Salvaging some broadcast recordings from thirty-year old cassette tapes which had been unplayable due to the loss of tape lubricant causing the tape pack to sieze up and produce a violent squeal thru the player head. This is a common problem with certain types of bulk-loaded 90 minute cassettes from the '80s, and I've come up with a functional solution to the problem.
Open the cassette shell and drip several drops of Rain-X Original car windshield treatment onto the tape pack. Allow the fluid to be absorbed into the pack. Then, apply a bit of Rain-X to a Q-tip and carefully swab the feed path in the cassette shell. Apply a drop of Rain-X to the cassette pressure pad. Allow all of this to dry.
Reassemble the cassette, and you'll be able to play it thru without problems. I don't know how long the treatment will last, but it'll give you a chance to copy the recording onto other media for long-term preservation.
The Rain-X fluid is basically a suspension of light silicone in isopropyl alcohol -- once the alcohol evaporates, the silicone will remain on the tape, giving it a fresh coat of lubricant to replace that lost thru chemical decomposition. You'll want to clean your player's heads and tape path after you're done transferring the tape, but if you have unique recordings that can't be salvaged any other way, it's worth the effort.
I still like the sound of audio-cassettes and use them. Ok, the sound of LP's is nice and warm, but the sound of cassettes, especially, if you higher the volume a little, is kind of an epic "hall-tone" or church-sound, to me. Makes the sound more "groovy".
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