scotch brite linishing belt glue

[rev]

I want to make a linishing belt from a piece of 150mm wide Scotch Brite material (maroon, used in automotive paint and panel industry) from a roll of the stuff. The belt will be 1220mm.

What glue should I use for the join? Has anyone had experiences they can relate in a similar exercise? I was considering using liquid nails - the kind that remains a tad flexible when set. Any ideas on this please?

[pjt]

Hi Rev, that should be an interesting little project, going by the size that's to fit an BB80s ?? carbatec sander, at times I have thought a wool belt would be handy for polishing, I imagine you are looking to do something similliar, I wonder if the manufacturers might be able to give an indication of a suitable glue/process

Pete

[rev]

Pete, I recently bought a small belt for a multitool and have found it incredibly useful for removing surface rust from small items. I thought I might give it a go with some larger items on the big machine with a table to rest them on to make handling easier. - just not sure what glue will do the joining job.

[China]

I have used many Scotch Brite belts over the years, I used to know a fellow that worked for Galaxy Abrasives he told me they use a thermoset adhesive unfortunatlty thats all I can offer

[pjt]

I wonder if the sandpaperman might have an idea

Pete

[malb]

You should be able to get a commercial belt in the material and size you mention. Used to use them a lot in 2440 length for brush finishing SS. Maroon is about the finest that we used for brushing, so might be a bit fine for derusting.

Don't know of any polishers shops that try to make their own belts from flat scotch stock despite using a lot of belts, so suspect that the glue joint is not easy. These belts are more durable than a lot of grit belts, but more dangerous if the let go or shred as they are prone to retain all sorts of waste material and after lacerating you more than a grit belt, they load the wounds up with a load of old metal particles.

[rev]

Thanks malb...sounds scary! I haven't looked for commercial ones because I just want to use what I have. Commercial ones are glued...I'd like to know what glue is used. Cheers

[Master Splinter]

Having a look at one of the scotchbrite belts I have, I'd be very tempted to say it was thermofused to create the backing rather than being glued onto something.

Here's how I recon you could do it:

Get old sanding belt that's too blunt to use; clean it up a bit (blow the dust out of the grit).

Apply glue (epoxy or polyurethane...personally I'd go with techniglue epoxy) using one of those cheap plastic 2-3mm tooth tile adhesive spreaders, and apply so that the glue lines run at 90 degrees to the direction of belt rotation: that way the glue isn't going to be asked to flex much.

Drop the scotchbrite belt onto it and leave to set.

Of course, how you overlap the joint is part of the problem, but I recon scarfing it at 30 degrees both across the belt as well as through the thickness should work well. (that sounds like a 'make a wooden jig' opportunity so you can use a sharp snap-blade knife to cut through the scotchbrite at a compound angle).

I vaguely remembered reading something that mentioned phenolic adhesives in relation to sanding belts, and a quick google turned up lots of hits for phenolic + abrasive, so I would say that epoxy is a good match for small scale use.

If you don't have an old sanding belt to try, the next best thing would be a strip from an old pair of jeans.