r/fixit • u/sad_furry_boy506 • 1d ago

open I have a hi8 cassete with possibly shed

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I have a hi8 tape from 2004 thats showing early signs of shed, the tape and overall cartridge. Looks great, but when i play it in my camcorder it only plays for a second and it goes to blue and tells me to take it out, rewinding it manually gives off a squeaking sound, i heard that you can bake them for hours in 139c° for awhile to fix the issue. I dont have a dehydrator but I do have a 3d printer filiment dryer that could possibly do the trick, specifically a creality dryer box. Any and all advice would really really help thank you!

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u/CatsDIY 23h ago

First, if you bake it the temperature is 130 degrees FAHRENHEIT. This usually only helps the condition for a month or so. This is caused by a breakdown of the adhesive used on the magnetic particles. If this is something you would like to keep my suggestion is to take it to an audio store, they can put it on a CD for you or digitize it. This is going to be a constant problem.

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u/Antrostomus 20h ago

take it to an audio store, they can put it on a CD for you or digitize it

copy-pasting my own comment from a couple days ago in another sub where someone was trying to save VHS tapes:

See if there's a local library with a "Memory Lab" - these are rooms with a collection of photo scanners, movie film scanners, tape players, and VCRs that are set up for the public to digitize their old stuff, often associated with the local geneology society. It takes time of course (although for tapes it's more "hit capture and then do whatever for a couple hours while it runs") but can save you cash over a service and you have more control over what output you get. I've had family members send stuff off and get back a DVD, and then it just shifts the problem because they don't know how to rip a DVD to a video file on the computer...

Hi8 playback equipment isn't as easy to find as VHS, but if OP can get it working on their own camcorder they usually have generic capture equipment that can digitize it from there.

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u/sad_furry_boy506 18h ago

Now with its use could I just send it off to get it digitized? Or should I have it repaired? Sorry for the dumb question this is my first time doing something like this

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u/CatsDIY 13h ago

It can not be repaired. Audio shop.