Yea Rah!

After many days of fiddle-faddling and playing 123 Spider, I spent five minutes wrestling the ends of the tubing together and got my treadle machine going again!

Lowery's Sewing Center didn't have leather belts in stock because the Amish prefer stretchy tubing. He offered to special-order a drive belt for me, but I bought stretchy tubing -- for just short of twice what I paid for the machine in the mid-sixties.

I put the broken belt away for emergencies -- it could be lengthened by sewing the ends together with stout thread. I wonder whether there is some sort of belt dressing that would keep it from going brittle?

Joy Beeson

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Joy Beeson
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Neatsfoot oil, I'm guessing you'd get it from a saddlery. It's messy, but it does work. Many years ago in another life I used to supervise guys who worked on overhead lines. They used leather safety belts when working aloft, and we used saddle soap to clean the leather and neatsfoor oil to keep it supple. Now replaced by synthetic woven material.

Reply to
The Wanderer

You can sew the old one together with upholstery thread, buttonhole thread or even dental floss, if it isn't too rotten to hold. It's really dry here, but the only thing I use on my belts is rosin -- like for violin bows - and that's just to make it a little tacky so that it sticks to the wheel when the belt's a little loose.

For new belts, I can recommend

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without reservation. NAYY, but I've known Cindy for years.

Reply to
Pogonip

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My belts last about 10 years...this one is going on 12, I think. I bought

2 last time, so I have a spare (waiting is torture). Usually after a few years, I need to shorten them a tad....eventually they break but that seems normal. The belt should last for many years if you are careful to disengage it while not in use. I don't know why your belt gets brittle...maybe there are different kinds?

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lisa lamp

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