THE CUBA REVIEW 3t 



THE CARE OF LEATHER BELTING 



BELTING RUINED THROUGH MISUSE TO AN ENORMOUS EXTENT — - 

 ATTENTION AND CARE EXCEEDINGLY PROFITABLE 



An interesting article on the use and care of leather belting is contributed to the' 

 current issue of the Southern Eng'uicer by Fred B. May. He finds that the amount of 

 belting ruined through misuse and carelessness in not securing the proper kind of belt" 

 for a particular service is enormous. It is not watched and cared for as a piece of 

 machinery which constantly receives the attention necessary to keep it in good running 

 condition, but is apparently forgotten. Every pound of belting which is in operation 

 costs the owner about $1.00 per poimd and as there are thousands of pounds of belting 

 in use it would certainly be profitable to give some attention to the preservation of 

 such high priced material. "In many establishments," says Mr. May, "the upkeep of the 

 belting is left to the engineer and again to the millwright." He strongly advises the' 

 employment of a competent man just to care for the belting, as it would lessen the' 

 amount used every year and better results would be obtained in the transmission of 

 power. He cites the case of a wood working plant in Michigan which pays a man 

 $20.00 per week to keep all the belting in proper condition. Under this arrangement 

 they buy less belting each year than other concerns who have less machinery. He says :- 



"If a belt breaks while a machine is in operation, the belt man at once puts on af 

 new one and the time lost is that merely required to make the change. If there is- 

 any good left in the belt he puts it in first class condition and after the machinery 

 is shut down he puts the repaired belt on the machine and takes off the new belt an<i 

 tags it for that machine. It is not brought into use again until the old belt breaks- 

 or is worn out. It does not necessarily follow that they have a new duplicate 

 belt for every machine, as he finds by overhauling several different belts at different 

 times that some are good and some bad. The good belts are worked up into certairt 

 lengths of serviceable belting and this is utilized in replacing broken belts. It is said 

 that this company loses less time in their machine room than any other concern of 

 its kind." 



In selecting a leather belt, the size of the pulley over which it is to run, and the" 

 load it is to pull should receive much consideration. On this subject Mr. May says: 



"It is not always necessary to have a light belt run over small pulleys. Users of 

 leather belting often make the mistake of using light belts on pulleys on which they 

 could easily run a heavier belt. We often hear a user say that he wishes a light belt, 

 as it is to run over a 16-inch or 12-inch pulley. If the small pulley is not less than 12 

 inches in diameter and the speed fairly high, it is advisable to use a medium weight 

 belt, provided it is kept pliable. The wearing qualities are greater and it will probably 

 give several years more service than a light belt would give. 



"We also find heavy belting where a medium light belt should have been put on, and 

 if this belt were made from very firm leather and does not happen to be perfectly 

 balanced, it will soon whip itself to pieces. A careful selection of belt for each machine 

 means a great deal to every user of leather belting in the matter of expense of operation. 

 The usefulness of a large amount of belting is shortened by not giving it the right 

 attention at the proper time. By this I mean that ofttimes a belt is allowed to run 

 slack, so that it slips and burns. This may not be noticeable to a great extent, par- 

 ticularly if the belt slips a little now and then, but when the grain of the leather 

 becomes slightly burned the adhesive or pulling qualities are greatly lessened. If the 

 belt were shortened an inch, or whatever amount that be needed to give the proper 

 running tension, it would not only save the belt, but it would also increase the producmg 

 power of the machine. Even slight slipping costs manufacturers thousands of dollars 

 every year. 



"Many persons use a belt dressing, instead of shortening a belt. This may keep the 

 belt from sHpping for the time being, as the dressing in most cases is of a sticky, 

 gummy nature, but ingredients in this kind of dressing are not only injurious to the 

 leather and in time rot the fiber, but they also form a coating on the leather which 

 prevents the leather from coming in contact with the surface of the pulley. It also 

 gathers dust and dirt, and a thin coat of guminv, dirty substance will accumulate on 

 the belt. A leather belt which is kept at the proper tension and perfectly clean will 

 outwear two belts when used in the manner mentioned. 



"When a leather belt is used in a very dry room the leather becomes dry, the 

 atmosphere graduallv taking from the leather the natural oils, which are used in tanning 

 and stuffing of the leather. To relieve this condition, many users employ neatsfoot oil. 1 his 

 is not advisable for the reason that neatsfoot oil will gather dust to a certain extent and 



