A bad day turned good when I found a fix for my old Walkman

Last Tuesday was rough, my Sony WM-FX421 Walkman from 1998 just wouldn't play tapes. I was ready to give up, but I found a forum post from a guy in Portland who said a drop of sewing machine oil on the capstan shaft often fixes the issue. I tried it, and after letting it sit for an hour, it started working perfectly. Has anyone else had luck with this simple fix for old tape players?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbaramorgan1mo ago

Ever wonder if that oil trick could mess with the tape itself over time?

quinn_carr1mo ago

My old VHS copy of Jaws got sticky and warped after trying that. It's a real gamble with older tapes.