Reinforcing the splice point

The second most frequent problem with 8 Tracks is parting of the split. The tape is a continuous loop and the ends are cut at 45 degrees and joined together with a piece of metallic film stuck over the join. It will happen at any time. It will get to the end of a track, you might hear the click as it changes channels then a deathly silence. Take the tape out and you will see only one end of the tape. It's too late now, once you have reached this stage you need to open it up to fix it.

You can prevent this happening very easily by reinforcing the join. I use good quality sticky tape ( like 3m brand) to do this although if you are or know a Reel to Reel fan you have access to the real thing. But whatever you do, don't use any old sticky tape as the adhesive will just dry out and become un-sticky and you will be in the same situation again except you now have a thin piece of plastic somewhere inside waiting to do damage.

The first thing to do is find the splice. Easier said than done in my experience. If you have an ordinary 8 Track player you will have to be quick once you hear the program switch. If you are quick enough you can catch it with the splice still visible, if not try again and again and again.

You may be lucky enough to have a player that will stop at the end of program 4. In this case its dead easy but only if the metallic strip is good enough to program switch otherwise you have to do the same as above.

Once you have found the splice point you will see the metallic film covering it. This is stuck to the oxide surface, the surface that has the music on it. This is a bit naughty really as the metal is dragged across the tape heads. If you are a Reel to Reel fan this is definitely frowned on but it is a very cheap solution to the problem of program switching and it was a cheap consumer product anyway. Reinforcement is applied to the back of the splice on the opposite side to the metallic strip.

I'll show you how to do this in a minute but after you have reinforced the splice it is a good idea to clean the surface of the metallic strip and roughen it up a bit. If the 8 Track refuses to program switch then this is the reason. Years of grot on the strip and polishing over the head and program switch sensor have made it very smooth and non-conductive. Cleaning and un-polishing (roughening) will usually cure this. If at this point the metallic strip decides to part company with the tape you will have to find a kind and generous Reel to Reel fan who may have some metallic film hidden away to replace it, but at least the reinforcement you applied has kept the 2 ends together, you did reinforce it first, didn't you?

Anyway, back to reinforcing the splice. The proper thing to use to do the reinforcing is a tape splice block and splicing tape. The tape splice block will hold the tape securely while to stick the splicing tape to the non-oxide surface of the tape. If you haven't got one than do as I do below.

	This is the splice stopped exactly in the middle. At this point you should wash your hands as you will have to handle the tape and you don't want any greasy marks on the tape.
	Grip the tape between a non-ferrous object and your thumb and pull steadily.
	Until you have about this much tape showing. More than this and you risk getting the tape snagged inside when the surplus tape is taken up the first time you play it.
	About 3 inches of 1 inch wide sticky tape is required. Form the tape into a loop with the adhesive on the outside and stick the join down on a flat surface. Squash the loop flat as shown. Lay the 8 Track as shown and stretch the tape and apply it splice up to the adhesive. Press down with your nail to ensure good contact. At this point the tape is stuck down so you can clean the splice. Use a barely moist tissue and rub across the metallic strip and marvel at the amount of oxide that comes away. Once dry roughen the surface. I use a small piece of wire wool, it always works but don't get carried away.
	Cut either side of the tape to free from the sticky tape like this. You now need to cut very close to the tape. The idea is to ensure that there is no sticky tape overhanging the edge of the tape. It is permissible to use scissors, as there is no music at this point magnetized scissors don't matter. If you cut a tiny sliver of magnetic tape while doing this don't worry, the sticky tape makes it very strong at this point.
	And here we have it finished. Just push the surplus tape into the 8 Track in the same way you did when replacing the foam and everything will be ok.