![]() ![]() Spray paint and clear coat to protect woodgrain.Some craft felt of desired color, one with a sticky back to line the inside of the bag and over components used, such as switches.Old pieces of plastic to cover the working mechanisms and protect from bag contents.Springs, washers and screws (these can be removed from the old cassette mechanism).Ideally a piano hinge would be stronger but we could not find one narrow enough. Hinges for the lid (these can be half inch craft types or something stronger/thick from Home Depot).3.5mm stereo plug and wire (for connecting phone in bag to headphone jack).Battery holder (optional: 2 x AA to drive the LEDs). ![]() Soldering iron/station (optional: this is to restore panel lights and add LEDs where the tape spindle heads used to be).We don't like using glue much, but often it's the thing that will reinforce the case in corners, back panels etc, depending on which tape deck you choose Lots of Araldite adhesive or other strong glue (24 hour type).A screwdriver set, wire strippers, wire cutters.Look for one that doesn't work and save :) There are plenty that can be found on ebay for a few dollars and often in local yard sales and junk markets. It has a separate eject button that takes up little room under the lid. The deck we are using is a Sharp RT442X, circa 1976. Ideally one which does not have the eject button built into the mechanism (as that takes up space). View these instructions as generic as specifics will apply to your own situation.The best part of creating this hand bag was the challenges of figuring out how to piece everything together. I will eventually place corner protectors on it but so far it's easy to carry around and takes some bumps. We liked this cassette deck model as it had the classic retro chrome and wood grain look. You could also try converting an old boom box, but that could be seen as sacrilege! You could try converting an old portable cassette player, such as a Tiffen Showcorder (which I considered) but it depends on how much you want to carry as the portables don't leave much room inside if you want to keep VU meters, cassette keys, etc. You could use any kind of old cassette deck we used a home deck as it was bigger yet light enough not to pose a problem with weight. Add some lights and it's disco bag time :) I kept the eject mechanism and built a transit card into a cassette, which works with the reader at the station. ![]() It has my phone which is plugged inside through to headphone jack for realistic retro music on the go. I use this regularly on the daily commute. I decided to make a hand bag come carry case for my documents and stuff. We found this old cassette deck in a pile of trash next to a yard sale, and considering it looked in good condition (though it didn't work) we wondered if it could have another use. ![]()
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