Bruce,

That brings back memories! I ran 16mm projectors when I was
in high school in Mesa, AZ (Grad 1986) I still think the
quality of the movies and the big screen was worth it, so
much I bought a 16mm Kodak off EBAY and a few 16mm films for
my own amusement.

Just before I finished high school they put a 29" TV in the
front corner of each classroom to replace the projectors.
What a JOKE! I remember squinting from the front row seats
trying to make out the picture (I had 20/20 vision) and the
sound was so low even at full volume it sucked. Still didn't
have the library of subjects that were available on 16mm.
Just look at the Prelinger archives on the net. They convert
16mm to PC video formats and the downloads are free. I love
the old factory, steel making and aluminum smelting movie
from the 30's and 40's. An OSHA inspector would have cried
seeing these! (Metal working content!)

Now the local community colleges have overhead projectors at
$5k to 10k per pop in each classroom and no one uses them as
no support is provided to the teachers. My idea of the old
projector tech wheeling a projector to the classrooms was
killed as "inefficient". Funny thing is a couple of weeks
after my suggestion there was 2 or 3 projectors that were
cut off the ceiling mounts and dissapeared. I doubt they had
10 or more projection hours on them and made the new owners
good money on Ebay. Hope they removed the cut cables before
taking the pics.

Bart

Bart D. Hull

Tempe, Arizona

Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/engine.html
for my Subaru Engine Conversion
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/fuselage.html
for Tango II I'm building.

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Bruce L. Bergman wrote:
On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 13:54:42 -0700, davefr wrote:


I need a replacement drive belt for an old belt driven dental drill.
It's the type with a drive motor and lots of pulleys and arms going to
the actual drill. (Foredom Model #9).


Considering the age (turn of last century...) the original belt is
probably rawhide or catgut of some sort. Heat-welded (with a
soldering iron) monofilament fishing line / weed whacker line would be
my first try, if for no other reason than a cheap-and-dirty test.


Factory parts are no longer avail. Any suggestions? I'm guessing
it's a continuous loop about 1/8" diam and about 5' long


If all else fails, consider the takeup reel "spring belts" off old
16MM projectors might work as a 'period correct replacement' -
basically a long chunk of tension spring with one end turned down
small, and you threaded the reduced end inside the other end to
"splice" the belt.

Yeah, I did a stint as AV Geek, and many times before and since got
dragooned into running the projector when nobody else could.
Including the time I had to sit there spinning the takeup reel with a
finger for the whole film. ;-)

-- Bruce --