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Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:11 am
by Greg Rawls
I have a bunch of belts for my wetbelt sander that are a few years old that are splitting at the seam after a few minutes of use. Consistently! Does the glue that holds the belt together have a shelf life? Anyone else had this problem?

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:33 am
by Brad Walker
Funny you mention this, Greg. I had two split on me just a couple of weeks ago. Don't know why. The belts were purchased several years ago, so perhaps there's a shelf life issue. But I've never had the problem before.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:30 am
by Tony Smith
Are these full-size belts or Covington size? I've never heard of belts coming apart, but I suppose it's possible as the glue hardens over time.

Tony

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:36 am
by Brad Walker
Tony Smith wrote:Are these full-size belts or Covington size? I've never heard of belts coming apart, but I suppose it's possible as the glue hardens over time.
Full-size. I'd never heard of it either until it happened twice this past month.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:08 am
by Marty
I've never had one split either. Mine fray.
I have to change some out and the new ones are several years old. Stay tuned.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:49 am
by Greg Rawls
These belts are 41-1/2 x 3. One belt breaking would not be an issue, but every time I replace the belt from my old stash (and these are maybe 4-6 years old), they work for a few minutes then split right at the seam.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:35 am
by FusedLightStudio
Greg Rawls wrote:These belts are 41-1/2 x 3. One belt breaking would not be an issue, but every time I replace the belt from my old stash (and these are maybe 4-6 years old), they work for a few minutes then split right at the seam.
Yep. Same exact problem. Had to buy new belts. But I cut up the old belts into small pieces to use as wet sandpaper for curves.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 9:54 am
by Marty
Marty wrote:I've never had one split either. Mine fray.
I have to change some out and the new ones are several years old. Stay tuned.
Full sized belts, from HIS.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:33 am
by Greg Rawls
FusedLightStudio wrote:
Greg Rawls wrote:These belts are 41-1/2 x 3. One belt breaking would not be an issue, but every time I replace the belt from my old stash (and these are maybe 4-6 years old), they work for a few minutes then split right at the seam.
Yep. Same exact problem. Had to buy new belts. But I cut up the old belts into small pieces to use as wet sandpaper for curves.
That is a REALLY GOOD IDEA! Thanks!

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:11 am
by Marian
I had that happen with a batch of belts also, from CRL. They work for 15 minutes and then let go. They were a few years old when I got around to needing them. It was only one size that broke. I bought new different ones from HIS.

Re: Wetbelt sander belts breaking

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:30 pm
by ejgiebel
Bit delayed in my response, but I saw a YouTube video on this a while back. Get some seam tape (not actually tape, but the fabric material they use to strengthen clothing seams) from a fabric store. Cut the seam tape to the width of the belt, one layer thick (seems to me it's folded over on itself, so you just want one layer). Scrape off the old seam material with a razor blade. Place the ends of the belt grit side down on a piece of wax paper (so the glue won't stick to it if it seeps through the seam), firmly hold the belt in place with the seam matching. Spread a thin layer of Gorilla Glue (it's water proof, super glue is not) on the belt. You want enough to hold, but don't get wild and crazy since the Gorilla Glue expands and can push through the seam onto the grit. Place the seam tape in the glue, add a bit more glue to saturate the tape. Spread the glue flat, place a weight (again, use wax paper because Gorilla Glue really sticks) over the seam and let dry (I think 24 hours is their recommend full cure time). You can make the piece of tape slightly larger than the belt and trim it once the glue dries (but the glue will be hard).

I repaired a belt that lasted about 30 minutes when new 2 years ago (OK, don't use the belt a lot, but I've used it 10 hours since then) and it is still holding strong.

Ed