Sanding belts

[bucolic_frolic]

I have a few fine grain old belts from the 80s, manufactured in the U.S.A. in Reading PA. Bought direct from the factory, glued joints, rarely ever pop a joint, I mean rarely. I need some coarse grain belts.

Now I get these modern ones at the Big Box store, $2-4 each, with mylar tape joints. All the brands I looked at had these joints. They've been here 4-5 years and took some humidity which they say online is a problem, and they last 30 seconds. Should I buy more of these? Does anyone make sanding belts like they did in 1985? Is humidity the issue? I think the 5/8" wide mylar is a lousy joining method.

There are articles on repairing broken belts, mostly with Super Glue on the mylar tape. I got 10 minutes out of them but still that's not good at all.

Do we make anything well anymore?

[grumpyduck]

1. You may want to try specialty woodworking shops

online like Rockler or Lee Valley, or Grizzly. They have higher-quality products than the big box stores.

[LunaSea]

2. That's why the store got nicknamed

"Hazard Fraught"

Interesting vids on DIY belts.
I had no idea....

Tried Maverick Abrasives?
They have a page on why belts break.

You may want to consider spending more than a couple of bucks if you want them to perform well.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Yes, I do expect to pay more

The mail order belts, mix and match were about a dollar a piece, Two dozen for around $30.

I'd buy glue overlap jointed belts if I could find them. I only looked at Walmart and Lowes. Hadn't thought of HF. These ones that broke are the dominant red box brand, and like I say they are several years old, so I gotta discount my experience for that.

Thanks for the ideas.