Farmer Bill wrote:
I bought a used AM/FM/Cassette deck for my car. Unfortunately, the
heads, capstans, and pinch rollers were filthy. A cleaning tape barely
made a dent in the grime, so I cleaned everything gently with Q-tips and
rubbing alcohol. But there is still visible corrosion on the tape head,
causing playback to sound muffled (in one direction only; in the other
direction, the music sounds fine; it's a reversible deck). I have run
the (wet) cleaning tape through the machine about 15 times, to no
avail.

Does anyone know of a safe method to remove corrosion from audio
cassette tape heads? Not sure if I'm savvy enough to try to remove the
tape head from my old player and put it in the new player. Maybe I just
need to buy another used deck from a more reputable seller.

Many thanks.


You might try Brasso polish - it contains a fine abrasive and may safely
remove the corrosion if it's not too severe. Follow the directions on
the can and apply with a Q-Tip. Allow it to dry thoroughly, then polish
it off with a clean Q-tip. Keep repeating the process until the
corrosion is gone. Remove any remaining Brasso residue with 91% or
better Isopropyl Alcohol.

If that doesn't work and you are feeling brave, you could try something
more abrasive like CD scratch remover liquid or maybe even automotive
polishing compound. Just work slowly and carefully and be sure to remove
any residue afterwards with the alcohol.