Belt sanders

[ely]

I am having issues with the glue that holds the joint on my sanding belts...it does not want to hold...am I missing something or is it just bad glue.

[isawlogs]

 What kind of belts are you using?  I have mayne had two fall apart and of those one was caused by a peice of metal.  :-\

[tule peak timber]

On sanding belts , wide or small , look for the "purple ones" put out by 3M. They call their technology "Cubitron "and it has a number of nice features. Made in the USA, ignore the price- it will make you money.  Rob

[ScottAR]

+1 on Cubitron. 

[Bark Beetle]

X3 on the 3m belts

[Solomon]

I order my 6x48  and  my 6x80  belts from Grizzly.   Never had a problem and they are priced right too.

[Kbeitz]

I wish I could find a repair glue. I got a ton of old belts that came apart
before I ever got to use them. Has anyone one found anything that works?

[HP]

Kbeitz

Try using strapping tape on the back..  Worked for me.

Harry

[JB Griffin]

Those belts are too old, the glue has a shelf life of around a year or so. I have exploded more 2x72 belts than I care to remember. That's a big 10-4 on the 3m Cubitron ceramic grit, spendy(around $10 a pop) but last real good on hardened steel and that's death on AO belts. Last week I bought 10 AO belts and bursted all of em in an hour.

[muggs]

I think Griffin is on to something, How old are the belts ?    Muggs

[Bark Beetle]

The belts from Grizzly are really good too.

[21incher]

I have had some come apart from dampness in my basement shop when they were sealed in a drawer with no air circulation. I get most of mine from 3M & Supergrit and have never had a problem with them.

[JB Griffin]

Its real humid here in Arkansas, and my belts curl up like curly fries. Also AO belts don't tolerate water very good. Zirc. and ceramic do much better.
BTW, Bark Bettle if you try 3m belts you'll never buy belts from Grizzly again (unless you're desperate) there is simply no comparison.

[Larry]

It takes a lot of stickem power for a two inch belt to hold together on a belt grinder.  I have one with 2 hp and another with 5.  3M belts are best that I have found and I think I've tried about all of them.  I order just enough to last 6 months to make sure I always have fresh belts.  With Enco free shipping days that was easy, but they are changing.

For the ceramic belts I have to shop elsewhere.

[ScottAR]

Age breaks the glue down.  I only buy a couple belts at a time as I may go months without using my belt sander. 

[Bruno of NH]

I use the 3m belts

[Just Me]

Klingspor had a nice sale about ten years ago if you bought so many boxes of ten. I bought way more than I need and still have a rack full. Its been about ten years and no failures so far. They sand well, don't load easily and have a tapered seam like the 3M belts do.

I still like 3m belts, but I have not run out of Klingspors yet. Use the purple ones on my 4x24.

[ely]

I've had problems with new and old belts from various brands mentioned here...I am talking about my 3x21 Porter cable. I will purchase more and try again.

[Solomon]

I wish I could find a repair glue. I got a ton of old belts that came apart
before I ever got to use them. Has anyone one found anything that works?

You might try that Gorilla Glue,  it's a polyeurethane water proof glue so humid conditions should not cause it  to seperate.   
Or so logic would dictate.   But then again,  the bumble bee by design can't fly but it does.   Give it a shot and see what happens.

[hackberry jake]

I use the 3m belts as well. When I don't have time to order them, I use Diablo belts from the orange box store. Never had any of them come apart.