Shrink drive belts with boiling water?

[gary7]

Picked up a Mitsu LT-22 linear tracker TT. New lubed the gear points. 2 drive belts are surely original. Works but arm moving inward is still sluggish. Ordered the 2 drive belts. In the meantime, I've read on some threads the dropping drive belts in boiling water will shrink them down a bit, so I cam play it till the new belts arrive. Anyone ever try this?

 

[Nashou66]

It depends on how old and stretched they are, if they are really stretched, no I tried .

But if they are just a few mm's over I think it will work.

Nashou

 

[jcamero]

I'd think just the opposite, the heat would cause them to stretch, and soften. I would just wait for the new belts to arrive.

 

[MRL_Audio]

Why wait? Whaddya got to lose? Nothing but a bit of time.

 

[gary7]

Why wait? Whaddya got to lose? Nothing but a bit of time.

I did. The belt had an oblong set from sitting so long. Small on one end, wider on the other. I worked back round when l pulked it out of the hot water. Putit back on and seemed to help even out the arm speed back and forth.

 

[DavidTT]

For belts that have become a bit slack, I've tried freezing for 15 or 20 minutes. It worked and the belt (U-Turn Orbit; not sure of the composition) remained tighter thereafter.

 

[SB12345]

Harry Weisfeld of VPI recommends first boiling the old belt in water, then shaking it up in a plastic bag full of talc when dry.