The first clamp, with the center mark of the clamp coinciding with the center of the belt, should be very tight; for should it slip when the load is put on, it will very probably slip in the middle of the belt and may not slip on the edges at all. Should you glue it in this condition, the chances are very much in favor of the outside edges giving away on a heavy load, due to the middle being too long. After the first clamp is in position and tightened, put on the second one and leave the bolts loose, so that it can be slipped easily. Then put the belt rods in position with just a "full nut" on each end and tighten the clamp. Tighten the rods enough to take most of the load, then get the large splitter shown in Figs. 65 and 66 and open the joint. The place to commence is between _X X_ in Fig. 75; this inclined point is about 4 inches long and must be opened at both ends of the splice before the middle is touched.
The tool should be entered at _O_, in Fig. 78, and worked gradually toward _A_; when the point is raised to _A_ clear across the belt, open on down to _C_. After both ends of the splice have been opened up in this way, proceed to open the middle, which is now an easy task, there being no thin stock that a separating tool will pass through easily. After the belt is entirely apart tighten up on the rods until the belt is the proper tension and hang the hooks (76b, Fig. 75) on the belt rods. Throw the two ends of the belt back over the clamp and put the splicing board in position. After this is in place, throw the two ends of the belt back on the board and proceed to lay off the scarfs. To do this, first take a square and get the two thin points perfectly square, then put the "first end" point in between them. This is shown very clearly in Fig. 77, the shaded end being the last end. Of course the "first end" point at _C_, Fig. 77, will have to be cut off before the belt will lie down properly; the amount to cut off of this end will be just as much as you have shortened the distance between the clamps. After the point has been cut to the right length, take the square and make a mark across the belt, using the end of the thin point as your measure for length; then without moving the belt make a mark on the edge of the belt, showing just where the lower thin point came on the bottom. Throw the "last end" over the left-hand clamp out of the way and scarf down the top of the "first end" point, letting the scarf be about 4 inches long. Be careful not to gouge a hole in the belt where the scarf is started, but try to make the inclined plane from _X_ to _X_ perfect; try to keep the whole surface of this incline true and straight. After the short 4-inch scarf is finished, clean the glue off of the inside of the "first end"; lap up to where it enters the "last end"; then turn it over by bringing it over the right-hand clamp, place a scarfing board under it and make the scarf shown at _T_, Fig. 75. Now clean all glue off the "last end" lap and take a sharp scraper like the one shown in Fig. 69 or 69b, place a piece of glass under the points that have been previously squared up, and scarf them down to a knife-edge.