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.
Yup Drew, Lap joint belts have arrows, so the joint does not catch on the platen. Tod & Wes, I had heard that the shelf life of belts is not at all too long. Wes, I am thinking that the tape used to join these belts looks a lot like fiberglas strapping tape.
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.
how to re-glue sanding belts Related Question:
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.
Can sanding 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.
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.
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 causes sanding belts to break?
A reason why your belt could have popped could be because of excessive loading of the material being sanded. While this is not the most common, we have occasionally seen that foreign particles in the machine or a wide variation in workpiece thickness can cause too much pressure and thus cause the belt to snap.
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. The key is to trim the leading edge so that the angled edge matches the drum circumference.
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.
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.
What is abrasive belt?
Abrasive belts consist of abrasive grains applied to a backing made of cloth, film, foam and sponge, paper, or ot. her material. Abrasive belts are mounted on rotating wheels or pulleys and are used in applications such as surface finishing, sanding, and grinding.
What sizes do sanding belts come in?
Sanding belts are available in a variety of sizes from ¼” x 18” all the way up to 60” x 360” and beyond (popular sizes include 2 x 72, 2 x 42, 1 x 30, 2 x 48, 3 x 18, 4 x 36, and 4 x 24).
What is belt sander good for?
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.
How much tension should a belt sander have?
Most wood sanding applications (such as mould sanding using narrow cloth belts) require a belt tension of approximately 40 psi. However, there are some special exceptions. For example, abrasive planing operations using coarse grits typically demand belt tension in the range of 70 to 90 psi.
What is a platen on a wide belt sander?
Platens. Platen heads are the work horse of the segmented platen machine. They are mostly used for conventional sanding of raw wood or between coats on finish. Most parts run through a wide belt machine will have the grain running parallel to the feed. This is the type of head that would sand these parts.