thanks everyone!
i'll try again.

(it's complicated by having to join 'in situ' to avoid dismantling lathe
headstock....i've been practicing on a short offcut)

regards

russell
"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
Hi all

hoping someone will know the answer...
I have bought some reddish/orange hollow drive belting which is intended
to
be joined 'in situ' with a small brass joiner. However, when i got it
the
dealer was in the process of moving, and didnt have the joiners to hand.
(
moved already..). However, the salesguy said that it was possible to
join by
melting the ends together with eg, a soldering iron, and in fact this
was a
stronger join.

After numerous attempts, i give up at least until i get advice from a
higher
authority ( you guys!). I can melt the ends easily enough but it just
won't
weld together.

Anyone actually done it? How?


I've had good luck with a heat gun. As someone else mentioned, the end
has to get hot, but not too hot. When the cut end gets glossy and swells
very slightly seems to be about the right time to make the join. A small
v-block may be helpul in getting the ends properly aligned. I've found a
Scotch-brite wheel to be the best thing for trimming the flash from the
joint.

Among the real belt welders I've used, the best was one that used a
small radiant heating element to heat the belt ends. It was easier to
use and seemed to do a better job than the soldering iron with teflon
paddle type.

The belting you have should weld just fine, I've welded all sorts of
urethane this way. If you want really nice welded round belts at
reasonable price (though there is a minumum), these folks do an
excellent job...

http://www.pyramidbelts.com/

Ned Simmons