Belt material for take up reel?

bumper wrote:
... McMaster-Carr has the polyurethane belt you
are looking for. The tubular version can be connected using the
mechanical splice things they sell, or it can be welded. The solid
version can be welded. I've successfully welded it using a jig kluged
together from a short length of aluminum angle. The key is to get the
heated ends aligned quickly after heating the ends with a hot knife.
They sell proper welding kits for splicing, but they're expensive.

I can't imagine silicone being suitable at all for this purpose. It's
not mechanically strong like urethane and doesn't handle abrasion.
Also I don't think it welds well, though it can be joined using
silicone adhesive.

bumper

It's quite possible that the 3/16 in silicone round belt that
McMaster's sells for $5 a foot is mechanically inferior, and less
resistant to abrasion than the urethane 3/16 in round belt that they
also sell under $1 a foot. They are both offered in orange or orange/red.

Brian W