Gy-Roc Vibrahone by Tagit

Need a new drive belt for my polishing vibrator but can"t locate manufacturer on the net. I bought it in 2007 from San Juan Capistrano, CA. Any suggestions where I might find one? I’m in Australia

A short google showed replacement belts available for Model B and Model C Gy-Roc Vibrahones from Santa Fe Jewelers Supply. For Model C it is $6.95. As pictured it looks like a round cross section…I used to buy this round cross section flexible plastic stuff by the foot. It can be melted at the ends on your stove and pushed together to produce the right size belt. Just have to trim the area around the join so that it doesn’t bump when going over the pulley. So if you can locate a local supplier for the belt material, you might save some time and money and make your own. Just lay out the broken belt and measure it. Since the belt stretches, the measurement can be a little off (err on the short side if possible) and still work. I think other suppliers in the US (think Kingsley North) also have these and the parts, so check around for price and shipping costs and time…then there’s always Amazon, which I did not check…HTH, -royjohn

That’s brilliant thanks. Shipping to Australia was going to be nearly $40 from Santa Fe jewellers so will definitely go with trying to source the belt material locally. Your helpful advice is really appreciated.

Hi Shelagh,

Glad this might help. I used this material years ago,

I think it was for a replacement for a V belt for an

old faceting machine. The material I had was about

1/4 inch in cross section. If you can find something

in the same cross section as your original belt, that

is probably best, but if you have a V pulley, any

diameter that fits in the pulley, even if it is larger,

will probably work. The ends of mine mushroomed

a bit when pushed together, but once they cooled,

I took a razor knife and carefully carved the bump

down until the joint was pretty smooth again. I used

an electric stove eye on low to melt the ends, but

you could probably also use any flame or small

torch if you were careful. It is sold by the foot,

so it’s easy to get some extra to experiment with.

IDK what you call this stuff, but I’ll look around

a little tomorrow and see if I can find out what it

is called, which might help you if you are searching

for a supplier in Australia. -royjohn

Shelagh,

Found it on the first try before bed! It is sold by Dura-belt and maybe also made

by others. It is called orange belting, orange o-ring belting, and Dura-belt’s is

made of 85A durometer urethane. It comes in various cross sections, but the

round comes in 1/8 to 3/4 inch diameter. Amazon has it in the US for about

$1.50/ft for a ten foot length, so I am pretty certain you can find it down under.

Hope this works for you! Worst problem would be some slight noise if you can’t

get the join completely smooth, but a little extra vibration is not going to be a

problem in your application! Cheers, mate! -royjohn

I have had good luck with vacuum cleaner belts. They spin much faster and are extremely durable. It might take a few experiments finding the correct size. Do Not go to a vacuum cleaner store! My experience was they were very high priced and were selling knock offs that did not last. Once I found them from a ‘jnamed’ manufacturer in their sealed bags I bought a supply. The ones I use now are a little fatter and last much longer. I also tried the clear length from McMasters and was never successful at a good join. Good luck.

Hi Charlie,
I hadn’t thought of vacuum cleaner belts! A good suggestion. The by-the-foot orange stuff worked well for me years ago. I used an electric stove eye and actually put the ends onto the eye set at a low temperature. As I remember, when it barely smokes and gets molten it is ready. You can loop it and put both ends onto the eye at once and then quickly join them. They mushroom out a bit, so you need to trim the join with a razor knife, carefully to try to retain the smooth round cross section. Might get the same results by holding the ends close to the eye, but not on it. Luckily the stuff is cheap enough to buy a few extra feet and experiment. So two good options there…I don’t have much these days that isn’t direct or cone drive, so no way to experiment here. Keep safe, royjohn