sanding belts breaking

[Mark Pruitt]

I think I might have set a record tonight......

15 sanding belts snapped while in use, one after another. Some didn't even make contact with the workpiece; just snapped a few seconds after I pulled the trigger. I think that these belts have been sitting for too long in the box. I remember reading somewhere that the adhesive used to join sanding belts will deteriorate after a period of time, and I suppose that is what happened here. However, I have a couple of belts out of the same batch that are running just fine, killing the theory that the problem is with the sander. (It isn't.)

Some years ago I saw a "bargain" buy; a large quantity of belts at a discounted price. THat might have been OK for someone who uses a belt sander every day, but as a hobbyist, I was probably wrong to bite into that kind of a deal. Another lesson learned.

[Gary Breckenridge]

Me too. My shop is in the basement and there sometimes is a humidity problem that ruins the belts. Some of the cheaper ones hold up as well as crepe paper. Sometimes they just get kind of limp. I guess the cure is not to buy too many, too cheap and not store them in a humid place.

[Allen Bookout]

Yep, They do that after a while.

I remember some guy saying that the way to fix the belts and go ahead and use them was to tape them back together with duct tape. Might be worth a try.

If you do try it let us know how it works out.

I probably should put some kind of disclamer here but not being an attorney I have no clue how to do it.

Allen

[Vaughn McMillan]

I think you probably did set a record.

I do a lot of belt sanding when I'm making cutting boards. After having a few maroon ones (like in your picture) break or wear out too quickly, I've switched to the blue Norton "3x" belts. They cost a bit more, but I get much longer life from them, and faster production, so they end up saving me money. I know there are other premium belts out there, but the blue ones are the only ones I've tried so far.

I had some old nasty 40 grit belts that had been my granddad's, and they must have been at least 40 years old. The adhesives were so dried out that after about one revolution around the sander, about half the abrasive grit had fallen off the belt. It was sort of fun watching the sand just some flying off. After another two or three times around the track, the belts would break.

- Vaughn

[tod evans]

mark, i can clearly read the brand of belts you had trouble with. i haven`t liked their product for at least 2 decades, on my 3x24 i use sait brand belts, if i`m in a pinch and forgot to restock i`ll buck up for the blue ones but they`re more bucks for about the same belt life. now on my big sander nothing but blue has offered good life, maybe it has to do with my beating hand tools? ..02 tod

[Larry Norton]

Allen, for even better results, wrap the duct tape all the way around the the outside of the belt. Makes it MUCH stronger.

What, you haven't heard of the new duct tape made especially for sander belt repair? It comes in different grits, 100, 120, etc.

[Mark Singer]

The sM belts are a lot tougher and last many times as long....the Purple ones. I have gone through a lot of the regular ones and now I jus get the purple!

[Allen Bookout]

What, you haven't heard of the new duct tape made especially for sander belt repair? It comes in different grits, 100, 120, etc.

That's a good one Larry. I like that. Now I am going to find out that there really is such a thing.
Allen

[glenn bradley]

To quote Jim Carrey as the Joker "Now THAT'S impressive!

[Don Baer]

A trick I learned from my son who has done a lot of auto painting. Before installing belts, no matter what brand you buy line the inside of the belt with duct tape. since doing this I have never had a belt fail.

[Mark Pruitt]

Allen, for even better results, wrap the duct tape all the way around the the outside of the belt. Makes it MUCH stronger.

What, you haven't heard of the new duct tape made especially for sander belt repair? It comes in different grits, 100, 120, etc.

Larry, you ain't right!!! ROFL!!!

[Mark Pruitt]

The sM belts are a lot tougher and last many times as long....the Purple ones. I have gone through a lot of the regular ones and now I jus get the purple!

Mark, have you found a good price on the 3M belts? Not that price is a primary concern--if the stupid thing's just gonna break it doesn't matter if it was free. Just wondering though if someone has a good deal on them.

[Mark Singer]

Mark,
I buy them at Amazon and considering how good they are it turns out a bargain!

[Mark Pruitt]

I had some old nasty 40 grit belts that had been my granddad's, and they must have been at least 40 years old. The adhesives were so dried out that after about one revolution around the sander, about half the abrasive grit had fallen off the belt. It was sort of fun watching the sand just some flying off. After another two or three times around the track, the belts would break.

- Vaughn

After a few breaks with these, I figured that it was just going to keep happening, so I turned the speed to the lowest and kept on sanding, breaking belt, sanding, breaking belt etc. (Of course I inspected the sander first to verify that there was not a loose part that was actually causing all the breakage.) One time when I was still operating it at high speed, the belt got so jammed up into the sander that I had to grab it with vise grips and pull like heck to get it out. Other than that, it was kind of funny to see all the carnage.

What really frosted my lizzard was the part where I sanded a board and then thought, hmmm, maybe if I go ahead and clean the belt now I can prevent a break. I cleaned the belt and the very second I touched it to the workpiece--BOING! Or was it more like, FROVAPPPPP!

[Mark Pruitt]

One other thought....It's kind of a shame to waste all of this otherwise-perfectly-good abrasive material. Maybe I'll jus stash it and use it at the lathe. But then, geez....how much turning will I do before exhausting all of THAT? I'm probably set for life in that dept.