What type grease for tape deck?

Bradrock

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#1
I'm going to try & freshen up a CT-f700 cassette deck in a week or so. I'd like to get my ducks in a row before diving in.
I got a nice belt kit from joeradio? It came with fairly comprehensive instructions. I'm expecting to find some dried up grease in spots & would like to know what's best to use? Maybe White Lithium?
The problem with this deck is it runs for maybe 5 -20 seconds at most & kicks out. Play, fast forward, rewind, all do the same.
It does sound great playing a tape for those few seconds.

Thanks, Brad
 

BlazeES

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#2
Here's the service manual and the addendum in case you didn't already have them.

They make no reference to lubrication types or locations but you may be able to ferret that out from forum sites. Sometimes it's just as easy to apply a light lubricating oil to areas where grease was dried up - treating what's in place and not going all-out to remove it. But I wouldn't worry about grease/lube until you get the belts replaced and see if she plays consistently ... and without any audible speed variations.

Sometimes I think cassette deck DIYers are a bit too anal about mechanical lubrication in overhauls... but it probably wouldn't hurt to have a tube of light lithium handy for the obvious friction points exhibiting the prior presence of grease... IMHO.

On higher speed R2R machines, folks are using sewing machine oil to lube the capstan & pinch roller shafts and those arrangments are markedly different than what you typically find in cassette decks. So again, I wouldn't get too wound up about lubrication.

Maybe Sam will see this and chime in...
 

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Bradrock

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#4
Thanks Blaze. Yes I have manuals for everything I own. I AM anal about manuals. ( Except the pile of Soundcraftsman gear)They are tough to locate. Like you say, no mention of proper lubes.
I do have a fairly expensive little bottle of oil I bought from Germany called Liquid Bearings. I bought it for turntable use.
I just don't want to get it all tore down & find I have to order something special. My small parts memory is now down to a few hours, so I want to get it done in one fell swell swoop if possible.
 

WOPL Sniffer

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#5
Get the old stuff out or you are wasting your time. The dried up stuff can cause issues and make your rig not work as desired. Clean everything and clean it again. I also use the Liquid bearings SPARINGLY but you do need a light grease.
 

WOPL Sniffer

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#6
If you do NOT use any lube, it won't last for shit.... I think guys who change their oil in their cars more than once in 20 years are anal..... (if it's mechanical, you have to use some lube...)
 

BlazeES

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#7
Guys over on TH are recommending this...

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as it is safe for rubber and plastic.

Again, friction points in/at the lift/drop points in the mechanics are probably all you need to worry about in a cassette deck and only if there is some obvious binding going on. The load points and forces in a cassette deck aren't jack significant. So if you see the presence of crusty, flaky lube - have at it with something light & tidy. If there is plastic interface points - like gears - use something synthetic - safe for plastic.
 
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BlazeES

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#8
If you do NOT use any lube, it won't last for shit.... I think guys who change their oil in their cars more than once in 20 years are anal..... (if it's mechanical, you have to use some lube...)
Cassette decks locking up due to lube issues is super rare... especially ones that haven't been used much at all or that have been stored properly.
A lot of decks have passed through my hands and lube issues have never been a problem, even on the rattiest of the bunch.

High speed R2R decks are an entirely different story ...
 
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BlazeES

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#9
In any event, I think it's cool you got your sights on getting your deck up-to-snuff and into the 'mix' Brad.
 

Bradrock

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#10
Thanks guy's. I reckon I've had this deck maybe a year. It looks mint. In fact every piece of hi fi gear I buy it's cosmetics first. I don't care how perfect it works. If the faceplate is a mess , it's not going in my systems.
I also have a crap ton of different lubes I use in gunsmithing. Some plastic safe too.
 

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#12
Hobby shops that sell RC supplies has a light grease that has always worked well for me... the gears and transmissions on them are metal and plastic so it is safe to use
 

WOPL Sniffer

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#15
The factory used grease on this stuff when built (it's all dried and nasty now) and there is a reason they lubed it.... Because it needs it. do the same when reassembly, it needs it.
 

orange

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#20
Ah, yes, old Triclops! The one with the bias adjustment? meter that was on that one model only, Ron used to talk about it. I have one.

Still waiting for that day I get my CT-F950, then I call my collection of 1974-1981 Pioneer models DONE.
 
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