John Foust wrote: first: removing the top of the reel was a bad idea. It's parallel alignment to the bottom of that reel is key to the proper function and handling of the tape. put it back on very carefully and pray. second. the finish on the hub is such that static and air forces cause the tape to wrap around the reel. Most half inch tapes only had a twirl of the tape around the takeup reel once to capture the tape. same as with home 1/4" tapes. In this case the velocity, air pressures, and the design and alignment of the takeup reel are very carefully done (holes in the top of the reel to exhast the air is key too, so hope you remember where that was.) to make the tape capture on the reel. Fact is, it will more naturally wrap around that if you can keep it from doing the accordion pile up at the entry to that chamber than anything else. the usual failure is that the tape will not extend to the takeup reel hub, but will curl up or otherwise misbehave when it is blown into the chamber. It will have a lot of non laminar flow of air from the air feed past the head, so it will be flapping there and so the trick is to have it have at least the distance from the entry to the takeup reel chamber to the hub length of tape that is nicely shaped, and to have a nice flat leader once it wraps. after a few turns of the takeup reel it should lock down. The drive senses this change in motor torque and assumes the tape is captured. Sometimes all you need to do is just wipe the first foot or so of tape on a reel with a clean cloth and try it again (assuming it is not wrecked or damaged). and it will work. Jim