Most sanding belts are now made with a diagonal splice joint that is held together with a strong piece of special tape. Then use CA adhesive to bind the bias binding tape to the cleaned edges of the sanding belt you want to make or repair. His solution is to store new and used belt sander belts in sealable freezer bags until he’s ready to use them.
“First, peel the remaining factory tape off the belt splice. Cut a piece of cloth bias tape about 2” longer than the width of the belt. Lay one end of the belt, grit-side down, on the bench; then apply cyanoacrylate glue to the end of the belt. Wrap the belt around and repeat the gluing process to reconnect the ends of the belt.
Test your joint before putting your newly glued sander belt on your sander. Unfortunately a lot of glues will not hold when used with a belt sander due to the extreme heat and tension your belt sander is under when working and it is best to buy a new belt that is designed for your machine, but if you need a quick repair to get your machine up and running again this is an option. You need something that has great strength and durability as your belt sander is a very hard working machine and your belt is going to be exposed to a lot of heat and tension.
First I should have said is that you want to clean the back of the belt with a wire wheel to expose raw abrasive belt backing , and maybe scrap the exposed tape with a knife to remove excess glue. Now when the belt bends round a roller , you may see a slight rise in the belt away from the tape at the joint like1/32 or 1/16 but I have not had a problem at the platten with failure or ripping of the belt. Just because it is holding the belt together does not mean it is ready for work !Note, that the steel bar clamping, forces the glue deeper into the Belt backing fibers.
how to repair belt sander belts Related Question:
Can belt sander belts be repaired?
You can also mend or make abrasive belts by this DIY method: Obtain some bias binding tape from a fabric store, or you can make your own. Then use CA adhesive to bind the bias binding tape to the cleaned edges of the sanding belt you want to make or repair. I have done this many times, and it works fine.
How do you glue sanding belts back together?
Lay one end of the belt, grit-side down, on the bench; then apply cyanoacrylate glue to the end of the belt. Lay half of the bias tape’s width on the glue, place waxed paper over the tape, and use a weight to press down on it for about 30 seconds, or until the glue sets.
Why does my belt sander keep breaking belts?
Heat, humidity, and age can contribute to belt seam failures, but they’re not the only causes. Check that your belts are turning in the direction indicated on the inside face. When not using your sander, release the tension on the belt.
What tape is used to join sanding belts?
Apply the Scotch 8959 tape by using a small piece of swimming pool noodle or other firm foam/rubber like a squeegee pressing firmly and leaving overlap on both ends, make sure there are no air bubbles and the tape is perfectly flat covering both splice ends equally.
Can you cut sanding belts?
You can cut sanding strips from sanding rolls or sanding belts. Cutting from sanding rolls is the more ideal solution.
How do you store sandpaper belts?
Sanding belts should be stored on a rack and sanding discs and wheels should be stored on/in racks, bins, drawers, or boxes. Improper storage can impact the safety of the abrasive, especially for sanding belts.
How are sanding belts measured?
Wrap it around the belt sander the same way you would put a belt on it. Cut the string so the ends meet up and then measure the string from end to end. To determine the width of the belt, you can measure the width of the roller or contact wheel the belt will run against.
What is belt sander good for?
What are Belt Sanders? Belt sanders are multiuse tools. They are commonly used for trimming to a scribed line (photo), sanding very rough surfaces, leveling surfaces (like a replacement board in a hardwood floor) and freehand rounding and shaping.
What kind of sanding belts are best for metal?
As high-performance belts, both zirconia and ceramic sanding belts will last longer and remove metal faster than aluminum oxide or silicon carbide sanding belts. Both belts have the ability to resharpen as they wear and both are primarily used on metal applications. In the end, both types of belts are excellent belts.