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Long term Nagra 4.2 storage


Ray Collins

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If you still have one, watch out for potential head rust, a light oiling or WD-40 could be in order. Dug an old 4.2 Nagra out that hasn't been used in 18 years that I have had it. The record head and the PB head were brown, and it wasn't tape deposits. ;-)

Cleaned the commutator (filthy) and the old thing sounds pretty good. Pilot and sync work, but the power socket needs replacing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Interesting, I've acquired and owned several analog Nagras (and other tape gear) and never seen head rust as you describe.  Though a IV-S I recently acquired that had been unused for a while had some green oxidation on part of the area between the head surface and the head metal frame.  Probably has something to do with humidity levels wherever you decide to put it for long-term storage (dry closet versus damp basement, for ex).  A thin coating of light oil or vaseline may be the best way to prevent that from happening...

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Have occasionally seen a little excess oxidation on older Nagra 4.2L and 4-S recorder heads. Nothing serious, usually just some minor re-lapping takes care of it. 

 

Older electrolytic caps may be a different issue though,along with pinch rollers.

 

Other than that, I have not had any problems with the classics.

 

--S 

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of course take out batts.,and put in large zip lock bag with gel packs----ozone can get to drive belts in L.A.

 

                                                                                 J.D.

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Brasso polish and a chamois will safely and easily remove the discoloration on the heads.

I've serviced hundreds of 1/4" Nagras over the years, and have never encountered a silicon drive belt (grey colored) that needed replacing because of age. The older black type found on the 3s and early 4s were a different story (not to be confused with the newer stiffer black "anti static" type, which I've never known to solve a static noise problem, but Nagra starting using as standard on the take-up side). I recommend replacing any black belt on a 3 or 4-series Nagra with a grey one.

Along with removing the batteries, a very important storage tip is to put the main selector switch in the STOP position. Doing this will lift the pinch wheel off of the capstan, preventing the formation of a dent in the pinch wheel that can cause noise on the output and on the recording. This is particularly important if your Nagra has a black pinch wheel (neoprene), which will easily dent permanently. If yours is black it's probably coming apart in chunks by now anyway. The newer polyurethane type is much more robust.

Another tip is for the grey rubbery gasket that goes around the top edge of the deck. Use a cotton rag wet with 90% rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol and rub the gasket with good force until it gets its light grey color back. This will remove the oil that comes from the palms of the operator's hands that can cause the gasket to get mushy, particularly on the front corners. If it's already mushy, it could be too late.

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  • 1 month later...

Still miss my old 4.2 TC. Had a Nagra III with the matching three input mixer as well. Never had to worry about corrupted files, camera hops, frozen display screens and access to 24/7 tech support to get through a show! Think those really were the good old days.

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Was the Neal Stone conversion. Neal did a great job of keeping the old girl going, even when my boom op laid his metal boom pole on a sink where the pipes were somehow tied into the electrical grid. Fried every board in the recorder, and smoke literally poured out of it! Actually sold the 4.2 to the same boom op along with the rest of my kit when I got out of the business. Still miss it though. Was a beautiful machine that served me well.

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If you still have one, watch out for potential head rust, a light oiling or WD-40 could be in order. Dug an old 4.2 Nagra out that hasn't been used in 18 years that I have had it. The record head and the PB head were brown, and it wasn't tape deposits. ;-)

Cleaned the commutator (filthy) and the old thing sounds pretty good. Pilot and sync work, but the power socket needs replacing.

Did you disassemble the motor?

If not, DON'T!

The magnets are over magnetized and if removed from the shield, they will lose that property and the motor will become power hungry.

Thus Spake Andy Cooper.

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