8mm Forum: Cheap projector belts

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Topic: Cheap projector belts

Keith Wilson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 104
From: England
Registered: Jun 2015

posted August 02, 2016 12:48 PM

I found a UK supplier for projector belts on the net and got some for mine there only pence each much cheaper than ebay dealer https://www.polymax.co.uk/o-rings/rubber-nbr-oring/

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Kevin Clark
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 978
From: Bapchild, Kent, UK
Registered: May 2004

posted August 02, 2016 02:42 PM

You are a star Keith this is exactly what I have been looking for to economically service a number of projectors I have here with worn out belts. Thank you very much indeed.

Kevin

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David Guest
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1704
From: Lancashire, UK
Registered: Oct 2011

posted August 02, 2016 05:05 PM

their are none as cheep as me

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Kevin Clark
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 978
From: Bapchild, Kent, UK
Registered: May 2004

posted August 03, 2016 02:56 AM

Hello David

I will be placing an order with this company soon - just need to measure the inner diameter and thickness of the belts I need for many 8mm and 16mm machines - I did a trial search on their website and six inch diameter 4mm nitrile belts came up as 52p each.

At this price a set of four Elf / Eiki belts will cost just over £2 and they offer free UK postage for orders over £10 - I get the feeling this company will be very busy selling to the cine community in the near future.

Kevin

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Arturo Glez
Film Handler

Posts: 65
From: Barcelona, Spain
Registered: Feb 2015

posted August 03, 2016 04:18 PM

I preffer David Guest, a very honest man.

David Guest, you are the best!! :-)

Regards for everybody! Arturo.

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Kevin Clark
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 978
From: Bapchild, Kent, UK
Registered: May 2004

posted August 04, 2016 12:40 AM

Hello Arturo

I was not questioning the quality of David's services as I regularly buy films and equipment from him myself and have been very pleased with most purchases received, but simply stating the facts when he said no one is as cheap as he is for belts.

I have about 30 projectors, Elf, Eiki, Elmo, etc. which will now cost me about £2 per machine to change a set of belts now rather than £10 to £15 per set from the current projector belt sellers.

When you use their website you can even select the material the belt is made of - Nitrile, Silicon rubber etc. - so these are no mere cheap and cheerful O-ring suppliers they really can be considered professionals and the real deal.

As soon as I receive my order I will try them out and report back regarding the quality and service received.

Kevin

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Lindsay Morris
Film Handler

Posts: 87
From: Darlington, WA, Australia
Registered: Jul 2013

posted August 05, 2016 11:36 PM

Be wary of using those O Ring belts as I have found that they tend to stretch a lot when under reasonable loads. End result is that they distort enough at times that they ride up & off pulleys.
If using them for longish belts such as some takeup belts the stretch is even worse & the end result is that the takeup is uneven & the film often starts to hang off the takeup reel in big sloppy loops. NOT good for film like that.

I now use some stuff that I do not know what it is called elsewhere but here in OZ the supplier I use simply calls it "Belting Cord" but I believe that it originated in Germany.

You fuse it together in most cases simply using a modified soldering iron as the temp needed is the same as that needed to melt solder. It is available here in 1mm steps from 3mm to 12mm & is green in colour & has a slightly rough surface. Once fused correctly you cannot break the fuse point.
I have used it for years on 35mm machines for both drive belts & takeup belts handling 6000 foot spools.

You simply cut it to length around the pulleys with just a slight stretch, press the 2 cut faces up against a modified soldering iron tip that has 2 flats filed on it opposite each other. Apply gently pressure to the cord until some molten bulges appear & then quickly press the 2 ends together lined up as accurately as you can & hold there until cooled.

Once totally cool trim off the bulge with a sharp knife & if you had a steady pair of hands you will be rewarded with a nicely fused together piece of belting. IF done correctly you will NOT be able to pull apart. If no good then cut apart & try again.

On some 16mm machines that are difficult to get easy access to refit belts without really pulling the things apart I have often had an assistant hold the iron inside the machine where I could get the belt threaded around shafts & pulleys & cut to length & then fused the things ON the machines.. Fiddly but can be done but IS far easier if done on the bench with the soldering iron clamp vertically so one can easily press the 2 cut ends up against the flats on the iron.

If I can find out anything more re the name of the stuff I will report back.

I used to fuse the belts for the Westrex/Century machine I used commercially ON the machine in situ as changing the 2 drive belts on those is a fair swine as required a LOT of dismantling to be able to fit a belt that was already made up.
Prior to that the big long drive belts on the Simplex Standard were the same stuff & they went for years just fused together. [Smile]

Update: Just clearing out some of the older 35mm gear going to the scrap yard & came across one of the really old belts I made for the Simplexes at least14 years ago.
They have the wording "Stegling Transilon" branded on them every 200mm or so. Sounds like a German name to me so possibly the smaller stuff is available easily around Europe as it is in Australia.

[ August 06, 2016, 09:54 PM: Message edited by: Lindsay Morris ]

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Lindsay

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted August 07, 2016 02:49 AM

As I don't have dozens of machines, for the times I need a replacement belt, in my case, I really don't mind paying the price for a genuine replacement.

So far it has paid dividends for me as I never seem to have any issues with premature failures or stretching issues etc.

Take up spool tensions and all else remain fine by sticking to this approach so far, I've found.

In fact for the spare toothed belts I need, I really wouldn't have a clue where to find these outside of genuine replacements to be honest.

I'd love to be able to find a replacement copy part belt for the toothed 938 main drive belt though.
Mines still ok but I have no replacement should it fail and these were obsolete decades ago now.
To make matters worse, they were a patented design by Eumig all those ago, so when spares were needed, I assume everyone just purchased them directly from Eumig. [Confused]

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Steve Withnell
Junior
Posts: 9
From: Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, UK
Registered: Jul 2016

posted August 07, 2016 04:58 AM

The green belting cord Lindsay mentioned, is used in much tougher applications that projectors, so should work really well. The simplest way I know of jointing it, is simply to use a hot butter or table knife and slide the ends together from either side of the knife. If you hold the knife in a vice or similar, you only need two hands!

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Novice maintainer of a Bell & Howell 644...

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Lindsay Morris
Film Handler

Posts: 87
From: Darlington, WA, Australia
Registered: Jul 2013

posted August 07, 2016 08:40 PM

The method to join the belting cord as Steve suggests is exactly what I do with a modified soldering iron tip.

Pop the iron into a vice (gently not to break the handle) & once hot enuff to melt solder simply press the ends up against the flats on either side of the iron tip.
You MUST wait until you have formed a nice mushroom shaped section on the ends against the iron & then slide off & press firmly together aligning as best you can.
I had tried using an old ironing iron on the linen setting (hottest) but NOT quite hot enuff so the joins were always weak & would pull apart eventually.
The original supplier here in Perth had a tool just like a modified soldering iron which was simply a flat piece of copper about 6mm thick x 15mm long X 10mm wide welded to a cutdown soldering iron tip shoved into a 60 watt iron. That did the melting but they also had strange looking set of pliers that had clamps on the end instead of tips to hold the cording.
They placed the cording into the clamps & then gently squeezed the handles with the 2 cord ends up against the flat plate heater section.
Once the mushrooms formed slid the ends off the hot plate & squeezed the handles to bring the 2 molten ends firmly together.
It only took a few seconds to make a belt which when cooled was trimmed to remove the excess.

By the way I misread that name on the belting its actually Siegling Transilon & NOT Stegling...I did a bit of internet searching & came up with the correct name.

Getting genuine belts for any 8 or 16mm projector here in OZ is nigh on impossible & when you resort to EBay sellers some of the belts are simply the nitrile "O" rings anyway & not really up to the job.......particularly the main motor belt.
When I first started using the stuff for 35mm machines only the bigger diameter sizes were available so no problems but on the Westrex 35mm unit those sizes were too big for the motor drive belts so I hunted about for a more suitable diameter belt. Found that the Redthane belting which is hollow & joined with tiny barbed joiners was a reasonable substitute for the genuine micro vee belts the Westrex used. The genuine micro vee belts were a cow to fit as one had to dismantle a lot of the drive train to fit them & in the heat of Australian summers soon broke up & failed.
The Redthane belts also failed right at the joiners as the barbs slowly cut thru the belting & in the middle of a screening one would hear Ping/clunk as the belt parted & whacked into the front wall. The machine would not stop or slow but was reluctant to reliably roll again next session unless it has the 2 drive belts as the drive pulley size was designed way to small. Thus one HAD to do a belt replacement then & there & it was a PIA.

Enter Transilon belting & never a problem for years at a time. [Smile]

Finding smaller diameter cording later on from another supplier also solved the smaller gauge projector belt replacement issues.
Have since made dozens of belts of varying sizes & never a comeback so far.
As I said making the belts directly on the machines without having to do a major pull down is also a great time saver but you DO need a helper. [Wink]

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Lindsay

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