Cloth Belt linker Project

[Slick]

I finally finished my cloth belt linker. I looked at some different designs and came up with one that works excellent. Here’s a photo of the finished product->

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk445/snot-rocket/CBLinker9.jpg

It can load .308, 8mm, or .30-06 simply by moving the plunger screw in or out..

I may even start building some – but only if I can keep the price below $180. The belt holder "clamps" work extremely well but are difficult and time consuming to make… I need to look into using a TIG.

[dutigaf]

slick that turned out really nice!!! and you said you were no where close to being done...

[Slick]

slick that turned out really nice!!! and you said you were no where close to being done...

Thanks! I managed to put about 6 hours into it over the past 4 days. I wanted to go shooting this past weekend (as the weather was dry), but I came down sick.. Oh well, at least I got caught up on this project! :bounce:

[Kali Komrade]

Hey Slick I'm gonna move your thread up to the Skunkworks...

Oh yeah good job by the way I may look into something like that for a stop gap before getting a beltloader... What was the cost of materials???

[Slick]

What was the cost of materials???

If you shop around, you should be able to find the pusher & clamp for ~$33 + ship. Metal will depend. I bought my aluminum from a "surplus metal" dealer (for scrap) and only have $3.40 & tax into mine... I buy all my hardware there too (by the .lb) and it's ~$2 for the hex-screws, washers, & nuts and rubber feet. Since BigMac gave me the clamps (for free), I have about $6 in the linker and maybe $1 in consumables (bits, abrasives, welding, & electricity).

[1919_4_ME]

Slick,
Thats excellent work you do and it looks very clean looking!Would be cool to anodized them in Green,no? :beer:

[GUNRUNNER5150]

I actually love the look of brushed aluminum - that is for a lack of a better word - "slick" to say the least :headbang:

[Slick]

Thanks Rich!

I've actually considered anodizing them green or black as you mentioned. There's some pretty good instructions on the Internet for "home anodizing" recipes that use Rit dye.. I had even considered "splash anodize" in camo colors - just to experiment.

I probably won't do it though as it's something that would add expense to each unit and my goal is to try an get mine as close to $100 lower than the other linkers as possible. I bought the aluminum as scrap and it came to me all corroded with white powdery crap & black stains on them. I just did the first round of clean-up last night using scouring powder. Next I'll be sanding them off with scotch-brite pads and rubbing them down with never dull. This gives them a nice "sheen" and protects the aluminum from further corrosion, but there are small scratches on them anyway - so it's not like they have a real "showy" appearance anyhow.

I picked up the rubber feet today, and hope the get the decks cut this evening. I'll work on building the belt holders while I wait on the pushers & clamps that I *still* need to get ordered. I could only get enough aluminum to build 9, but I'm going to try building one in steel and see how much easier that is, since that should even take the price lower. I'd really like to come up with a good enough design that worked well and got the price below $100 for a nice linker that still is adjustable for other calibers.

[Kali Komrade]

That sounds like a solid plan there Slick just remember if you start selling these bad boys your gonna get a ton of Emails as I am sure you already have... :coffee:

[dutigaf]

i think he could already sell all of them that he's gonna make. lmao

and he thought he was gonna be retired.......

[Slick]

I actually have the highest hopes for the one that I plan to make out of steel. Welding the clamps in place would be a LOT easier than drilling and using hardware.. It would also give me a good excuse to get up & running with a parkerizing setup. A steel linker should be able to be built and sold for under $100 I would think. :bounce:

[F-Troop]

Very slick.

[Kali Komrade]

Well it looks like I'm going to have to take on one of these as a project Slick... When done I will post pic's of the finished project...

[Kali Komrade]

Hey Slick... I found the clamps through a wood workers supply store I use and they had one with a vertical lock down handle any thoughts... I'm going to try that and see how that works out...

[Slick]

they had one with a vertical lock down handle any thoughts...

You'll just want to pay attention to the height of your "pusher clamp" in relation to the belt holding clamp - so that the pusher meets up properly centered. Using wood should work just fine and be cheaper & easier. Post pix if ya can!

[Kali Komrade]

You know I was going to use some scraps or oak for the base but even hardwood breaks... Or should I say I break everything... I'm going to use the aluminum like you because I have a metal recycling place just down the road from me that has scraps...

Yes I will keep my eye on the heights so they match up correctly thats why I'm going to wait till they get here before I go buy the rest of the materials...

I just thought having the vertical lock down handle might feel a little different for the motions of locking and unlocking... Just a little something different the clamp costs the same as your horizontal clamp so I just did it to try something different and see what happens...

[Kali Komrade]

Hey Slick finally got my clamps in from the woodworker store now I am going to attempt a hack job in completing your project I think I'm going to mach up on hardwood then get the metal... I noticed these clamps appear to have the right height to clamp ratio so I may not have to have one bed of material higher in order to clamp or push... we will see....

Oh and I think the vertical handle will be an added plus...

[Slick]

Pix man! We need PIX! :bounce:

[Kali Komrade]

Hey wait let me get my crayola's..... :lol: I gotta borrow a camera Slick I'll try to get mached up today and post pic's on Friday... I can't wait I got belts to load that I've been sitting on for years...

So much easier when someone does the experimenting for you before attempting something like this... Just what I needed for the Watercooled project before it gets completed sometime this year... Can't thank you enough for all the pictures you posted on your site over there on your website...

Think I might even burn a short video of the operation how's that sound.... :headbang:

[Kali Komrade]

Ha Ha.... :rofl: It's as ugly as can be but it works... I don't know if you really want to see this contraption but it works... I'll have 1919_4_ME shoot some pictures of it if he can get up off of the floor from laughing so much.... :lol:

[dutigaf]

i see...........................................noth ing.

what the hell?

yep now i get to bust your balls. lmfao

its still daylight out there, get off your ass and get some pix!!

[Slick]

I don't know if you really want to see this contraption but it works...

Of course we'd like to see it! Who cares if it "looks great" - function is what counts! Good looks are only important if you're planning on doing a production run for sale since buyers like (and expect) visually attractive products. But function & durability are KING.

[Kali Komrade]

Okay sorry for the delay.... Went Varmint hunting this weekend and loaded three of my 100 round belts... First things first I'm sure we have the same difficulties belt loaders have with virgin belts... Lesson #1 learned load the last round on the belt the night before you load a virgin belt to stretch it out... I had done this on two other belts and the last one really paid for my haste... so I lost one pocket on the belt due to ripping... :banghead: As I flaked off this weekend I found a few more changes I need to make as I did not try to scale it to yours Slick I put my clamps to far apart... and one of my belt holders was a little longer on one side and I did not catch it in time... Easy fix none the less...

So here you go...

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m113/Dano561/P1000340.jpg

Had to borrow a digital camera too.... :peep:

[Slick]

Dude, that rocks! All the essential elements are there. I also like how you used the hold-down clamp's rubber plunger in the "pusher". That has me thinking about trying that. :bounce:

See? sharing pix does a lot to "lubricate ideas" to build a better mousetrap. You did well. :headbang:

[Kali Komrade]

I pretty much sanded off the rubber until I could feel the bolt underneath I have no idea how long the rubber will stay on there I think it might eventually split... While at the hardware store yesterday I saw these furniture glides that screw into the bottom of tables etc. I think those might fit the clamps... and be real durable...

I got a few more adjustments to make I think the wood will hold up well after about 300 rounds loaded its still doing good... Hey where did you find your rubber feet Slick??? I get lost in the hardware store all the time...

[Slick]

Hey where did you find your rubber feet Slick??? I get lost in the hardware store all the time...

I got the rubber feet that I used in an electronics shop. They were made for electrical chasis and come from "3M" and were about 50 cents or so a pop..

The new ones (all they had) that I'm using for the 10 linkers I'm building are a bit smaller - but I'll be using 8 of them on each linker and I think the thinner feet won't flex as much (not that it's a problem).

[Kali Komrade]

yeah thats all that matters... I acutally reloaded the belts on the carpet so I didn't need the feet at that time because the nuts were absorbed by the thick padding... But I do want to do it on my loading bench and thats wood so I don't want to mar it up...

You know another thing I did to make it easier for me to weld the nut to the bolt is I took a flat magnet (out of an old speaker...) and put it on my drill press and then chucked the bolt up in the press and rasied the nut while on the magnet up to meet the bolt... Made it so much easier for me to tack it up... Especially with a cheap harbor frieght flux cored mig welder...

It works glad you did the foot work on this Slick I've just got way to many irons in the fire to use my brain in this fashion... :hail:

[Slick]

You know another thing I did to make it easier for me to weld the nut to the bolt is I took a flat magnet (out of an old speaker...) and put it on my drill press and then chucked the bolt up in the press and rasied the nut while on the magnet up to meet the bolt... Made it so much easier for me to tack it up...

HUGE Thanks for that suggestion!!! :hail: This was one of the "problems" I had the most difficulty in resolving. I've got an old drill press, so that would be a great solution for me - since I'll need to drag it outside (to do 10 in one sitting).

Man, there's nothing as good as the free-sharing of ideas that help all of us improve our projects. :beer:

[Kali Komrade]

Hey I'm happy I could help I'm such a sloppy welder it just made it a hell of a lot easier for me