Official Luthiers Forum!

I know this has been covered sometime in the past... What is a good way to clean drum sander belts? I have some that are generally in relatively good shape except some areas. Do I remember that one of the remedies is to use oven cleaner? Can you simply soak them in dishwashing detergent or something? Maybe use some kind of "oxy" product?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I've used oven cleaner (soak and rinse, brass wire brush can help too, repeat if necessary, then dry) and got some more use out of a belt or three, but it won't restore a belt where the abrasive is worn out of course, just removes resin/dust mix.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I use an abrasive cleaning stick like I use for the other sanders. I open up the lid while the sander is running and make a few passes with the cleaner stick. I hold it firm to be sure I don't accidentally let go of it! While making a pass I hold the lid of the drum sander as closed as possible so the dust can better get sucked up into the dust collector.

On another note but on the same topic...I've had a drum sander belt explode before and ruin the piece of wood I was sanding. Every time I clean the belt I check for excessive wear. If I see that the belt is excessively worn, especially at the contact points at the ends, I replace it with a new belt.

I don't know about the cleaning, but +1 about keeping an eye on the belt. I too had one break and totally mangled the top that was in the sander.


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Insta - https://www.instagram.com/cbcguitars/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cbcguitars

I have a brick of natural rubber I bought decades ago that is still going strong.
I know a few guys who use the soles of old tennis shoes.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I just put a new one on

But seriously I have heard of these magic sticks but have never found one that works where do you get them?

I use one of the cleaning sticks, doesn't work on burned areas or gummed up glue, but removes packed dust pretty good.
The drawback I have found is that the residue from the stick acts as little ball bearings on the conveyor.
More than once I have had a projectile if I hadn't cleaned the conveyor.

B

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

I just use compressed air. Hold the nozzle with 140psi right up to the crud and blow it off. Gets about 80% of it

I have a cleaning stick. It works for some things but didn't do much for this belt - caked up Cocobolo.

I was going to try oven cleaner but ended up throwing it away.

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

You can get them at probably all of the woodworking suppliers and Amazon.

http://www.rockler.com/abrasive-cleaning-stick

I use old crepe-soled shoes that I picked up a local thrift store. I'm not sure, but those cleaning sticks appear to be made from the same kind of rubber. Either way, the old shoes are basically free and work quite well. I've found it helpful to take light passes and to clean the belt before I think it really needs it.

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George :-)

Don Williams did a post on this a few years ago. Might PM him.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

In addition to the standard erasers for stubborn glazing I use belt cleaner and a brass wire brush. My super duper eraser stick is made of strips of acrylic taped together to make a block. I like this better than the rubber since it does not produce those nasty little gum balls.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I/ve used dollar store oven cleaner to clean crud from BS blades and my 2 thickness sanders. I follow with a soft worn bristle brush.I let the oven cleaner sit for at least 1/2hr in warm weather and longer in cold weather on the belts.

I have, and use, one of the rubber sticks mentioned before, and it helps with some of what gets stuck on there.

I think I am a bit quicker to replace the sandpaper than some other folks would be. In my view, sandpaper is a consumable, and my time has a value. If I have to work too hard at rejuvenating sandpaper, then I wind up feeling like I am not using my time wisely. Sort of like when I try to straighten a bent nail. Getting a new one out of the box is cheaper than spending time straightening the first one.

Of course, I also have a sander that makes changing paper very easy. If I had to work hard at changing paper, I would probably try harder to rejuvenate used paper.

The rubber sticks don't work on the resin build up. I like the idea of oven cleaner from the dollar store... I generally simply change the paper, but it seems that some pieces are in basically good shape with the exception of a patch of resin stuck to it. I know time is money, but so is throwing away belts that potentially have more life in them.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I use big pink erasers that u can buy at Walmart or dollar stores


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Not sure if you know but Klingspor has moved to Cary from Capital Blvd.

I use the rubber sticks until the sandpaper gets too clogged then I just replace. Klingspoor pre-cut rolls for my sander are $5 each. I cut my own from a big roll and I think they are more like $3 each. Given that the limiting factor in my shop is my time it just doesn't make sense to spend much time cleaning. I'm money ahead doing billable work which, since I started taking in repairs about a year ago, always seems to be waiting for me. If you have the time then anything you can do to save $$ makes sense.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Mark, yeah, I knowthat Klingspor moved to Cary. It's much closer to me now. I use the klingspor rolls also, and cut them to length. They work fine. Better in fact than the jet replacement rolls...(imho).

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Buy a bottle of citrus cleaner concentrate. Mix about half and half. Spray on let it work awhile. Rinse off. Been using this and it works great. A plastic bristle brush on the thick spots might be necessary.


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"It is easier to fool a man, than it is to convince him that he has been fooled"
Mark Twain