broken sanding belts

Some people say, awe just go buy a new belt. Well I got a floor mounted porter cable machine that uses 4 by 54 belts. Its got a three hp motor on it and weighs a ton. It grinds off metal and wood like a hog. Sharpens lawnmower blades, and does a great job on chisels with 400 silicon carbide. Not only are the belts expensive they are custom made. Research shows that the glue on the belts is only good for a year or so. Same for the taped ones. Ever seen a date code on a belt. Ever seen a date code on a bottle of glue. Not. They dont want you to know how old it is. May be outa date when you bought it. Most older belts are lap joined with glue. Newer ones are butt joined with tape. The tape has heat activated adhesive on it. (just like them iron on blue jean patchs) I am suggesting you iron on some tape before you break a belt that is lap joined. As soon as I find a source of the tape, I will post it. Come on, how much can a roll of glass filament tape cost. I can get an old iron at the thrift shop.