Tape erasure - bulk - Page 3 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

DMcMahon · 10th Aug 2020, 5:14 pm

I assumed it was like a dealers stamp.

barrymagrec · 10th Aug 2020, 5:59 pm

No, I don`t think so, Tony Costello formed PRECO when Leevers folded , sometime in the early eighties I think. He had previously been a director of Bias electronics producing the BE 1000 tape machine and sold out to Leevers Rich who produced as the Proline 1000. He became Leevers Rich general manager for sometime before the business pretty much ceased. At the end Leevers were mostly producing low temperature metal spray guns to compliment the range of low melting point alloys produced by their then parent company, Mining and Chemical Products.

brenellic2000 · 11th Aug 2020, 7:16 am

Leevers-Rich ceased tape-deck production c 1979/80 but decks remained available until c.1982. Deck spares were taken over by Tony's PRECO (Professional Recording Equipment Co). Meanwhile, L-R had become UK agents for Gardner bulk erasers...

Tony was a L-R salesman but when L-R and Bias merged in December 1975, Tony became GM. MCP Electronics (who owned L-R since 1971) showed little real interest in tape decks.

ben · 15th Aug 2020, 12:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricard

What are the opinions of those that have actually used the various types of these machines?

I have had a Leevers Rich ER32 for decades, rescued from the skip of a local school. Works like a charm - switch on, place spool on peg, rotate three times slowly, gently lift off and slowly remove from field...job done. Compact, not excessively heavy, I would say about 5-6 kg. I have tried it on videotapes but the plastic shell hampers complete erasure. One day I may try removing the spool and placing it directly in the field. Likewise, chrome cassettes need more time and care in manipulation to be erased.

TBH I rarely use it for cassettes. For those I use an old Panasonic KXT1455 answer machine which has a fast erase function that handles normal and chrome tapes very well!

ricard · 16th Aug 2020, 10:32 pm

Thanks Ben for the appraisal.

TIMTAPE · 17th Aug 2020, 12:08 am

VHS and Beta tapes ARE effectively chrome so a normal eraser will struggle to fully erase them.

Avinunca · 26th Aug 2020, 8:12 am

I obtained a Teac E-2A bulk eraser not long ago. I think I paid about £90 - not bad for a NOS item. It seems to do the job well. I have seen them sell for much more. No surprise there as all tape recording gear seems to attract silly money these days.

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_li...eac/e-2a.shtml

ITAM805 · 26th Aug 2020, 11:07 am

Is it beyond the wit of man to construct something that will deep demag without costing a fortune? I ask because I have lots of half inch tapes that I want to sell on but would like to erase first?

CambridgeWorks · 26th Aug 2020, 12:02 pm

Occasionally I have seen ebay lots with used r2r tapes described as "sounds like 60s pop music, unknown group" or similar and they had bidding wars.
On the other hand, I remember at work having a r2r Grundig to repair. The tape with it had what sounded like a WI meeting discussion. The bit I recall is mentioning the name of someone my parents knew well and gossiping about her being of a certain religious group!
So, to erase or not when selling? Depends if any sensitive information on them.

I used to have a rather heavy bulk eraser...somewhere... unless it has been sold.
Not been seen for several years.
Rob

jamesperrett · 27th Aug 2020, 12:20 am

There seems to be a bit of interest in old studio tapes now. There are a few people who have bought them and then had me transfer them to digital so that they can listen to them. One of the tapes I transferred would almost certainly be worth quite a bit of money to a collector as it contained a work in progress version of a very famous track.

Tractorfan · 27th Aug 2020, 9:53 am

Hi,
A couple of weeks ago I dismantled a microwave oven transformer out of curiosity by grinding away the welded seams.
The laminations were not interleaved, so probably easy to adapt into a possible eraser.
I've removed the HV and filament windings and left the primary in place.
I'll get back to it when I get a free afternoon.
Cheers, Pete.

Refugee · 27th Aug 2020, 10:23 am

I used a coil from a 50V shaded pole motor and found that 15 to 20 volts did the job.
I used a set of lams from from an old burned out mains transformer.
It worked well and I still have it.
With the existing coil you will most likely need about 50 to 70 volts.

10th Aug 2020, 5:14 pm	#41
DMcMahon Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK. Posts: 6,602	Re: Tape erasure - bulk I assumed it was like a dealers stamp.

10th Aug 2020, 5:59 pm	#42
barrymagrec Octode Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Morden, Surrey, UK. Posts: 1,557	Re: Tape erasure - bulk No, I don`t think so, Tony Costello formed PRECO when Leevers folded , sometime in the early eighties I think. He had previously been a director of Bias electronics producing the BE 1000 tape machine and sold out to Leevers Rich who produced as the Proline 1000. He became Leevers Rich general manager for sometime before the business pretty much ceased. At the end Leevers were mostly producing low temperature metal spray guns to compliment the range of low melting point alloys produced by their then parent company, Mining and Chemical Products.

11th Aug 2020, 7:16 am	#43
brenellic2000 Octode Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rye, East Sussex, UK. Posts: 1,647	Re: Tape erasure - bulk Leevers-Rich ceased tape-deck production c 1979/80 but decks remained available until c.1982. Deck spares were taken over by Tony's PRECO (Professional Recording Equipment Co). Meanwhile, L-R had become UK agents for Gardner bulk erasers... Tony was a L-R salesman but when L-R and Bias merged in December 1975, Tony became GM. MCP Electronics (who owned L-R since 1971) showed little real interest in tape decks.

16th Aug 2020, 10:32 pm	#45
ricard Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lund, Sweden Posts: 1,632	Re: Tape erasure - bulk Thanks Ben for the appraisal.

17th Aug 2020, 12:08 am	#46
TIMTAPE Octode Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,969	Re: Tape erasure - bulk VHS and Beta tapes ARE effectively chrome so a normal eraser will struggle to fully erase them.

26th Aug 2020, 8:12 am	#47
Avinunca Tetrode Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. Posts: 81	Re: Tape erasure - bulk I obtained a Teac E-2A bulk eraser not long ago. I think I paid about £90 - not bad for a NOS item. It seems to do the job well. I have seen them sell for much more. No surprise there as all tape recording gear seems to attract silly money these days. https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_li...eac/e-2a.shtml

26th Aug 2020, 11:07 am	#48
ITAM805 Nonode Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Folkestone, Kent, UK. Posts: 2,172	Re: Tape erasure - bulk Is it beyond the wit of man to construct something that will deep demag without costing a fortune? I ask because I have lots of half inch tapes that I want to sell on but would like to erase first?

26th Aug 2020, 12:02 pm	#49
CambridgeWorks Nonode Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Spalding, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 2,859	Re: Tape erasure - bulk Occasionally I have seen ebay lots with used r2r tapes described as "sounds like 60s pop music, unknown group" or similar and they had bidding wars. On the other hand, I remember at work having a r2r Grundig to repair. The tape with it had what sounded like a WI meeting discussion. The bit I recall is mentioning the name of someone my parents knew well and gossiping about her being of a certain religious group! So, to erase or not when selling? Depends if any sensitive information on them. I used to have a rather heavy bulk eraser...somewhere... unless it has been sold. Not been seen for several years. Rob __________________ Apprehension creeping like a tube train up your spine - Cymbaline. Film More soundtrack - Pink Floyd

27th Aug 2020, 12:20 am	#50
jamesperrett Octode Join Date: May 2007 Location: Liss, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 1,873	Re: Tape erasure - bulk There seems to be a bit of interest in old studio tapes now. There are a few people who have bought them and then had me transfer them to digital so that they can listen to them. One of the tapes I transferred would almost certainly be worth quite a bit of money to a collector as it contained a work in progress version of a very famous track.

27th Aug 2020, 9:53 am	#51
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: Tape erasure - bulk Hi, A couple of weeks ago I dismantled a microwave oven transformer out of curiosity by grinding away the welded seams. The laminations were not interleaved, so probably easy to adapt into a possible eraser. I've removed the HV and filament windings and left the primary in place. I'll get back to it when I get a free afternoon. Cheers, Pete. __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

27th Aug 2020, 10:23 am	#52
Refugee Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK. Posts: 5,553	Re: Tape erasure - bulk I used a coil from a 50V shaded pole motor and found that 15 to 20 volts did the job. I used a set of lams from from an old burned out mains transformer. It worked well and I still have it. With the existing coil you will most likely need about 50 to 70 volts.