Reloading an Echplex cartridge, Method Two, page 2

First, some important facts:

1: The record surface on a reel of tape faces in.
2: The record surface on an Echoplex cartridge, an 8 track tape, and Fidelipac tapes face out.
3: Keep this in mind, because if you load it backwards, it will not work.

Mount your tape reel and rollers on the jig. I don't think it matters but the little hole on the rollers faces up in the cartridge. If you are loading from a Fidelipac or 8 track cartridge draw the tape from the inside feed, which is on the right of the cartridge.
Pull about a foot and a half of tape from the reel (Or even more) and thread it around the roller closest to the reel. You want a lot of tape here to ensure enough slack to make your splice later. This part will feed through the bottom of the cartridge, coming from the inside.

Once again make sure that you have the record side facing out!!

Using painters tape or mixer board masking tape that's easily removable and won't leave residue, secure it next to the roller record side down, then wrap it lightly around the spindle and secure the end as well. This will prevent it from tangling when you load the tape.

Now, slowly spin the spindle and load the tape. Keep a finger on the reel to act as a brake. Here you can make a decision about how much tape you want to load. More tape will let the cartridge last longer before reloading, less tape can be useful if you like to do a lot of Sound On Sound gimmicks or play harmonies with yourself like Brian May does. I've read where some guys load a very small amount of tape, on the order of 10 seconds, to facilitate this.
The traditional length is a two minute tape, that equates to a thickness of about 3/16", or about 20-25 turns. I did 20 turns on this cartridge. Click here for a short video of the tape being loaded.

Once you have sufficient tape loaded on the rollers, secure the outside spice to the top of the roller containing the inside splice with another piece of masking tape and cut it free from the reel, again leaving a good bit of tape for a leader.

Now comes the tricky part.

Align the spindle so that the roller containing the inside splice is on your left.
Undo the masking tape securing the inside splice to the jig.
Remove the bolts securing the rollers.
Carefully lift the rollers up, keeping the tape taut against the rollers but not pulling tightly.
Place the rollers inside the bottom half of the cartridge, slipping them over the axles.
Feed the inside splice through the bottom opening of the cartridge, and the outside splice through the hole on the side. Carefully snap the lid back onto the body of the cartridge, making sure the top is oriented correctly. Be careful not to let either splice slip back inside the body of the cartridge!!

Now you see why the spindle roller mounts are 4 1/2" apart. This allows the tape to have the proper amount of slack when you install it in the cartridge. Do not pull either splice! The tape inside the cartridge should be loose. If you pull either splice especially the inside one you can make the spool of tape too tight and it will jam up again!