The pulley, soon in production?

That of course is what Ives and I are heading for. But our effort last week to cut the rubber rim of the pulley wheel showed it may take a lot of practice before a person can produce these rims in a quantity and at a speed needed if she or he can make a living out of it. That is, if we do not find an easier way for the cutting.
Long ago in Bandung/Indonesia Hans Rolloos brought me to the local 'Rubber King'. In this workshop thin strips, that were accurate and totaly smooth, were cut out of car tires at an amazing speed. Just by hand, in combination with a simple but very effective guide for knife and rubber.
This proves that the actual cutting of rubber should not be the problem and that we have to work out a similar smart setup for guiding knife and the rubber part. So today I made an experimental set up to see if I could copy the Bandung experience to the rubber cutting of the pulley wheel.
The picture shows a stick, this time clamped into a vice, but that could stand up erect. Attached to the stick is a guide to position the rubber rim in the right angle. Two bits of wood are attached to the stick. They guide the knife. Some soap and water sprinkled on this guiding platform eases the cutting. While cutting, the rim has to be turned and the strip that is cut loose has to be pulled open with some force.
Time for preparation for the trip of Ives and myself to Senegal is running our, only a few weeks are left. Ives will be here coming Thursday and Friday. I hope he and I can get this system running. The aim is to cut a rim a five minutes.