Opening a Q8 cartridge

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Groovy Daniel

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Joined
Oct 24, 2015
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37
Location
DC
Hello. Just wondering if anyone has any tips for opening RCA Q8 cartridges-- the newer design without the rivet. They appear to be held together entirely by glue. The only way I know is by attempting to exploit a weakness in the seam using a small screwdriver or putty knife, but I often break the cartridge in the process.


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Groovy Daniel, are you sure there isn't a rivet under the label? I have opened rivets on top as well on the bottom of RCA carts. Can you post a pic or two? I would like to know more as I have never seen a cart glued together. If you have one that you broke while opening, show it as well, please.
 
Daniel is right, unfortunately... RCA carts from 1975-1976 onward have no rivet and are thermosealed. The sharp blade is the only way to open these, and you have to pay extra attenction, because the plastic is thinner than the riveted cart.
 
I started a thread about this 3 or 4 years ago because I had the same question. The tape in question was one of those Ford automotive Q8 samplers and I spent ages scoring, coaxing and prying and when I did finally get it open I still cracked the shell toward the butt-end of the cartridge. It was so much effort and time (I didn't keep track but I suspect it would be measured in hours rather than minutes) that I resolved never to do it again.

Winopener is right too, they're thermo-sealed rather than glued together so it's not like you're cutting through or splitting open some glue - the tape is fused shut and you're basically creating some 'fault lines' and then applying pressure to open the cart and hoping that it cracks along the fault lines you've made. Thank god the vast majority of the RCA Q8's were made before they switched to these sealed shut cases - even the copy of Henry Mancini's 'Symphonic Soul' I have, which I think was one of the last RCA Q8's, came in a riveted case.

And to think I was initially annoyed by the riveted RCA Q8's (because they required getting a soldering iron to heat up the rivet so it could be pulled out) compared to the easier to open Q8 tab-locking cases from the other manufacturers....the sealed RCA Q8's make the riveted ones seem like a stress relief exercise by comparison!
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I've got an Elvis in Memphis and Best of Mancini Vol 2 I need to open. I'm resigned to the fact that the shells will get damaged. Any suggestions on where I can obtain replacement shells?


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Thanks everyone for the responses. I've got an Elvis in Memphis and Best of Mancini Vol 2 I need to open. I'm resigned to the fact that the shells will get damaged. Any suggestions on where I can obtain replacement shells?


Other RCA cartridges you don't want would be the place to start. It's not like they make these things anymore. I prefer to drill out the rivet on the early cartridges. So much easier than the soldering iron method. Plus, once you completely remove the rivet, you can replace it with a self-tapping screw.
 
I think there could be a niche market for shells. :) Makes me long for the golden days of Radio Shack.


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Thanks for the link SteelyDave. As to the rivets, they are actually self tapping screws with no slot. I use a scratch awl and small hammer and gently unscrew them. replacing the rivet is as simple as tapping them back in with said small hammer. Only damage, if you are careful is a divot or scratch on your rivet. I remember fixing cassettes that were glued by exacto knife and scoring until |I was almost through. Guess the same goes for Q8's now too!
 
I've had decent luck with gently prying the cartridge apart. Yep, it takes forever and you run the risk of breaking it, but if you're very careful, it is possible to separate it without breaking it. However, a sharp hobby knife is necessary to score the difficult parts. Thankfully, I only have a few later cartridges (and a few re-issues) that use this style cartridge. I suppose the one saving grace is that RCA cartridges (and their splices) are of the best quality and rarely need replacing.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I've got an Elvis in Memphis and Best of Mancini Vol 2 I need to open. I'm resigned to the fact that the shells will get damaged. Any suggestions on where I can obtain replacement shells?


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Should be a later duplication run, i have both in riveted cart... anyway, use a sharp blade knife and a lot of patience and you can open them up without too much damage. Been there, done that many times, just one of +- 30 damaged seriously.
One thing you can look for is to see if on the borders of the two halves there are spots where the thermoseal wasn't effective: just press a bit the lower part and see if the top part follows or stay as it was. That's a good starting point, then work from here all the way round. I've found amny times that the thermoseal was real in jst some spots and not the entire cart.
 
Definitely later dup's. I got them unopened "new" on eBay so they should sound about as good as it gets. But I never put a vintage cart in my player without inspecting the splice and making sure the tape is spooling freely.


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Replacement Cartridge shells would certainly be possible with 3D printing. If someone can get a suitable file made up people could print their own or get a friend (or in my case a son) to print one for me.

Brian
 
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