Leather belt dressing ?

[Tin Falcon]

Guys:
For the past several years I have been using the leather belt that came on my 9" South bend lathe .Every few months I take it off and clean the oil and gunk off then put it back on. At one point I tryed replacing it with a welded Urethane belt only to go back to the origninal. I have a new leather one from Mcmaser Carr ready to install.
The question is should i treat it with anthing to keep the spindle oil from soaking into it . I do not want to wreck a brand new belt with the wrong belt dressing but on the other hand would like to prevent the new one from becoming oil soaked at least for a while. Am I worring to much here? Some experiened replies please.
Tin

[Swarf&Sparks]

I've used neatsfoot oil for many years as a general leather dressing, boots, jackets etc.
Dunno if that will help in your application.

[Forrest Addy]

There's a recipe for belt dressing in the older editions of Machinery's handbook.

[Carld]

I had a leather belt on my 9" Logan and got tired of it streching and replaced it with a cloth/fiber belt made by a local belt supplier. I never had a problem with it and it has been on for about 15 years and it don't stretch. My son has the lathe now.

[Tin Falcon]

Forest :
I have a reciepe that is in my copy of the International Corespondence School Machine shop course. Same recipe in the 1946 Machinery handbook . I was hoping for somthing a little more modern and less smelly than the Beef talow and cod liver oil. But If that is the way to go I guess it is a trip to the butcher shop and drug store. My cats will love me. And I am sure the wife will have her comments while i am mixing up the brew.
Carl :
I appreciate the suggestion but I already have the new leather one.
Tin

[Mcostello]

Honey works well. Clean pulleys off. Put some on then run lathe to spread around. When dry it will turn black and be slip resistant. Used myself.

[Carld]

Honet sounds like a good idea. The problem with oil type dressings is it causes the belt to get to flexable and strechy. You constantly have to adjust belt tension as the belt warms with use.

[IOWOLF]

Better Get the Honey before all the honey bees die off, We , In the US are down to 2/3's of the bees we had 10 years ago.

[Liger Zero]

Stop using bug-spray.

Seriously. The stuff kills EVERYTHING. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies, all our polinators are declining due to the rampent overuse of bug-killer.

[Swarf&Sparks]

honey and whisky worked well in the pipe bags (I'm told)
What would I know, I was a side-drummer, I just drank the whisky.

[Alistair Hosie]

Yes people don't realise bags from bagpipes the best and old ones were always made from leather. I don't know if this still applies today, but anyhow the thing is with the saliva getting into the bag there were problems with fungus growth inside the bags. When left for a while they used to eventually rot. However before that , they could cause problems with the players lungs a sort of lung inflamation even pneumonia,so the whiskey sometimes with honey to act as a lining,was poured in and shaken around to kill of the spores it must have worked anyway good luck Alistair

[Swarf&Sparks]

Yup, that's why I stayed a drummer
I got to drink the whisky.

BTW, the Irish had the right idea re pipes (uillean)

[John Stevenson]

Use a timing belt or poly vee turned over backwards.

.

[gellfex]

I had a leather belt on my 9" Logan and got tired of it streching and replaced it with a cloth/fiber belt made by a local belt supplier. I never had a problem with it and it has been on for about 15 years and it don't stretch. My son has the lathe now.

Did it have a stitched coupling like a leather or did you have to take the lathe half apart? I've a Logan 200 and the belt thing does get old, but it's easy to take it off, cut off one side of the stitching and crimp on a new one.

[Truman]

Tin,

in case you haven't found the solution yet, these recipes were published in Model Engineer in 1935 and reprinted in "Home Workshop Hints and Tips" by Vic Smeed (ed):

1) Mix one pint of castor oil and 2 1/4 lbs of powdered resin, melt together in a jar placed in water and brought to boiling point; take care it does not boil over. This mixture is for inside dressing, to prevent slipping.

For outside dressing? Yes, I'm afraid it's the one you already got:

2) One pint of old cod liver oil and 4 - 8 ounces of tallow. Mix and enjoy. This goo is said to prevent belt cracking and is primarily for leather belts.

Old cod liver oil? Must be the magic ingredient.