How to fix old sanding belts?

Folks, it has been ~ 10 years since I have been active in my woodworking shop, for a variety of reasons, and recently I tried using some of my sanding belts and had them all separate at the joint. These were brand new belts (10 years ago) and the ravages of being in a hot Houston TX garage have probably taken their toll on the adhesive. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or had tried using some adhesive on sand belts that had separated at the joint? Is this a common problem? I hate to toss these belts, as they were very good zironium aluminate belts, and they have not been used, but don't work in their present condition. Any help is GREATLY appreciated, Thanks so much!!

Reply to
Richard
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Wilson

generally, there is no fixing this. consider these as high grade very rough and a bit over stiff sheets for scary sharp.

the best fix I have found is to use the fiber reinforced packing tape on the in side and superglue on the joint. that will last for a little while.

Reply to
bridgerfafc

Last time I had that problem I threw them onto the pile of "odd scraps of sandpaper for use by hand".

Then all the grit fell off anyway. By the time the joint failed, they were really too far gone for anything.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I use new belts, cut at the seam and glued on glass, to flatten the soles of bench planes, &tc. So they may not be a total loss, as long as the adhesive holding the grit to the backing still holds.

Reply to
Zz Yzx

Thanks, folks, for the suggestion. As it has been awhile since I have purchased any belts, what are some good sources for woodworking supplies these days? We didn't have the Internet when I was last into woodworking in a major way; I remember Trendlines and some other places that I purchased things from. What is a good abrasives company, and is there any thing better these days than the blue Zirconium Aluminate belts that I used back then? Thanks again, Richard

Reply to
Richard

Here is the most complete site and source for woodwork abrasives:

formatting link
runners up:
formatting link
posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net

Reply to
DanG

Back in the olden days in high school shop, we made our own from long pieces begged from a plywood factory. We cut the pieces to length diagonally, put a grinding wheel on the old DeWalt RAS and ground off half an inch of grit on one end, Put Elmers glue on it, overlapped the ends and ironed it with a home laundry iron. They worked fine.

Moral: Try white or yellow glue and clamp overnight. What's to lose?

Zirconia is the best grit material in my opinion, but a little pricey.

Another place to try for abrasives is

formatting link
Good Luck.

Reply to
Gerald Ross

Thanks, Gerald. I'll try your idea! Yes, Zirconia was my favorite grit, back when I was doing a lot of woodworking, and that is why I want to find a way to keep my blue zirconia belts. The abrasive has not loosened on them, but they only last a few revolutions in the belt sander before they come undone where they are joined. Thanks again, and I'm open to any other suggestions for using these belts.

Reply to
Richard

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.