How do you repair a conveyor belt?

[Papa Jim]

I have a shop built 25" wide panel sander. Stock is conveyed past the sanding drum by a 25" x 60 " Klingspor wide belt that runs at about 30 rpm. While running a small job thru today the joint separated. The belt looks fine. Does anybody have any experience  with what tape, adhesive, and procedure you would use to repair it?

[6270_Productions]

I have a Performax 16-32.  My conveyor belt started to separate.  I tried to repair it with duct tape - assuming it would hold better than most other types.

I finally ended up repairing it with my credit card.  That worked the best and has lasted the longest.

[iclark]

I have a shop built 25" wide panel sander. Stock is conveyed past the sanding drum by a 25" x 60 " Klingspor wide belt that runs at about 30 rpm. While running a small job thru today the joint separated. The belt looks fine. Does anybody have any experience  with what tape, adhesive, and procedure you would use to repair it?

I assume that the belt is too old to call Klingspor and ask about some sort of warranty break on a replacement?

How was the original belt joined? I know that the glue on some sanding belts can get old and those belts then do not last long before they separate at the joint. Some people have reported success at rejoining by carefully removing all of the old glue and then gluing it back together being careful on the alignment and using wax paper above and below the joint during clamping (being careful to compress the entire joint area evenly). I don't know which glues did or did not work.

Most people seem to agree with 6270.

[Papa Jim]

I assume that the belt is too old to call Klingspor and ask about some sort of warranty break on a replacement?

How was the original belt joined? I know that the glue on some sanding belts can get old and those belts then do not last long before they separate at the joint. Some people have reported success at rejoining by carefully removing all of the old glue and then gluing it back together being careful on the alignment and using wax paper above and below the joint during clamping (being careful to compress the entire joint area evenly). I don't know which glues did or did not work.

Most people seem to agree with 6270.

I'm well beyond the year that I think Klingspor honors. I'm in Florida and I understand our high humidity plays havoc with that joint. I'm a fixit type of guy so I may try a You tube video or two but I may end up 6270ing it.

[JohnnyEgo]

Interestingly enough, conveyor belts are a big thing on the industrial side of town in a lot of places. Look for an industrial rubber supplier. There is a shop in my town that makes all sorts of conveyor belts. They gave me a couple rolls of off-cuts for some heavy-duty belt that is nearly an inch thick, reinforced, and self-healing. I use it for strap hangers for steel targets. Having said that, they had all kinds, grades, and thicknesses of sheet rubber at their shop, and I imagine they could weld you up something easy.

Not sure what part of Florida you live in, but if you are in or near North Florida, might be a good idea starting with Hecht Rubber out of Jax. I've used them for extruded foam and rubber matting before. Nice folks.

[6270_Productions]

I'm well beyond the year that I think Klingspor honors. I'm in Florida and I understand our high humidity plays havoc with that joint. I'm a fixit type of guy so I may try a You tube video or two but I may end up 6270ing it.

"6270ing it"

I feel so honored.

Just wait until I show my wife.  She will probably use that all the time now.  "Yep, that looks like something you 6270ed." 

(In all honesty, 6270 Productions was her idea.  It relates back to my military days - and a special project I did for a retirement.)

[fredhargis]

It's no different than a sanding belt, and everything I've tried (or read) to repair them when the adhesive fails is pretty much a waste of time. I'm sure in industrysomewhere there is a fix, but it's likely kept secret from the rest of us.

[Admiral]

Not having served, what does 6270 represent?

[6270_Productions]

Not having served, what does 6270 represent?

Of course I was a woodworker back then also.

I was asked to make a gift for a battalion commander that was being transferred.  He had this fascination with the new GPS device (back in those days we used maps and compasses).  We called it a "Plugger".  Anyway this electronic device was a fairly "secure" piece of equipment and the "regular" soldiers rarely had a chance to see - let alone use one of them.

I needed to get my hands on one in order to make one - out of wood - for his "thanks for being here" gift.

I made the device. 

Of course, a piece of equipment that sensitive and expensive had a serial number - and mine needed one also.  I needed to come up with a number to stamp onto the gift.

At the time, I was having a very difficult time getting promoted to E-7.  The outgoing battalion commander was especially not interested - or involved - in my efforts.

My wife decided the serial number on the "Plugger" should be 6270, so that was what I stamped into it.  The folks at higher headquarters were extremely impressed with my work and attention to detail.  "Look.  He even put a serial number on it."

Years later in a letter to the battalion commander after my retirement I explained to him about the serial number on his "thanks for being here" gift from the battalion and hand-built by me.  My chance of going from E-6 to E-7 were zero - 6270.

I comfort myself with the idea he gets to think about that every time he sees that gift sitting on his shelf.

I expanded the idea and incorporated "6270 Productions" into a computer program I wrote for the military, which I understand they are still using more than 20 years later.  Place your mouse on the correct spot on the "splash screen", click the mouse, and a pop-up appears - "Brought to you by 6270 Productions". 

Yea, I am just that kind of guy.  

[Admiral]

Yea, I am just that kind of guy.  

Great story.  I write business and legal documents for a living and have been trying for years to bury the word "Merkin" into one, but it has to be in context and make sense.  No success yet.