VHS tape stuck in VCR -- how to get it out?

[grasswire]

Is this a silly question? A stupid one? A tape is stuck. The eject button does not eject it. Nor does turning the machine off make anything happen.

Hints?

[BulletproofLandshark]

1. Try unplugging it

and then plug it back in, then try to eject it. That's worked for me before.

[grasswire]

3. thanks, I'll try it (eom)

[ghostsofgiants]

2. Buy a dvd player.

:P

(Sorry, I'm of no actual use to you, haha.)

[grasswire]

4. we have two DVD players

But they don't play VHS tapes. x(

[ghostsofgiants]

6. VHS...what is this, the dark ages?

:P

(Haha, sorry, I'm just in the mood to poke fun tonight. I'm bored.)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. You can probably unscrew the top of the VCR and take it out.

I've done it before with a couple VCRs (hell, I had to do it enough with one, then I didn't even keep the cover screwed on...just laying there).

It's probably not going to be hard to get it out. DVD players are far worse, you need to dismantle the whole fucking thing. I had to do that once when my mom's $40 walmart DVD player died suddenly and permanently with my DVD in it.

[MidwestMomma]

7. Still having problems?

Might be the tape has been ate by the machine.

This has worked for me....push open the flap and press the tape down and see if it will pop back up. If so, then carefully pull it out but go slow as there might be tape caught in the mechanism.

Hope that helps...

[grasswire]

11. thanks for the suggestion

Nothing has worked yet. Thanks, though!

[Gold Metal Flake]

8. Tricky.

This is a difficult situation, as a lot goes on when a VHS cassette is positioned and threaded. There is no way to know where exactly in the process things have gone wrong. My Mitsubishi occasionally hangs up, and I have to manipulate a wheel driven by a belt that transfers motion to some damn thing below the cassette cradle. I figure something is not quite correctly aligned.

Anyway, what I do is remove the cover and then turn the unit on and watch what happens when the eject button is pressed and look for hang-ups. I can't give any specific advice, except to refer the problem to a bright neighborhood 14 year old.

[grasswire]

12. ha!

There's a bright honor student 14-year-old living in the house! He threw up his hands.

[bertha katzenengel]

14. Why on earth did he EAT his HANDS?!

Sorry. Couldn't resist. Inspired by an old family joke, which was inspired by the poem, "The Night Before Christmas" -- "I guess I shouldn't have eaten so much sash."

:hi:

[Mutley]

9. Throw the VCR at something.

:P

[Floogeldy]

10. Hammer, chisel.

;)

[bertha katzenengel]

13. Here's the answer: follow this step-by-step. I did this once and it worked

1. in the blender, puree a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. the PB has to be smooth and the jelly (or jam or preserves) has to be purple and seedless.

2. stand the vcr on its face

3. pour the PB&J puree (hey, i rhymed!) into the slots in the back of the vcr

4. go have a beer

5. go to Best Buy, get a DVD player and a DVD of the tape that was stuck in the vcr, go home, and watch your movie

:hi:

it's past one am, i drove over ten hours today, and i'm weird when i'm this tired. :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. My dear Bertha!

That is hysterical!


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[bertha katzenengel]

18. I've made someone laugh. My work is done here.

;)

[JVS]

15. Try to wiggle it a bit and keep pressing eject.

[radwriter0555]

17. Buy a dvd player.

*cough*