# Repairing broken sander belts



## RusticElements (Mar 14, 2008)

Is it possible?

I went through several sander belts on a recent stair refinishing job. Not that the belts wore out, they broke. Yes I had them on the right way. The belt sander belongs to my neighbor and I think the belts may be quite old.









What I'm wondering is, is there a way to repair them? Can I remove the existing spicing tape and put on new tape of some kind? It seems a shame to throw out perfectly good belts. Hey! I'm Scottish! What can I say?!?


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

They are pretty inexpensive. I think I pay about 80 cents each for the 3×21" belts.
That being said, I suppose you could get a roll of seaming tape for carpets and give it a try.
Some use linen with crazy glue.
Remember all these remedies cost money too.

bob


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Epoxy might work. I would just buy another.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Mike,

Your assumption about old belts is probably correct. My shop is in the basement and it can be a little humid. I experienced several belt failures on belts that were brand new but had been stored in the shop for many months. Newly purchased belts worked fine.

I agree with Bob and Gary- replace rather than repair

Lew


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Mike, never had one break luckily. I cut the old ones into strips for sanding blocks & on the lathe. So they are not really wasted.


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## RusticElements (Mar 14, 2008)

A Jewish friend of mind says he knows what happened to the lost tribe of Israel… They ended up in Scotland.
......
My Grandmother was well known for spending $1 on gas in order to save $0.10 at at sale…..

I guess I'm a little too much like my grandmother….

Ok, I give, I'll buy new ones.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Well I'm like Rustic Elements.

I've got about 50 belts and they are each breaking within 1 minute of turning them on. 1" wide belts and 4" wide belts.

I'd like a way to salvage them.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

I think any repaior that you'd do to the belt would shorten it too much to be able to mount it on the BS. I think Grumpy has the best idea, use them somewhere else to get the value out of them.


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## Mario (Apr 23, 2007)

I agree, buy some new ones, Keep the old ones and glue them to blocks of wood to sand edges.


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## RusticElements (Mar 14, 2008)

I just looked on Lee Valley. These things are $3.15 each for 4" x 24". Of course, knowing my neighbor, the ones that broke are probably the $0.99 variety. Theoretically, the better ones should last longer.


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## beemerbob (Jan 4, 2008)

Had the same problem. Turning the belts in sanding blocks, large surface sanding, etc. I was told by the Klingspore folks that most belts should be used within one year of purchase

bob.


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## bryano (Aug 19, 2007)

I get mine from Big Lots for about a 1$. I wear them out without breakage. the only proglem is not much grit selection there.


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## 221mcharg (Jul 31, 2011)

I had 35 belts 4"X36" where the seam failed. I tried numerous methods to find a fix.

Here is what I finally found that works.

Get a roll of "iron-on" carpet tape from home depot or lowes. A lifetime supply is about $7.00.
cut strips from the carpet tape to fit the seam on the back of the sanding belt.
Remove the existing adhesive strip from the back of the sanding belt.
Rough up the surface of the back of the belt with sandpaper.
line up the ends of the sandpaper belt and apply the carpet tape with an iron. The iron must be turned to HOT.

The repaired belt will produce a little "bump" as the carpet tape adds some thickness but it is better than throwing away good belts.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I had the same problem and tried many different tapes, but none would hold. I finally contacted a belt manufacturer (Carborundrum, I think) and asked them what tape is used. Their reply was; the tape was prioritary. I guess you will have to buy a good belt. They last longer than cheap belts, HF for example.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

When I started buying Norton 3x belts, this problem went away! They are spendy but worth every penny.


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## TimK43 (May 29, 2011)

I never throw away belts that break. Instead I attach them to scrap pieces of wood with different shapes for hand sanding and shaping. It works great and they last a long time like this!!!!!


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## WilsonCreations (Jun 21, 2011)

I like to use them on my drum sanders (1 - 3 INCH diam) the thicker backing makes it easier to insert into the slot and secure them. I can even sand sharp corners that would rip sheets apart.


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