Abstract: Felt belts normally used in paper making are conditioned after the newly formed paper is removed, by passing the belts over a narrow slot in a box under vacuum which extracts moisture and/or contaminants so that the belt is ready for reuse. Holders composed of a synthetic thermo-plastic are detachably secured to the top of the box with the holders detachably supporting steel rods covered with a hard ceramic coating which resists wear. The belt is supported by the rods and is drawn downwardly by vacuum into contact with an upper surface of the holders. Furthermore, the rods are designed to be repositioned when the coating does wear, in order to provide the use of more than one working surface thus extending the life of the rods.