Edison Home - Spring Doesn't Move

[jchawner]

Jerry:

Everything spins fine without the belt. Sorry for the confusion.

Most everyone says the belt is too thick, too hefty. So I'm thinking now about what to make the 2nd one out of.

[jchawner]

Belting...

https://thephonographshop.com/search?q= ... ix%5D=last

Your current belt looks to be an ideal length, but as others mentioned, it's too thick. Also, no need to stitch it. That just makes it stiffer. Be sure the idler wheel spins freely. They've commonly stuck with old, dried oil.

@JerryVan, thank you for the pointer to the online site to buy belt material. I will be ordering some later today.

Always learning.

[FellowCollector]

Just now checking back in on this. For certain it's your belt. After you receive the new leather belting material and before you make the new belt assure that your drive pulley and your driven pulley are in near perfect vertical alignment. A couple of suggestions about making new leather belts that I have done for many years on my own phonographs is to go to your local dollar store and buy a pack of BIC single blade razors. Run the leather belting around the pulleys WITHOUT including the tensioner pulley. Mark the belting where the leather belting meets with a pen or whatever with the belting fairly snug. Add about a half inch beyond where the belting mark is and cut. Get the BIC razor and "shave" carefully that half inch area on the finished side and on the unfinished side of the belting. You have a nice splice now. Apply your best wood glue to both trimmed ends and bind tightly with pliers. Wait a few minutes and install the belt. I almost NEVER include the tensioner pulley in my belt drive train. Just the pulleys. I find the tensioner pulley to be unnecessary. But that's me. It sounds like you know what you're doing to make a belt but these are my thoughts that have worked beautifully for many years. Let us know how you do.

Doug