How to Manually Rewind a Cassette Tape

Use a pen or pencil to easily rewind a cassette tape by hand

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Last Updated: May 31, 2022

Sometimes, cassette tapes have their tape pulled out, or are otherwise unable to be inserted into a cassette player. Other times, there just isn't a working cassette player around. This wikiHow will provide a few quick steps to getting your tape back into shape.

Steps

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Find a pen or pencil that, when looked at on its end, is in the shape of a hexagon or octagon (six or eight sided respectively, much like a stop sign). The very common, clear, BIC pens are perfect. These steps will not work with a round pen that is able to roll smoothly off a table.
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Slowly rotate the reel, ensuring that the pen makes good contact with the spokes (it should if you chose the right kind of pen).
In other words, if your pen is in the left reel-hole, rotate clockwise. If it is in the right reel-hole, rotate counter-clockwise.

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Tips

Stop spinning every once in a while and ensure there are no snags, knots, or nasty twists in the unwound tape that will impede your progress.

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Warnings

When you sense that you are nearing the end of the tape, slow your spinning. Spinning too fast whilst hitting the end of the tape can stretch or snap the tape.

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Do not spin the tape like a party noisemaker; this can stretch or snap the tape as well as present the possibility that the tape will fly off the pen, which can cause damage to you, the tape, or your surroundings. Best to use the more time-consuming method of going slowly.

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