does Elmer's hold?? I've always used Cray-Z Glue.

[@MichaelPilmer]

Elmer's has worked for me!

[@wa27]

And if you're getting into collecting tapes, keep an eye out for people selling a whole box of worthless tapes for a dollar at garage sales. It's a great way to harvest those felt pads for your good tapes that are missing them!

[@hotarepa37]

Thank you for the vídeos it was very helpful on fixing my Kansas tape

[@MichaelPilmer]

@hotarepa37 - you're welcome!

[@bocswu]

I've been converting my cassette tapes to mp3 for about a week now. I'm on cassette tape 50 when it just stops in the middle of recording. I pull the cassette out and I see the felt is not seated properly. I try to get it out and it falls to the floor. I bend down to look for it and I see 1... then 2... then 3... so far 7 felt pads scattered below my chair. I'm glad I haven't vacuumed since starting. Then I search and found your repair tip. Thanks.

[@JIMFROMANDROS]

Great video, useful method

[@evilwarnings2419]

Great video! Just got a box of great tapes and some need pads. What material are the pads made of?

[@MichaelPilmer]

The pads are little rectangles of felt. Sometimes I find the pads loose at thrift stores (look inside tape boxes and around the area where tapes are in the store). You can also find new pads for sale online.

[@comeonneiljustone]

Nice to see useful information

[@soluzaroi]

I'm gonna do this now to my 1 cassette of Cats. Thanks!

[@a.tapes_]

I've recently gotten back into collecting tapes, and this seems to be a common issue though i've yet to see it. the problem i do have is getting immaculate looking tapes from the 70s that squeak so loudly they become unplayable. anywho i am saving this video for when i inevitably get loose felt pads, thanks for the video!

[@MichaelPilmer]

Yeah, the squeeky problem is a bummer which can't be fixed, as far as I know. The squeeky tapes still look great on a shelf!

[@a.tapes_]

@@MichaelPilmer sure do! and theyre common tapes so nothings stopping me from buying a replacement. have a great day!

[@uncooldug]

I have found that sometimes the cassette becomes warped. You can relieve some of the tension by grasping the cassette from both ends and gently twist it (like you're wringing out a wet rag). You'll here the plastic "crack" as it un-warps. This technique works most of the time but it is not perfect. Still it's worth the effort to reduce the squeak or tape drag.

[@sammencia7945]

Some tapes have a plastic slip sheet inside that becomes dirty over the decades. Open the tape and clean it. The how to is from any video on YT. Yes, including the sealed shells with no screws.

[@fuzzysarcade8606]

Great info, thanks for sharing!

[@kitsynthpunk]

The pad on the third one (far right) seemed not to go on straight. Would that present ANY kind of problem during playback?

[@MichaelPilmer]

Yes, it looks like it was a little wonky...but it shouldn't affect play as long as it's touching the tape. I was putting those pads on at a weird angle because of the camera/tripod being in the way, so that's probably why it was placed a bit crooked.

[@Patriot6669]

Great video. Thank you!

[@CKT1138]

Great work, Michael! Have you ever spliced or repaired a torn tape? If so you should do a video on the subject!

[@MichaelPilmer]

I haven't spliced a tape since I was in an experimental/industrial band in the 80s/90s....making tape loops...So I'm not practiced enough to do a video on it, unfortunately.

[@CKT1138]

@@MichaelPilmer i actually attempted it on a broken tape of Skinny Puppy's "Remission* after posting that comment haha, it worked out okay, The glue I used wasn't optimal though, so it broke again

[@MichaelPilmer]

@@CKT1138 - I love me some Skinny Puppy! One of my fave bands.

[@CKT1138]

@@MichaelPilmer they are fantastic, and a huge influence on my own musical project, i bought an old DigiTech digital delay rack processor just because I wanted to use the "hold" function to get some Ogre-esque vocal efdects!

[@Ricecooker64]

My tape does not have the pad inside the case so is cutting battery door felt a good idea?

[@MichaelPilmer]

Never tried that. I would go to your local thrift shops to see if they have tapes. You can often find pads in the cases. You can also buy replacement pads online, I think.

[@Ricecooker64]

@@MichaelPilmer Yeah Thought it would be to rough and I did another tape with it in the case.

[@macabre_matinee]

Thank you! Just got out of my phone booth and the tapes I’m finding super cheap are all falling apart!

[@eddiespaghetti54321]

I just used a piece of double sided scotch tape that I cut into shape with a razor blade. The pad stays in place but my tapes that needed fixing still sound wobbly and shaky.

[@MichaelPilmer]

The tape itself might be a bit worn in that case. I can't recall it at the moment, but there's a term for how the tape gets a bit warped/mis-shapen.

[@sammencia7945]

Excellent system and production line layout. But the real mention must be the 3 tapes being repaired. All rare collectible classics of Indie Rock.

[@devildozer]

I just finished re-glueing three pads back onto the metal peice but I used a little dab of superglue instead. Funny, I found your video after I had finished because I was curious to see how long others recommend before playing the tapes again. My method is similar except I don't pull that much tape out, just enough so it makes a little arch over where I'm inserting the pad. I'm pretty good at getting my tweezers and pads into the little opening and I've got very steady hands and if I don't get the pad perfectly centered onto the metal piece, my ocd goes all haywire and I carefully reposition it around until it's perfect or in one instance, pulled it off before the glue dried and reapplied it again. Basically our methods are the same, keeping the tapes upside down, etc. except I used superglue. I like the color blue of those tapes by the way. The tapes I repaired today are: Poison "Look What the Cat Dragged In", Lizzy Borden "Visual Lies", and Electric Breakdance. Nice video.

[@clamshell6863]

You are supposed to rewind the tape and not touch the tape with all the data which ruins the sound of the cassette. Always work on a tape by having the clear part all the way rewind.

[@MichaelPilmer]

It's a little more difficult to get the tape to lay flat and away from the part where you put the glue when the plastic leader is involved...but thanks for the tip.

[@JustinMiller-ix7ec]

I just pulled the tape out with a tooth pick not as far as this guy did but anyway works i had a pressure pad half way off so i scrapped it off and used wood glue with a Q tip I don’t use super glue it hardens the pad make sure it drys after you put wood glue on it for 30 minutes atleast I fixed a rare cassette called locust abortion technician by the butthole surfers and no it sounds 10/10 used to be a 5/10

[@STAY-GOLD-VINYL]

Dude what’s with that black bracelets?? 😅

[@MichaelPilmer]

@STAY-GOLD-VINYL - man, you should see how many I have now!

[@scottwarner3818]

All three cassettes look like they were made by the same company/distributor.

[@MichaelPilmer]

...and all were recent gifts sent to me by a KZbin subscriber pal!

[@MatrixAlphaCWX]

Hahaha i just use 1 tiny drop of Gorilla Plastic Glue. Pad never comes off. And dries immediately within seconds after placing the pad.

[@sammencia7945]

Revised opinion: Do not use glue. Adhesive tape is better. He is experienced at this with a very steady hand. "Being careful" is not enough. I got glue all over the leader. Cleaned it with alcohol. Tape won't get all over the copper plate and case. No glue. Tape

[@Retro_80s_Guy]

If you need to watch an instructional video on how to glue one thing to another thing....I have no hope for the human race.

[@MichaelPilmer]

Wait, you have or had hope for the human race? Go figure!

[@leoislo]

Super helpful thank you!!