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So I am waiting for the arrival of my Fujicascope MX-70 projector from Japan. The seller indicated the belts are in good condition. However I anticipate that they will need replaced in the future. The unfortunate part is this projector requires lots of dismantling to get the belts out, and new one's installed. So I thought maybe it would be wise to use a belt conditioner to prolong the life of these belts. Does anyone have a recommendation? The following photos indicate the complexity of removing the two belts that are connected to both spindles. When the time comes to replace them I will have to do so with caution, and lots of photos before I dismantle things.
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So I am waiting for the arrival of my Fujicascope MX-70 projector from Japan. The seller indicated the belts are in good condition. However I anticipate that they will need replaced in the future. The unfortunate part is this projector requires lots of dismantling to get the belts out, and new one's installed. So I thought maybe it would be wise to use a belt conditioner to prolong the life of these belts. Does anyone have a recommendation? The following photos indicate the complexity of removing the two belts that are connected to both spindles. When the time comes to replace them I will have to do so with caution, and lots of photos before I dismantle things.
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Hi Shane, good to see that Little League Baseball World Series is still going ahead in Billtown!
As for belt dressing, I use CRC Belt Conditioner available at most auto parts stores. I have found this stuff works well to restore the grip on the infamous Eumig rubber drive discs. Just spray a little on a cloth and wipe the length of the belt. -
"Rubber Belt" is a misleading term, since belts are made from a variety of materials. I have used "rubber" O rings to revive old projectors. In researching O rings I found that they are made from:
Nitrile (Buna, NBR)
Hydrogenated Nitrile (HNBR)
Polyacrylate (ACM)
Ethylene-Propylene (EPDM)
Chloroprene (Neoprene, CR)
Butyl
Fluorosilicone (FVMQ)
Fluorocarbon (Viton, FKM)
Tetrafluoroethylene-Propylene (AFLAS)
Perfluoelastomer (FFKM)
Each material has properties suited for different applications. And depending on that material, applying anything to the belt may actually shorten it's life.Comment
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Thanks Paul! Yep good old Little League is here in Billtown this week. We just had a huge street festival in the downtown with hundreds of people attending. I've actually used that belt dressing on a few of my reel to reel tape machines. I might give it a try.Comment
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Ed if you were to take a guess what kind of belt would have been used in this projector?Originally posted by Ed Gordon View PostComment
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Some belts are just melting leaving some sticky residues on spindle. What is the material of this belt?
BTW, I have heard a type of belt when we can cut and customize the length then rejoin it using heat. What type of belt is this and will it work well? Using this we don't need to dismantle anything.Comment
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From what I have read, the most common type is EDPM. When I was looking for something to replace a bad belt in an old 8mm projector, I did not pay any attention to what it was made of, but rather would it fit without being too tight.Originally posted by Shane C. Collins View Post
Since EDPM was invented in the 1960's, it may be what your projector came with when new. Here is something I found on EDPM:
Hopefully someone on this forum with more experience in projector refurbishing/repair can recommend a good belt source...Ethylene-Propylene (EPDM): Strong ozone and chemical resistance- Temperature: -55 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, 300 degrees Fahrenheit when used with peroxide curing agents
- Applications: Brake systems, glycol-based fluids, H20 steam
- Avoid: Mineral oil products and hydrocarbon fluids
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If the belts on Shane's forthcoming projector are EPDM I doubt very much that they will ever need replacing, and I agree with Ed that they should not need belt dressing unless they are obviously slipping, in which case a wipe with alcohol might be safer.Comment
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Paul that's encouraging! I will think twice about applying any chemicals on these belts. As you mentioned, maybe just some alcohol to clean them up. The seller I bought this from seems to work on these machines, and then sells them online. It's very possible he went over these before selling it to me.Originally posted by Paul Adsett View PostComment
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I agree with Paul in regard to using isopropyl alcohol to clean the rubber. I do know what windshield wiper manufacturers recommend using alcohol to clean the rubber on the wipers. I have no idea what type of rubber they are made of however.Comment
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If those are green and red, I wouldn't recommend them. They a bit like cable ties in feel. No grip and little flex. I bought 10 meters of I think, 3 and 4mm each. I have about 9.99 meters left of 3mm and 10 left of 4mm. They stick by heat and do a good bond. No chance of gripping a steel pulley and tried on a Eumig P8. The tighter I made it the more pressure on the motor - no good at all.Originally posted by Winbert Hutahaean View Post
Nitrile seems the best, strong and grippy. How to join it though. Super Glue and the like will join the rubber but won't hold when pulled apart, moderate tug. I'd prefer the break to be in the rubber. There are special glues or bonding agents.
That might do the trick 792 is in the video but also 731..Comment
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If those are the same ones Derann sold many years ago they need to be heated with a flame to get them to bond.Comment
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So I have an old bottle of Radio Shack head cleaner. The stuff is used for cleaning the heads on reel to reel tape machines, and cassette players. I wonder if a cloth soaked in some of this would be OK for cleaning the belts? I believe it's mostly alcohol. Here's a photo of the bottle I have.Originally posted by Ed Gordon View Post
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Slightly off-topic inquiry.
When cleaning pinch roller in my vcr/cassette player I heard 2 opposite recommendations. Some strongly recommend ethyl alcohol (90-95% at least), some strongly recommend AGAINST it. Confusing, to say at least?
But from my practical experience seems to lean to using it. As long as not to soak it wet for hours this seems to have no negative effect to those rubber pinch rollers. Moreover it seems very effective in cleaning belts that already turned goo as well. So unless said otherwise I assume that using ethanol to clean rubber parts should be quite safe then.Comment
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Manufacturers of tape recorders (reel to reel, cassette, VCR, etc) had recommended using isopropyl alcohol ("rubbing alcohol") to clean the tape transport path (including the tape heads, and rubber rollers). The bottle of "Radio Shack Tape Recorder Head Cleaner" pictured above is nothing more than the same "rubbing alcohol" you will find at any drug store. I use the 70% isopropyl. It is also handy to clean the film path (including the magnetic sound head) on projectors.
I have never used other types of alcohol for cleaning. I did notice a recommendation to avoid higher concentrations of alcohol. The reason given was that it was too volatile and would evaporate too fast to clean effectively.
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