The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I aggree with Jim. I get my belting material from Ron Sitko, and never had a problem. I just followed the instructions in The Completer Talking Machine by Eric Reiss.
Harvey Kravitz

Thanks for your replies. No I did not precondition the belt. I am using Ron Sitko's belt material. I will retry this weekend.

The machine is a Green Model A Standard. It has a small piece in there to keep tension on the belt. How much tension is too much?

Thanks,
JB

It's difficult to say how much tension is too much or too little. The belt should be just loose enough that you can just work it over the pulleys and have a little deflection when it is in place but with the tensioner pulled back. If everything is correct with the tensioner as I described in my previous post and the spring is installed correctly, you shouldn't have any problem. If the tensioner spring is damaged or distorted, you should replace it. Ron Sitko supplies excellent reproductions that you can't tell from the originals. Good luck with it.

Jim

Make sure the brass tensioner wheel rotates freely. I sometimes find them so gummed up from old oil and verdigris that they are frozen and the leather belt is sliding under them rather than rotating them.

VintageTechnologies wrote:Make sure the brass tensioner wheel rotates freely. I sometimes find them so gummed up from old oil and verdigris that they are frozen and the leather belt is sliding under them rather than rotating them.

Thats exactly what is happening. How shall I make sure it moves freely without getting oil on the belt?

JB Brown wrote:

VintageTechnologies wrote:Make sure the brass tensioner wheel rotates freely. I sometimes find them so gummed up from old oil and verdigris that they are frozen and the leather belt is sliding under them rather than rotating them.

Thats exactly what is happening. How shall I make sure it moves freely without getting oil on the belt?

On mine I removed the tensioner arm with the wheel and soaked it in lacquer thinner until all the dirt was gone and it moved freely. Then lubricated the axle with a drop of oil and re-installed. Fixed the problem on my Standard.

Good luck!
Andreas

Henry wrote:The McMaster product doesn't specifically say "for leather," so my hunch is that it's the same stuff as the belt dressing sold at auto parts stores to prevent serpentine belts from slipping. IOW, there's probably a local source nearby so you don't have to deal through the 'net.

Henry,

Belt dressing has been around as long as belts themselves. Yes, it's probably the same stuff they sell for serpentine belts, but it has been used on leather belts for longer than serpentine belts have been in existence. I use it on leather belts and have used it on Edison belts as well.

When you first apply it, (sparingly, with a q-tip), it will cause the belt to slip worse, but just for a few seconds, then it begins to grab. It's not sticky or tacky as others have stated. At least not to any extent that causes the slightest problem.

I just shortened the belt on my Edison Standard D slightly. Problem solved in about 5 minutes.

Clay

Thanks Stephen!