Sanding Belt Failure Lessons

[Michael Mathews]

So I've really already learned this by experience with my oscillating belt sander that you don't buy excess belts and keep them laying around for a long time as the adhesive joint will age and deteriorate. Then when you do need "that" belt, it WILL fail!...guaranteed! So yesterday I needed to use my belt sander to level a bunch of uneven glue joints on some larger panels. I had about 10 new belts that are ...I don't know how many years old! Yup, every single one of then had the adhesive joint fail within 30 seconds or less of spinning them up on the belt sander! So don't ever keep more than you're going to use! It's a waste of time and money!

 

[Berta]

I thought I was the only one to learn that the hard way!

 

[Gofor]

Sad to say I have learned that same lesson the hard way!! It appears they only have a year or two shelf life.

 

[ScottM]

Also been there and done that. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Henry W]

Similar experience. Hate that.
I have had the best luck storing my new sanding belts inside the house - in the 'cool' basement with AC. Can't promise it, but it has helped the storage lifetime for me.

Henry

 

[junquecol]

Many years ago, Coleman spoke at TWA. He said belts have about a ONE YEAR life expectancy before joint failure. Klingspor keeps joint material in a freezer as I can best remember. Once on a field trip to 3M, I bought a box of belts labeled Porter Cable. Most expensive belts I ever bought, as none lasted even a year.

 

[Rwe2156]

I recently had this happen with some handheld belt sander belts. Would keeping them sealed in plastic help?

 

[walnutjerry]

So I've really already learned this by experience with my oscillating belt sander that you don't buy excess belts and keep them laying around for a long time as the adhesive joint will age and deteriorate. Then when you do need "that" belt, it WILL fail!...guaranteed! So yesterday I needed to use my belt sander to level a bunch of uneven glue joints on some larger panels. I had about 10 new belts that are ...I don't know how many years old! Yup, every single one of then had the adhesive joint fail within 30 seconds or less of spinning them up on the belt sander! So don't ever keep more than you're going to use! It's a waste of time and money!

been there done that

 

[Tim Sherwood]

Another mini-fact that I learned from Klingspor. You can ignore the directional arrows on your belts if they are made with a butt joint , as opposed to an overlapping joint. That lets you turn the belt over to use two edges on an oscillating sander.
PS : anyone want to buy several 10 year old boxes of belts?

 

[pop-pop]

PS : anyone want to buy several 10 year old boxes of belts?

Are they guaranteed to run for one minute before breaking?

 

[mikeyt]

I guess buying 2 boxes of belts when I got my sander last year was a bad idea. Dangit

 

[bob vaughan]

I've been using sanding belts since the late 1970s. When that taped joint came on the scene maybe in the 1990s, it was a fast and cheap way to lower the costs of belts. They were known as bumpy belts because that raised area of the belts bumped at each revolution. The guys looking for cheap didn't seem to mind because they bought price rather than quality. Good belts with a skive joint are available but one has to search for them these days.

About 1980 Sungold belts came on the scene. They were lower cost belts from Korea that had a good skive joint. I tried a box and was impressed so I bought a bunch in a package deal offered at the time. I still have some from that batch and they are holding up just fine after all those years. They are still available but these days one has to be sure to get the skive joint type rather than the bumpy belt joint. Yes, they do cost a little more than the bumpy type but to me, its well worth it.

Like many others here, I've come across deals on boxes of belts and succumbed to the price. Pictured below is an example including a shot of a belt breaking after seconds of running. It hurts to toss a box of new belts in the trash but that's what has to happen. The abrasive resin-on-resin x-weight belt material is so stiff that it has little utility for other uses for me.

Also pictured is a Sun Abrasive belt that I've had since the 1980s that was used on some pine or other soft wood.
Bam!

10 out of 10 failure. I didn't even try the other box I had. Straight to the trash.

An old Sungold belt that still held together.

 

[Mike Davis]

Another mini-fact that I learned from Klingspor. You can ignore the directional arrows on your belts if they are made with a butt joint , as opposed to an overlapping joint. That lets you turn the belt over to use two edges on an oscillating sander.
PS : anyone want to buy several 10 year old boxes of belts?

If they are cheap enough...

 

[Keye]

Got the t shirt.

Do not throw them away. I had several boxes, different grits. I am still cutting them up and using them for hand sanding. I have been cutting them up for years. Some I glue to narrow strips for hard to reach places. Spray adhesive is quick and cheap.

 

[Roy G]

What Bob said. I have some Sungold belts that are probably 30 years old. I used one recently on my 4x24 sander and had no problems.

Roy G

 

[ScottM]

Not to take away from this tread but it is kinda like buying glue and finish in large containers (gallon or better). Might be a good deal up front but if you end up tossing a large amount because it went bad did you really save money.

 

[Michael Mathews]

failed to mention in my original post that the belts I had were Diablo (HD brand). I bought them long before I even knew Klingspor existed ! Oh, and yes Pop-Pop, they did get through the one minute guarantee, but not much longer LOL! Could also be the weather change that caused the demise. I picked these up when I lived in Michigan!

 

[bob vaughan]

I guess buying 2 boxes of belts when I got my sander last year was a bad idea. Dangit

The odds are high that a tape joint won't last for more than a year, but that's not guaranteed with all tape joint belts. I've had some decades old 6x48 belts that were fine but most popped within 60 seconds. It was a batch of barely used cast off belts from a manufacturing plant a buddy came across.
You'll just have to keep your fingers crossed and see what happens.