Belt dressing

[Edwin Santos]

Hi,
Are there any fans of using belt dressing on a bandsaw v-belt to both extend life, and prevent slippage?
Thx
Edwin

[Jerry Bruette]

I was taught in Millwright school that belt dressing is evil and to never use it.
It's actually a solvent that softens the rubber in the belt to make it "grippy".
Over time it will ruin your belt.
A properly sized and tensioned belt wont slip if the sheaves are in good shape.

[Ronald Blue]

Jerry is correct. Belt dressing is a temporary solution at best. If the belt is glazed from slipping replace it. A belt always rides on the sides and never the bottom. If it is touching the bottom of the sheave then it will slip. Either the sheave is worn out or the belt is incorrect or badly worn.

[Richard Coers]

Hi,
Are there any fans of using belt dressing on a bandsaw v-belt to both extend life, and prevent slippage?
Thx
Edwin
It absolutely won't prevent slippage. Temporarily reduce it but definitely not a long term fix, and it's messy!

[Mel Fulks]

I consider belt dressing as just for flat belts. And it sure makes them slap and crack !

[Bob Andre]

I don't use it as a maintenance aid, but a temporary fix for an already slipping belt before you replace it with a new one.

[Bradley Gray]

I had a 4" flat belt driving my 32" band saw at one time and used liquid belt dressing - horrible messy stuff!

I have had better luck with the stick type, mostly on machines with step pulleys (2 DPs, 2 lathes)- I run them fairly loose for easy speed changes. I haven't noticed it hurting the belts.

[Edwin Santos]

Thanks for the responses. Based on what I've heard here, I don't see any belt dressing in my immediate future.

What I did do is wipe the sheaves and belt really well with naptha. I think there was some oily residue in the sheaves that was causing a problem. Anyway all seems to be good now. Thanks

[Mel Fulks]

Almost forgot pine pitch. It used to be sold in small wooden kegs. Small chunks and big crumbs. With the machine
running you would just throw a handful between leather belt and flat wheel. Few years back when I was still working
somebody I know was having a tough time with leather belts slipping . The old keg stock stuff could not be found ,so
I contacted a guy who sells the stuff as some kind of health thing. Told him it could just be stuff that had fallen on the
floor. He declined to help. Perhaps one of our members with saw mills will sell some.

[Mel Fulks]

Just read a long thread on another forum. All answers decrying "build up" etc. Nothing right or in any way useful.
Pine pitch was used for looong tine. Still the right thing. If you think it's too messy ... get the machine out of the living
room !

[Bradley Gray]

Modern V-belts are a huge improvement over flat belts. there are a lot of old Frick circular sawmills around here. Every one I have seen has a 4 v-belt pulley on the motor and v-belts driving the flat arbor pulley.

[Mel Fulks]

Modern V-belts are a huge improvement over flat belts. there are a lot of old Frick circular sawmills around here. Every one I have seen has a 4 v-belt pulley on the motor and v-belts driving the flat arbor pulley.

Mel has no objection to changing them ,but I'm guessing some were changed because owner could not make the flat
belts work. Without pine pitch they don't work.

[Dave Mount]

Not recommending it, but an old Finnish sawyer in this area used molasses on his flat belts!

[Mel Fulks]

Not recommending it, but an old Finnish sawyer in this area used molasses on his flat belts!
What a sweet fix! And no doubt that would work better than the nutty ideas I've read since last night. The spray stuff
made for modern belts is pretty useless on flat belts.

[Dave Mount]

My father had (still has) a circular sawmill and the sawdust blower ran off a flat belt from the main drive line. He had two kinds of belt dressing he used. One was a waxy/sticky semi-solid that came in a caulking gun sized tube, but you applied it like a giant stick of chapstick. The other was a liquid you dribbled on -- it came in a yellow and black can, but I can't remember the brand name. I tried Google images but nothing looked familiar.

[Jeff Monson]

best cure for noise in belts is apply canning wax while it is running, we have used this to help diagnose belt\pulley noise for years. The best "fix" is to replace the belt, dressings and other remedies are short lived at best.

[Mel Fulks]

best cure for noise in belts is apply canning wax while it is running, we have used this to help diagnose belt\pulley noise for years. The best "fix" is to replace the belt, dressings and other remedies are short lived at best.
I used the machines for years .They did not sit unused for long. "Stickers",single end tenon machines, shutter machines. The belts lasted for years. Pine pitch is what was used. Since chickens eat grit maybe their product would
work. I will not speculate further on what might work. Pine pitch is what was used. I suggest a call to the Smithsonian,
they have a bunch of that stuff. The Old Iron bunch would also be able to help.
This "creative history" has some wondering if boiled okra could be used for motor oil !

[Mel Fulks]

Just found a forum called hobby machines, or something close. Two guys saying they are using ground up violin rosin.
Pine pitch. I bet that's pricey! And it makes me think they have checked with companies that make belts.