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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 10th Jan 2022, 11:34 am   #1
Martin Bush
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Default Phillips belt goo

Hello all

I am repairing a Phillips reel to reel at the moment and all seems to be going OK.

I've spent a great deal of time cleaning up belt goo using a range of products including foam cleaner, IPA, naptha and PlatenClene. All work well for me in different ways.

What I want to know is how important is it to clean up every last trace of the goo? Obviously I know it's important in some locations to get things perfectly clean so that the belts run properly. However if there is some that is essentially ingrained, will that pose a problem in terms of the new belts degrading?

I am talking here about the odd bit that has been scrubbed, wiped and poked and is more like small smears than piles off the stuff.

Martin
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Last edited by Martin Bush; 10th Jan 2022 at 11:43 am.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 11:45 am   #2
Nickthedentist
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

I try to remove everything if I can, as sticky stuff of any sort can cause problems. I find Cif cream and plenty of warm water works surprisingly well.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:13 pm   #3
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Thanks Nick. I have some oven top cleaner which I think is very similar.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:16 pm   #4
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Ingrained/smeared can be extremely difficult to fully remove. Ideally if possible it should be fully removed especially if it is directly in contact with belt.

If smooth and level with area it is on and not sticky then not really a big issue if not able to 100% clean.

David
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:24 pm   #5
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Thanks David.

I consider cleaning to be my string point - in the absence of any other strong point I think I will need to keep going a while longer just to be sure.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:27 pm   #6
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickthedentist View Post
I try to remove everything if I can, as sticky stuff of any sort can cause problems. I find Cif cream and plenty of warm water works surprisingly well.
Stardrops Pink Stuff paste is a similar mildly abrasive cleaner, available from the Savers chain amongst other places. All these cleaners should be carefully cleaned off afterwards though - you don't want the stuff getting into bearings.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:39 pm   #7
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

I use Lighter fluid. Lighter fluid is good for the belt goo. Also IPA.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 1:00 pm   #8
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Note the goo in my Cossor (Philips) was mildly conductive (~2Meg) leading to obscure amplifier faults until cleared from the switch it had dribbled into...
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 2:22 pm   #9
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Thanks to everyone for their feedback so far.

The main thing I really want to get clear is a plastic pulley. I've tried cotton buds as well as a duster wet with cleaning fluid and pushed into the groove with a plectrum and there's still traces left.

Would this pulley be a good candidate for the mildly abrasive stuff?

If it's of any help to anyone I had some success with the belt brushes (what are these actually for?) which were covered in sludge. I soaked those in foam cleaner which worked very well.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 3:10 pm   #10
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

There is two things present.
The goo is obvious but staining will not effect operation.
A mark that has dissolved into a metal or plastic pulley will tend to engage "vanity node" leading to excessive cleaning that could impair the finish especially on plastic parts.
There has to be a compromise.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 7:45 pm   #11
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Quote:
Originally Posted by wd40addict View Post
Note the goo in my Cossor (Philips) was mildly conductive (~2Meg) leading to obscure amplifier faults until cleared from the switch it had dribbled into...
I suspect there's some hygroscopic effect involved.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 8:27 pm   #12
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

I've gone back to the machine after several hours of cleaning yesterday and found I got the pulleys quite clean in a few minutes. I wonder if yesterday's efforts have broken the spirit of the remaining goo...

Theres still gunge lurking elsewhere, but I will get what needs to be got in good time I'm sure.
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Old 11th Jan 2022, 10:03 am   #13
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Bush View Post
I've tried cotton buds as well as a duster wet with cleaning fluid and pushed into the groove with a plectrum and there's still traces left.
Try cocktail sticks - trimmed to size with a blade if needs be.
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Old 11th Jan 2022, 1:16 pm   #14
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

To clean a pulley groove, string wet with cleaner can work well. I also use cleaner on string to clean tape recorder guides. I use it under tension and pulled one way and then t'other while the pulley is kept stationary.

I found some non abrasive hand cleaner gels work well on the black goo, especially if left to act on the goo for some time and then agitated with a small brush. If the part can be submerged in the gel all the better.
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Old 11th Jan 2022, 3:38 pm   #15
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Thanks to all who have commented so far - really useful stuff.

Has there been a thread on why these belts disintegrate the way that they do? I'm no chemist, so maybe I wouldn't understand the reason even if it was explained to me.

I did find two belts completely intact, although a bit dry and brittle, which makes me think that someone had been inside and replaced them at some point. There's also a stray ground wire which also suggests someone has been at it in the past.
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Old 11th Jan 2022, 4:11 pm   #16
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Quote:
Originally Posted by TIMTAPE View Post
To clean a pulley groove, string wet with cleaner can work well. I also use cleaner on string to clean tape recorder guides. I use it under tension and pulled one way and then t'other while the pulley is kept stationary.
This Post is well timed, I have been struggling to clean an idler pulley on an Ampex 2163 where the gooey belt was stuck in the groove, a mixture of gooey and rock hard belt.

Awkward location and the fact that pulley cannot be manually rotated (think it is electro-mechanical pulley) makes it extra difficult to clean properly, I will try the string cleaning.

David
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Old 12th Jan 2022, 6:01 am   #17
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

I have always used denatured alcohol with good success. I also wear rubber gloves as that "goo" really sticks to everything. I like using the 6" long cotton swabs like doctors use, and white shop rags, as the red & blue ones have a solvent/oil on them that makes a real mess. (At least the ones here in the U.S. do).
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Old 18th Jan 2022, 8:38 pm   #18
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

Can I suggest trying white spirit? It's surprisingly good at removing all the guey stuff I've used it on when everything else I've tried hasn't touched it. (meths, ipa, lighter fuel, acetone)
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Old 18th Jan 2022, 9:39 pm   #19
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

There has been at least one other thread about gooey belts. My solution has been to apply dry powdered earth and work the goo up into a stiff paste with a small plastic spatula or wood spill.This gets rid of the stickyness and makes it easier to scrape off without getting goo on anything rlse.. Not ideal if there is the chance of getting powder into delicate mechanisms.

Our local soil is a brick earth that dries to an impalpable powder. Absorbent powder can also be made by finely grinding a piece of broken plant pot in a pestle and mortar.

Last edited by emeritus; 18th Jan 2022 at 9:43 pm. Reason: typos
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Old 18th Jan 2022, 10:40 pm   #20
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Default Re: Phillips belt goo

I think I used talc as a teenager when I first came across these gooey belts. It seemed to absorb a fair amount of stickiness.

Nowadays, I usually use a shot of freezer spray and chisel the stuff off!
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