Tape echo erasing problem

[jrfrond]

For what it's worth: when I refurb these old tape echo beauties, I use a slightly abrasive plastic polish on the heads to really remove any old, sticky oxide, AFTER cleaning with lacquer thinner, and then finish off with a silicone-based polish. The first polish is Novus #3 and followed by Novus #1, and I use cotton-tip swabs to do this. In extreme cases, where a groove is worn into the head(s), I've had them relapped, but only if the customer wants to pay for it.