From: liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
Cursitor Doom wrote:
[...]
> I had no idea you were so experienced and
> venerable in this field.
My excuse is that I'm very old, so I have had plenty of time to gain
experience. Working to a specification is a great way to learn and
cultivate ulcers at the same time.
> I can barely lift my L7 these days; not getting any younger. As you
> say, they're built like tanks. Not sure where they fit in the fidelity
> pantheon of high-end tape players. Some say better than Revox and the
> Swiss machines, others say not even close. But build-wise, they're
> virtually indestructible.
It was generally accepted that the Studer/Revox was very slightly better
on paper - but that was offset by awkward servicing arrangements unless
you were an agent with board-extenders, spare boards and a supply of the
exact parts. I've seen a Ferrograph still working with the heads held
on by wood screws.
[...]
> Ferrograph fucked up badly at some point in their history as you no
> doubt know by using some weird compound on their pinch wheels which
> turned into a thick black gum which proceeded to jam the works up and
> make the most awful and hard to remove mess inside all the moving
> parts.
They weren't the only ones who got caught by that batch of compound;
some Philips models had the problem in their rubber drive-clutch pads
but they generally didn't last long enough for it to become apparent.
It caused one of the worst nightmare scenarios of my career: I was
using three Ferrrograph 7s (manual control, not Logic) to supply sound
for a theatrical show. I was playing two machines alternately because
the reels weren't big enough to hold the whole production, keeping the
third as an emergency backup. At one of the final rehearsals they were
left running all day as the producer constantly switched back and forth
between musical numbers to give the cast the practice they needed.
Suddenly one of the machines ground to a halt, so I hastily switched to
the standby machine. After a few minutes that one developed dreadful
wow so I stopped it. The remaining machine kept going and I had some
hasty tape-threading to do at the changeovers.
I took the two faulty machines away and dismantled them the next
morning. In one of them, the compound from all three idler wheels had
fused into a single gooey blob which had wrapped itself around the motor
pulley, heated up from the churning effect, and then flown off in
droplets over the entire works. In the other machine, the active wheel
was gradually melting into the other two and dragging, also spreading
sticky droplets throughout the works. Luckily my 'day job' was in a
research establishment where one of the technicians warned me about the
chemical risk.
>The "dangerous mush" - would that be rich in hydrofluoric acid,
> perchance?
Yes.
The technician produced a solvent (highly flammable!)which removed the
mush that I hadn't been able to scrape off. Replacement wheels arrived
by post the following morning and I fitted them in time for the first
public performance that evening.
> >I have never used Auto-Sol on the heads but I imagine it would be very
> >effective - possibly a little too effective for anything other than
> >occasional use in extreme circumstances.
>
> It's a very mild abrasive akin to toothpaste. My servicer has been
> doing F'graphs for almost 60 years now and recommends it, so I think
> you'll find it's safe enough!
I'll give it a try next time I have a really persistent head-clog.
--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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