Neoprene, which is the generic brand name for chloroprene, has a life of 15 years according to NASA specs. But, those specs are for non-flexing O rings under compression and not exposed to air. I suspect a neoprene belt would do a great job and not have the problem a leather belt with a bad bulging joint to cause record 'wow' would have. That being said, I have leather belts of 100+ years still going strong with original stitching. For a machine just to play a record well the neoprene is likely a good choice. For originality, a leather belt with stitching is my choice. You can skive the ends of the leather belt. Join them with Barge Cement. Then use one of those toy sewing machines they sell As Seen On TV, with a home made guide fence, to put on the twin parallel stitches. A light touch of Barge Cement at the thread ends will keep them from unraveling while playing. The belt can be dressed with leather protectant and will last indefinitely.
That's my 2 cents worth... Al _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
