Part 2: Erasing Tape
Like the questions concerning de-magging, tape erasure is also surrounded by myths and hearsay too. “Will my machine erase the tape? Or should I look at getting a bulk eraser? are common ones. “Yes“ is the answer to the first question. That is what the erase head is for. (Remember the recording process will not wipe the tape. It will just add the recording signal to whatever is on the tape. As for an answer to the second question: It depends upon your application.
Running a tape through a machine is both wasteful in head life and time consuming. I’d recommend a bulk eraser if you are using tape in the professional environment. If you have a few tapes you cycle through at home or you have previously recorded tapes say in a quarter-track format and you are reusing them on a 2 track machine (or vice versa) you may wish to get them bulk erased as there is the risk that fringes of previously recorded audio tracks will still remain after passing over the erase head and could be replayed with the new signal.
For the professional or those using a wider tape than quarter inch, you will have to consider the sized of your eraser too. My Tom Clancy paperback book sized one will simply not be up to wiping anything greater than a quarter-inch wide tape (and even then, as I have found, it needs a second or third go to fully wipe it!) I can’t speak in authority for suitable models than anywhere other than the UK. Here the Wiercliffe bulk-eraser is, if you can find one as they are no longer made, the one to go for.
Contained in a wooden case, it is about the size of a large microwave oven and weighs three times as much. (No exaggeration). It will handle 2” wide reels with ease and blast any audio off them in short order. The issues to look out for are they are all now at least 35 years old now and can suffer from various issues.
The erasing action is switched on via a spring-loaded vertical door that you press down with one hand and slide the tape into the aperture to wipe it with the other. The switches on these doors can fail meaning the unit will not work. You will know it is working as the tapes make a metallic buzz when being wiped. But, worse, the switch can fail on and the de-magnetising coil can burn out. The other aspect to consider is safety. Keep wanted tapes away from them as they will be affected. Don’t wear a watch, or have your phone nearby, as it will destroy them. Lastly, and most importantly, don’t use one if you have a pacemaker fitted. On an aesthetic level they are ugly to look at too, so it’s not the kind of thing you want to have on display in your listening room!
Otherwise, you could step down a notch and look for a Tom Clancy book-sized one. Mine was made by Akai and was found on eBay. The same conditions apply to bulk erasers as buying a de-magger:
1. It is designed to operate on the mains voltage of your country
2. Does it work.
3. Is it safe?
Of course, you could just adopt a position of de-magging is not for me and my quantity of tapes means I am happy to let the machine wipe them. If so, then just put a tape on your machine, press play and enjoy your reel-to-reel. You may even want to settle down with a book too: The Hunt for Red October perhaps?
(Wiercliffe bulk eraser image https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8355666/weircliffe-model-7-bulk-tape-eraser)
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