Sander problem: adhesive sand paper falls off

[aaronfude]

Hi,

I just purchased a used craftsman sander designed to work with adhesive sandpaper. But the sand paper stays on for about a minute or so and falls off. I cleaned the surface of the sander very thoroughly and I think it's very clean. It used to have some gunk on it and I clean it with mineral spirits and let it dry for a comple of days. I also tried vacuuming it to make sure that there is now dust in it.

The sand paper that I'm using is pretty old, came with the sander, but sticks on fine initially before falling off.

What is the likeliest culprit here?

Thanks!

Aaron Fude

[cselby]

Old glue that's dried out. Try spraying some contact cement on it or on the platen or both. If that doesn't work then you already know how to clean with mineral spirits. Also some old 'adhesives' were some waxy based stuff; don't know if that's what you have.

[CW]

Buy new paper. Adhesives have a shelf life. Sounds like yours are past it.

[aaronfude]

Thank you!

[MikeMac]

You might also look at buying a 'conversion' kit.. essentially an adhesive hook & loop pad.. that lets you use hook & loop sanding disks.. easier to change back and forth

Mike

[Fly-by-Night CC]

If one has a largish quantity of older sticky-backs that aren't anymore, Napa Auto Parts sells a small spray can of disk adhesive.