Video tape stuck

[shazzabell]

A tape has stuck in my video recorder. How can I get it out?

[*ALFIE*]

Hello again...! Try sticking a pen or a long rod (or a magic wand !) in the slot to move the tape inside and press Eject in the process or simply open the top cover of the video which should easily slip off once unscrewed - make sure the vid' is off from mains when doing this.

[shazzabell]

Hello again! I eventually got it out - I couldn't find anything longer than a pen so ended up just yanking it out with my hands, tape is destroyed but video is fine. Cheers anyway!

[Jenny]

If this happens again... quite often turning the VCR upside-down will do the trick.

[Robert G]

Really, Jenny, that is most interesting. An excellent example of lateral thinking, I think. Infinitely better than giving the machine a kick, although even that might do the trick!

If all else fails, a brief dunking in a hot bubble-bath should teach the recorder a lesson! But do be sure to disconnect the machine from the mains supply before attempting this.

Seriously, shazzabell, you may think your machine is fine but something caused that tape to jam, and I believe that usually involves the tape somehow getting 'caught' and wrapping itself around a spindle or some other component. It could be that your old tape had a sticky spot. Either way, there is now a likelihood that the same thing could happen again, so if you treasure your tapes/recordings, I suggest that you at least use a head cleaner tape (which cleans more than just the heads) a couple of times. If your machine is fairly old, and you have treasured recordings, it might be better to ditch it for a new machine.