Hi, I got cheap this NV-F70 VCR and it's working but head have some kind of mold or something on it. I tried to scrub it with q-tip and IPA (and being careful not to touch tip of head with it) but it didn't help. Can I use head in this shape (see picture) it's reproducing normally. My only concern is that this mold thing residue will trasfer on tapes somehow.
Could be some localized oxidation of the aluminum that the head is made of. Paper is very lightly abrasive, so you might find that just doing the 99% isopropyl alcohol and printer paper a bunch will remove that. Not sure how well Dioxit works on aluminum (you'd want the regular D100 (not the version for gold), but you could apply some of that just in that spot in a thin layer and let it sit for a few days if you have any.
As for using it in that condition, I'd say depends on if the surface feels as smooth as the rest of the drum (when doing the paper cleaning method) or not and if a test tape plays fine. I've felt some pretty gritty feeling head drums that seem to work fine (usually improves quite a bit with the paper/IPA cleaning method) but it probably isn't great for the tape itself.
If everything iw working properly, there's supposed to be a very thin layer of air that the tape "floats" over when the head is spinning, so it shouldn't be making direct contact anyway, though that rough surface could interfere with that and act like sandpaper to the thin plastic tape if it feels gritty to you.
I have the same! JVC 5700 head drum. Mine cannot be removed with a Qtip and IPA. It's solid as a rock and I can feel it plainly when the drum is spinning.
I have the same! JVC 5700 head drum. Mine cannot be removed with a Qtip and IPA. It's solid as a rock and I can feel it plainly when the drum is spinning.
Is this cactus?
Yours is is way worst than mine...
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I just checked on mine, and I can't feel a thing with my finger, it's the same as all other areas on the head that don't look like that. Maybe I won't have to change head...Will see.
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Anyone knows where can I buy spare parts in EU for NV-F70 ? I need vxz0274 and VXZ0259.
It's almost never a case of "gee whiz, wow, it works perfectly!"
It's also rarely a situation where only one thing is wrong. It's always multiple problems, and you've just not discovered them all yet.
You bought a crap deck, useful only for parts. Move on. As careful as I am, even I have a stack of bad buys, garbage gear. To get more parts, you have to buy more problem units, of the same exact model (including sub-model). There's no store or site with a warehouse of old VCR parts. It's the 2020s, not the 1980s/90s or even 2000s. You're decades late to the party, the drinks are battery acid.
Unit is reproducing picture without problems, there are just parts that needs to be change after years of use they degrade just like all vcrshops that service and resell units do. This unit F70 also have known problems with PSU, and all capacitors are changed with quality ones so that's been eliminated. Like I said, I got that VCR for almost free so I don't mind investing and changing this few parts on it.
But the situation needs to serve as a warning for others, and you shouldn't get your hopes up too much. I've refurbished multiple VCRs, and there's never a guarantee it will get fixed. You can pour in hours, think you're almost done, almost have it complete ... and then discover it was all for nothing. I've learned (the hard way, with experience) to identify those early, before investing too much time.
I hope it works out for you.
I would never use a deck with heads that look like that. I don't want to screw up tapes. I tend to avoid any VCR with ruined heads, not a refurb candidate. I think 12voltvids is the same way.
But the situation needs to serve as a warning for others, and you shouldn't get your hopes up too much. I've refurbished multiple VCRs, and there's never a guarantee it will get fixed. You can pour in hours, think you're almost done, almost have it complete ... and then discover it was all for nothing. I've learned (the hard way, with experience) to identify those early, before investing too much time.
I hope it works out for you.
I would never use a deck with heads that look like that. I don't want to screw up tapes. I tend to avoid any VCR with ruined heads, not a refurb candidate. I think 12voltvids is the same way.
I get it and understand, but fixing things makes me happy and I like to do that.
I will see what to do with head. It don't leave and residues on my fingers or paper when cleaning, and it doesn't feel harsh or sharp so maybe it won't hurt tapes, but I will see. This will only be my backup vcr because it's only vhs player not svhs, so it won't be in that much use, but since I got it for almost free I won't sell it when I fix it I can't do that when investing that much love in it
I get it and understand, but fixing things makes me happy and I like to do that.
And I like that you're doing it.
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I will see what to do with head. It don't leave and residues on my fingers or paper when cleaning, and it doesn't feel harsh or sharp so maybe it won't hurt tapes,
Be very aware that your "test" here is not a test. The human finger is not as sensitive as some think it is, nor is your brain at picking up on minute/tiny imperfections. Unfortunately, a slick mylar tape has no such confusions. I would insist on an extreme magnification, because I just have a hard time believing the head merely has a color tint change the the metal alloy that compromises the cylinder.
I once made this exact mistake. (Sort of. Mine did not have such an obvious change in the metal.)
Tapes scratched, ruined. Thankfully, just a test tape. But still pisses me off, I don't like it when I miss things.
and I like to do that. 
