While waiting for Gunther to supply me with what I need, I decided to try my own fix. I removed the thrust pad, which had an obvious dimple from wear, I assumed, and carefully sanded it down until the dimple was gone.
After re-installing it I measured the speed consistency and guess what? It appears to have worked. gone is the slight speed fluctuations and now it is as stable as any belt drive I've used.
Lets see how long this last. I checked the bearing and I did not notice any wear, so hopefully my worked solve my dilemma. After an hour of spinning it still reads stable and steady.
After re-installing it I measured the speed consistency and guess what? It appears to have worked. gone is the slight speed fluctuations and now it is as stable as any belt drive I've used.
Lets see how long this last. I checked the bearing and I did not notice any wear, so hopefully my worked solve my dilemma. After an hour of spinning it still reads stable and steady.