We can fix your broken video tape

What we can repair

Send us the tape and we will assess it and tell you what we think we can recover before we start. We charge the normal transfer fee on top of the repair, and only if the repair works.

We repair VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, DVCAM, Digital Betacam and most other cassette formats.

• Snapped or torn tape - spliced and re-joined by hand
• Chewed, creased and stretched sections removed and repaired
• Cracked shells, broken spools and jammed mechanisms re-housed
• Mould, damp and sticky residue cleaned and removed

Mould, damp and sticky tape

Tapes stored in a loft, a garage or a damp cupboard often come to us with a white or grey bloom on the edge of the tape pack. That is mould, and playing the tape in that state grinds it into the surface and into your machine. We clean the tape and the shell before it ever goes near a deck.

Older tapes can also suffer from 'sticky shed', where the binder holding the magnetic coating breaks down and the tape squeals or stops dead. Where it is technically appropriate for the affected format, those tapes are gently baked and treated so they will run once - which is all we need to capture them. It is not something we do to tapes that do not need it.

• Do not try to play a mouldy tape - one pass can destroy it
• Do not open the shell yourself unless you are confident
• Keep the tape flat, dry and at room temperature until you can send it
• If a tape has been in water, do not let it dry out fully before it reaches us

How the repair works, step by step

Everything is done in-house in London. Nothing is posted on to a third party, which matters when a tape is the only copy in existence.

• You send the tape by insured, tracked post, or arrange to drop it off at our London W1 office, and tell us what happened to it
• We open and assess it, and email you what we think is recoverable
• We repair by hand - splice, re-shell, re-spool or clean as needed
• We transfer it straight away, because a repaired tape should only be played once
• You get the digital copy plus the original tape back
• If the repair fails, there is nothing to pay for the repair

Call 0207 430 1811 or email CopyMyTapes@gmail.com