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| wet belt sanders |
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| message from Gary on 10 Sep 2000 |
Hi..... I'm looking for some feedback on wet belt sanders. Unfortunately
money is an object, and I'm looking at the Covington 3"x24" model, which
appears to be a "no frills starter" machine. Anyone have any experience with
their products or maybe suggest another source? I haven't really seen much
out there....... thanks for any input. This group has been a great source of
info for me and I certainly appreciate it.
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| Rick Wilton replied to Gary on 11 Sep 2000 |
I converted a 4*36 delta belt sander to run wet. It was easier than I
thought it would be. I run a direct stream of water onto the belt direct
from the water supply (so no extra pumps etc.) Almost all of the water ends
up in the dust area where you can attach a shop vac. (I don't) . Then I
placed a large bead of silicon on the plate beneath the belt. To prevent
water from accumulating on the area and running into the switch or over the
back into the motor area. This set up has worked well for us. Always make
sure it is plugged into a gfi electrical outlet, this is the one with the
breaker on the outlet it will cut off the power supply before you can get
shocked. The whole machine is placed in a large laundry tub (white plastic)
and plumbed into the drain. We've gone through two or three of these
machines, not because of the water but we put alot of load on this machine
and it is working for upwards of 8 hrs aday somedays. We've done the same
with a delta 1" * 30" sander as well. Next time I'm going to convert one
with a larger motor or just replace the motor in these.
Gary wrote in message ...
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| Diana Evans replied to Rick Wilton on 11 Sep 2000 |
An IV drip system works fairly well also. (One of my
dad's last creative suggestions)
On Mon, 11 Sep 2000, Rick Wilton wrote:
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| Bert Weiss replied to Gary on 11 Sep 2000 |
Gary
I have a Covington 3 x 24 wet belt sander. It is a very workable machine.
Would I rather have a full size sander, yes. The Covington will do the job.
You can get a full array of belts from 80 to cork from CRL. I usually use a
1 1/8" x 21" Makita dry belt sander. Being that I work on large sheets of
glass, it is much easier for me to bring the sander to the glass than it is
to bring the glass to the sander.
Bert
Bert Weiss Art Glass
http://www.customartglass.com
Furniture Sculpture Lighting Tableware
Architectural Commissions
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| Gary replied to Bert Weiss on 2000/09/23 |
Bert.... is that C&R Loo your'e referencing for belts? And is the Covington
worth over 4X the money compared to a converted Delta 4X36 machine as
suggested by Rick Wilton? Sealed bearings, electrical isolation, though it
doesn't look any more isolated using the catalog picture as
reference.......... beyond that it doesn't seem to be much more. But then I
haven't had the opportunity to look at one, much less use one. Just for
grins, I tried wetting the silicon carbide belt on my 1" strip sander to see
what, if anything it would do on glass. After about 20 seconds the grit was
all gone. What is the difference between the silicon carbide belts that
Covington shows in their catalog. I have to assume, not knowing any better,
that there is a better grade of belt (or more likely the adhesive)
available for glass cold working. I must admit, I'm interested to know how
you use your Makita dry belt sander. Do you actually use it dry? Can't
imagine that. I appreciate your thoughts ...... Gary
Bert Weiss <b...@customartglass.com> wrote in message
news:B5E1DF46.8A61%bert@customartglass.com...
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| Bert Weiss replied to Gary on 2000/09/24 |
Gary
I bought my covington wet belt a long time ago so I'm clueless about
relative price. The "wet" part of the Covington is a sponge that sits in
contact with the belt. In that respect is is kind or Mickey Mouse. I'm not
aware of any special kind of bearings although they might be.
CRL is CR Laurence 1-800-421-6144 california. They have warehouses all
across the US. They are the major supplier of everything for glass
businesses but glass. They make a couple of sizes of professional wet belt
sanders that are the standard of the glass fabrication industry. A used one
would be a good buy, and is not at all comparable to the Covington machine
in quality or price. The Covington machine is a toy in comparison. However
it is a toy that works well.
Wet belts are silicon carbide with special adhesives that can take the
water. They don't last long, but ,more than 20 seconds.
I personally like the makita dry belt system that I hold in my hand. I use
it 99% of the time. A coarse belt will "hog" down some glass, and you can
go from 120 to 220 to 400 with it. I primarily use it to "seam" the edge of
glass I have cut. Which is running it over the top and bottom of the edge
at a 45ยบ angle to remove the sharp edge and any microstarts that might be
there. Occasionally I will use it to grind an edge perfectly square. CRL
also supplies special dry belts that are designed fot the glass industry.
The last glass shop UI visited was using a big heavy porter cable belt
sander with dry belts to do the job I use my light weight Makita for. I
recommend wearing a respirator, although in small industry they don't
generally bother.
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Archived thread: wet belt sanders from the group rec.crafts.glass.
