Abranet problem

[Rick Potter]

I am using 5" Mirka Abranet discs on my Milwaukee Random Orbit Sander. I love them, and they last a long time. Recently, they stopped sticking to the Velcro pad on the sander, and keep coming off. Anyone else have this problem? Is it possible the Velcro has gotten too worn to hold? I am wondering if the Velcro hooks possibly go through the holes on the discs and get worn.

I am thinking about ordering a couple new pads for the sander, but I am hesitating because normal Velcro paper works fine.

Rick Potter

[William C Rogers]

Mirac has a sacrifice pad for this. I bought mine off Amazon in a 5 pack for about $30. That is the one issue you need to address using the Abranet sanding disks.

Bill

[Mikail Khan]

Pad Protector Link
(http://www.amazon.com/Mirka-9955RP-5-Inch-Protector-sanding/dp/B001BKT5D6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391084673&sr=8-2&keywords=abranet+interface+pad)
It is available at a lower cost from 2sand. If you buy abranet by the box you sometimes get a pad protector free.

Your sander velcro is probably already damaged and the pad should probably be replaced.

MK

[David Hawxhurst]

yes, your hook and loop is worn out replace the pad on the milwaukee. as mentioned already mirka makes a pad protector that work pretty good for extending the life of your pad.

[Sam Murdoch]

Pad Protector Link
(http://www.amazon.com/Mirka-9955RP-5-Inch-Protector-sanding/dp/B001BKT5D6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391084673&sr=8-2&keywords=abranet+interface+pad)
It is available at a lower cost from 2sand. If you buy abranet by the box you sometimes get a pad protector free.

Your sander velcro is probably already damaged and the pad should probably be replaced.

MK

+1 good source. Easy enough to add a hole or enlarge some holes if the Abranet pad holes don't quite align with yours for dust collection.

[J.R. Rutter]

I have glued the interface pads on to worn sander pads with contact cement when the velcro is too far gone to hold. But if the sander itself is still running fine, then I would pick up a new pad as well as the interface discs.

[Rick Potter]

Thank's guys,

Apparently I'm late to the party when it comes to abranet. First I've heard about this. I tried the Mirka website, but could only find pads for their sanders. I will be ordering some pads of both types. I love that little Milwaukee. Low vibration, and great dust pickup with a vac.

Rick Potter

[C Scott McDonald]

Interesting. I noticed the same thing starting to happen on my Bosch with Abranet as well. I had no idea there was an interface pad.

[William C Rogers]

The 5 inch pads are Mirka 9955. You can get a 5 pack from Amazon for about $25.

[CPeter James]

Mirka also makes a pad for various sanders that has a bazillion little holes in it to give even better dust control. Actually, the holes are the same as the pad savers . I use their pads on my DeWalt 5" ROS and my Dynabrade. They really do help with the dust control. If you are going to buy a new pad, get the Mirka one.

http://www.mirka.com/en-US/us/ACCESSORIES/backing_pads_us/

[Rick Potter]

I have 5 50/pack boxes from Woodcraft that I just checked. No protector there.

CPeter...are the pads universal? I cannot find any info on which sanders they fit. I definitely want a couple of those multi hole jobs if they will fit my Milwaukee 6021. The pad attaches with 4 screws, not a center bolt.

[CPeter James]

I would contact you local Mirka dealer or Mirka direct and see what they have. They list many different backing pads, but no way that I can see to figure out what they fit. I got mine through a dealer many years ago and just replace the protector pads from time to time. Heat is the enemy of the hook and loop system so if you can let the sander do the work and not bear down on it, the hooks and loops last a lot longer.

My Dynabrade attaches with screws but I think there are only three. I will check when I go to the shop. The DeWalt has a stud.

CPeter

[Prashun Patel]

The upside of Abranet is that the mesh allows airflow to draw almost all the dust from the piece which improves dc and sanding efficiency.
The downside of Abranet is that the mesh allows almost all of the heat from the friction to be transferred to the pad.

Get the 25packs from 2-sand. They include a free interface pad.

But your backing pad on your ROS is probably shot.

[Rick Potter]

Stopped at Tools R Us this morning. Unfortunately they don't stock any Mirko items, so I guess I will go internet on it. I like to buy local when I can.

RP