[6674] in APO Printshop
Re: Another crack in the belt
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kate Mahoney)
Tue May 14 13:35:28 2013
Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 13:35:23 -0400
To: Benazeer Noorani <benazeer@gmail.com>
CC: apo-printshop@mit.edu
In-reply-to:
<CAPkrFhfXxwJBjB3JqYOTOXw79GZZ1kmyL0t9JJtGBeyF4uKbag@mail.gmail.com>
(message from Benazeer Noorani on Tue, 14 May 2013 11:05:52 -0400)
From: Kate Mahoney <kate_mahoney@alum.mit.edu>
> I was in the shop last week, and noticed another crack developing in the
> belt, about half an inch from the crack that Len repaired in April.
>
> I've seen this kind of failure before in a couple of contexts (textiles,
> electro-mechanical systems, book repair): a repair or patch in one area of
> a failing component ends up redirecting stress to the next weakest spot,
> which then also fails. At this point, with two serious cracks, it might be
> time to think about replacing the belt.
>
> I did some hunting online but could only find hobbyists who motorized their
> C&P presses recently enough to have used v-belt pulleys. I also couldn't
> find a good condition leather flat belt for sale on the internet. There are
> saddlers who do custom work who could probably manufacture a new leather
> belt that could withstand the stress the press generates. I'm happy to look
> into this further when I return from vacation in June.
>
> YiLFS
>
> Benazeer
I would be happy to contribute some funds to pay for a custom belt if we
find someone who can do it and it proves expensive. I'm also willing to
try pinging the folks at Albertine Press or other local shops to see if
they have any recommendations and perhaps contacting John Barrett at
Letterpress things to see if he has any advice (or belts!).
Kate
