Scandanavia or cork

[RGould1910]

Relining bands on my 1910. Going thru my stuff I found some NOS Scandanavia, the light colored stenciled ones, and an NOS set of cork embedded cotton linings. None have shrunk with age and I'm wondering which I should use. It's no fun at 76 pulling the engine to change bands so I don't fancy doing this again any time soon. I am intrigued by the cork ones but have no experience with them. I would assume the cork is unforgiving of any drum imperfections but I'm only speculating. I am not a fan of Kevlar linings so that is not a consideration. Which would you use?

[Mark Gregush]

I would use the Scandanavia and leave the cork on the shelf as a display item. Who knows how long the glue holding the cork in will last and when if the cork inserts do come loose, what a mess all that cork would make along with any loose ends around those now empty holes.

[John kuehn]

The original Scandinavia is time proven to work the best. Of course Kevlar is great for some too.
Don’t think the cork were widely accepted. But were they good is the question. It’s kind of like which is the best timer. And we know that over time the Ford roller style, Anderson and the New Day have stood the test of time over bunch’s of wannabes.

I’m 74 and realigning the bands I would use the Scandinavia. It wouldn’t be fun to use the cork bands and then 6 months later you find bits of cork in your oil screen if you use them. And then there is the oil line and the issue of a stopped up oil line? Now that really would be fun!!!

[Rich P. Bingham]

. . . Who knows how long the glue holding the cork in will last . . .

FWIW, the cork inserts were not glued in, they were tapered so the woven liner held them in place against the steel band. "In the day" they were in common use, and marketed by several manufacturers. Trade journals in the era gave them positive reviews for smoothness of performance and longevity.

That said, regarding them and the NOS Scandinavia linings, one must be sure that the materials have not suffered mildew, damp rot, dry rot or other attrition during long storage. Beware of a musty odor, and examine the materials carefully to determine if they are sound.

Given that regular use of cork insert liners is long out of the living experience of today's T drivers, I'd consider using them as experimental, and though I would love to try a set myself, I'd only do it considering that I might have to fall back to a conventional lining sooner than later if something went afoul.

As far as the condition of transmission drums goes, scores, grooves or (horrors !) cracks spell trouble for any lining materials, and need to be corrected to avoid problems.

Good luck, if you opt for the cork liners, I hope you'll share your experience with them !

[RajoRacer]

I'm also in the "Scandinavia" camp !

[RGould1910]

Damn I figured I probably spelled Scandinavia wrong. I'd love to be able to blame it on spell check but you guys are too smart for that!

[jiminbartow]

I’m in the Guinn’s wood band camp. Jim Patrick

[Allan]

Changing bands is not a task I relish, so I use kevlar for longevity.

Allan from down under.

[TWrenn]

Changing bands is not a task I relish, so I use kevlar for longevity.

Allan from down under.

I'm with you Allan.

[KWTownsend]

Richard-
I'm in Allan's camp, too.
The previous owner of my 1911 used old Scandinavian lining and now I am replacing them with Kevlar.
I would put the cork transmission linings on the display shelf, right next to the historic Scandinavian.
Since you have an aversion to Kevlar, I'd suggest you get new Scandinavia linings if you plan to drive your car.

Your mileage may vary.

: ^ )

Keith

[RajoRacer]

The currently available new "Scandinavia" linings are not even close to the original Scandinavia weave pattern - from what I understand, they feel good at first but fade under pedal pressure so one naturally tightens them up a bit - once they've re-saturated with oil, they're dragging causing premature wear.

How many miles you have on that band Keith ?

[RGould1910]

Keith, your bad lining torn or worn off at the top is exactly what my brake band looks like. I wore it out on a hilly tour last year after I was falsely reassured it was flat land. I found most of those on the tour were set up for the challenging terrain in that they had auxiliary underdrives and outside brakes.
Although I had a Ruckstell and used both reverse and slow speeds bands to slow the car, the terrain proved too much for the Scandanavia lining on the brake band.
Not wanting to do this job again, I will avoid hilly terrain and opt for the vintage Scandinavia, not the newer stuff. I'd love to experiment with the cork though, and may change my mind after a cup or two of coffee!!
Anyone ever use cork?
I understand from one old time T mechanic, long deceased, that they were a desirable upgrade.

[RGould1910]

Darn it. I lost your contact info Steve. Would you email me when you get a chance.

[speedytinc]

Richard-
I'm in Allan's camp, too.
The previous owner of my 1911 used old Scandinavian lining and now I am replacing them with Kevlar.
I would put the cork transmission linings on the display shelf, right next to the historic Scandinavian.
Since you have an aversion to Kevlar, I'd suggest you get new Scandinavia linings if you plan to drive your car.

Scandivanian lining.jpg

Your mileage may vary.

: ^ )

Keith

There appears to be remnants of a gasket between your 4th main & drive shaft flange. There should be no gasket here. This is a ball joint & an unneeded gasket adds extra looseness. In fact, most are a bit too sloppy from decades of wear & can use a ball shim.

[KWTownsend]

Steve-
I had probably had only a couple of thousand miles on those bands. I've had it on the road since the 2013 Kanab Tour and have been on a couple of Annual tours, but of course sometimes drive different cars for different occasions. I could tell the brake was getting bad pre-covid, so lined a set of bands with Kevlar in anticipation. However, last year on the tour in Spokane, is when I really noticed the fading.

John-
Your observation is very astute. I also noticed it when I was taking the hogs head off.

Richard-
If you can pry a set of Scandinavia out of Steve's clutched hands, you'll be good to go!

: ^ )

Keith

[J1MGOLDEN]

I got almost 30 miles out of a 30 year old box of the Scandanavia bands that looked like new, but were yellow like the box.

The newer ones appear to be brown and may last better.