[ben]

Here's a tip for those who pick up used cassettes. Often you find that the first ten minutes/half an hour has the most drop-outs, as people would record short programmes always at the start of the tape, and repeat the process. So the start wore faster than the rest, which often showed no signs of wear at all.

Another problem is edge damage causing drop outs in the audio, or unstable frame lock. This is usually caused by being played on a deck with a worn pinch roller or faulty spool clutch. This is more apparent at tape start when takeup torque is highest.

Before re-using those tapes, fast wind in to the tape until the picture is clear and a visual inspection shows no lines or wear on the tape surface. Eject tape. Pop the tape flap up and block it open (I use a pencil eraser), unblock the spools by inserting a pen top or similar in the hole, and unwind all the (defective) tape off the take up spool.

You can then reattach the leader to the fresher tape off the supply spool. Ideally you need one inch splicing tape for this. If you're careful you can reuse the splicing tape used originally by peeling off the tape end. I have done this many times. It's probably only worth going to this trouble with scarcer, quality tapes from the 80s/early 90s - more recent tapes can be found easily still.