Sanding Belts

928gene928 · Jun 16, 2020

I have a Milwaukee 1/2"x18" sander/file. Have not used in awhile, and after installing a new belts,they broke at the splice twice on start up. Now all the belts I have in stock are old, and the splices may be weak and dry. Is ther a way to save the belts I have by doing something to the splice areas to make them stronger ??

mjk · Jun 16, 2020

This topic has been addressed on this site and many others and I think most came to the conclusion the cost wasn't worth it.
I have a Dynafile, same size 1/2 x 18, HF sells belts for them.
I recently purchased a lot of a half dozen air sanders and approx 3000 belts from a local shop. They had been sitting for a few years, but the price was good. All the taped belts popped as soon as they were installed or first started up.
The more $$$ seamless belts have no problem with aging.

Ries · Jun 16, 2020

Rust never sleeps, and glue doesnt last. - Neil Young.

guest · Jun 16, 2020

Make sure you aren't putting them on backwards, most sanding belts will have a directional arrow.

If time is not a factor, you could go to the fabric supply and get some iron-on patch material. Cut it to strips and iron over the existing tape. Might hold...

crossthread · Jun 16, 2020

I have been fighting this battle for over fifty years. Tried everything imaginable and suggested. I have never had any luck repairing glued joints on sanding belts.

AlfaGTA · Jun 16, 2020

guest said:
Make sure you aren't putting them on backwards, most sanding belts will have a directional arrow.

Taped joints are butted, not over lapped with very thin tape behind. Not directional as there is no lap joint.
Taped joints make for smoother sanding by eliminating the bump at the lap...
Tape seems to have a shelf life. Purchase your belts from a supplier that sells volume so you don't get old stock, buy small amounts don't stock pile....seems a plot to sell more belts IMO....
Cheers Ross

daryl bane · Jun 16, 2020

The best advice is just to get some new fresh belts but......if you are sitting in quarantine with time on your hands and loathe to throw out unused but old belts, here is a plan. Clean the joint( old belts , you can easily pull apart the joint) with lacquer thinner and rough with sandpaper, coat the joint with Shoe Goo per instructions( contact cement for shoes, available everywhere) , make a jig so that the joint is straight. Now we are not done yet. Find some glass cloth reinforced tape, 3M Scotch #27 is what I had in the bin. Paint the Shoe Goo along the back of the belt far beyond the joint and install the tape on the tacky Shoe Goo, cut the tape so that the angle is the same as the joint. Put this in the jig with clamps and wait 24 hrs. Whew!, but this has held up for me..but allota work.

crrmeyer · Jun 17, 2020

928gene928 said:
I have a Milwaukee 1/2"x18" sander/file. Have not used in awhile, and after installing a new belts,they broke at the splice twice on start up. Now all the belts I have in stock are old, and the splices may be weak and dry. Is ther a way to save the belts I have by doing something to the splice areas to make them stronger ??

Here is a PM post a out using book binding tape that looks promising

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general-archive/super-tape-abrasive-belts-91637/#post226183

GregSY · Jun 17, 2020

Seems to me a simple brass buckle would hold up well. Holds me britches up, that's for sure.

dana gear · Jun 17, 2020

We have a very long belt sander built for special applications, problem is we have to have the belts custom made and because of this we have to purchase 20 belts at a time and to make matters worse we order two different grits of belts. Now we have 40 belts. Generally it takes us some time to burn through the 40, like 2-3 years and yes belt separation is a problem at times.
We have had good success with 3 M contact cement and fiber tape. When the two diagonal sections are butted up and cemented the tape is applied and then we place steel plates on both sides and compress them in a vise overnight.

tmittelstaedt · Jun 17, 2020

GregSY said:
Seems to me a simple brass buckle would hold up well. Holds me britches up, that's for sure.

I think that was standard equipment on the "combination sander/jointer, you can joint and sand all in one step" machines that Asia tried selling here in the 70's....LOL

JST · Jun 18, 2020

daryl bane said:
The best advice is just to get some new fresh belts but......if you are sitting in quarantine with time on your hands and loathe to throw out unused but old belts, here is a plan. Clean the joint( old belts , you can easily pull apart the joint) with lacquer thinner and rough with sandpaper, coat the joint with Shoe Goo per instructions( contact cement for shoes, available everywhere) , make a jig so that the joint is straight. Now we are not done yet. Find some glass cloth reinforced tape, 3M Scotch #27 is what I had in the bin. Paint the Shoe Goo along the back of the belt far beyond the joint and install the tape on the tacky Shoe Goo, cut the tape so that the angle is the same as the joint. Put this in the jig with clamps and wait 24 hrs. Whew!, but this has held up for me..but allota work.

Interesting.... I never found "Shoe Goo" to be worth anything, this may finally be something useful it works for! I've got belts to fix.....

Although, since I found out about 3M Cubitron belts, I don't much care if I ever fix those others.

true temper · Jun 18, 2020

I have used this,
https://www.staples.com/Scotch-Extr...r-1-96-x-21-8-yds-Clear-1-Pack/product_448960
On 6x48 wood sanding belt. So far its worked fine. But I haven’t worked it very hard. Cleaned back off belt and used a sheet of rubber and steel backer and clamped over night.

David Utidjian · Jun 18, 2020

I have a 6X48 Rockwell belt sander (a very reliable and hard working machine.) When I got it I also got a lot of new-old-stock belts which would break with a bang, sometimes under no load. I bought a batch of Norton "Zirconia" (blue in color) belts. That was over ten years ago. I have worn them out but none of them have broken on me. ETA: I don't know if they make them in the size for your tool though.

-DU-

metalmagpie · Jun 19, 2020

Sanding belts have a shelf life. You don't expect to buy 2 years worth of hamburger at once, do you?

That being said, I have never had a Klingspor belt, even an old one, fly apart on me.
I don't get tempted by someone selling a bunch of belts for a buck apiece on ebay anymore. They'll be old when I get them, and soon will be falling apart.

Just another lesson in the school of hard knocks.

metalmagpie

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