Puckdropper said:
Take a look at repairfaq.org for the answer to this question. I'm not
affiliated, just read the answer there several years ago.
That's interesting you put in a disclaimer, given that it's not
some random site, but the FAQ for this newsgroup. That is the
very first place people should be looking before they post here,
since so many things can be answered in it. There is the VCR First
Aid section, I forget the exact title, which is precisely about
getting a stuck tape out of a machine.
Sam has put a lot work into the FAQ, but it is a collective work.
People who have posted here over the years have found some of
their post(s) in the FAQ, properly credited. So it's hardly a
commercial site that one should feel a need to insist that they
are not promoting the site for personal gain.
Michael