Apparatus for stapling splice clips to a belt end

In combination with:

• at least one U-shaped clip having
• a pair of elongated legs each formed with at least two holes and having a rear edge formed with a rearwardly open notch, and
• a bight joining front ends of the legs;
• and
• at least one staple having two prongs, a stapling apparatus comprising:
• a die part having a seat shaped to fit one of the legs and having at a forward portion of the seat an upstanding guide web snugly engageable with the bight of the clip whose one leg is fitted in the seat and a forwardly pointing centering wedge in the seat and spaced rearwardly from the web and engageable in the notch of the clip;
• a presser part displaceable toward and away from the die part and having a passage extending toward the die part and in which a staple, which is engaged in the holes of the other leg of the clip, fits complementarily, the presser part having a lower surface formed with a shoulder complementarily engageable with the rear edge of the other leg of the clip fitted in the seat;
• and
• a plunger displaceable toward and away from the die part in the passage of the presser part, whereby when the clip is fitted over a belt end and to the die part and the presser part is pressed toward the die part such that the pair of legs of the clip are parallel to each other, depression of the plunger forces the staple through the belt end through both legs of the clip.