Sanding Disk Velcro Problem

[pjallen]

I bought a used Mark V 500 about a year a go and finally decided that it was time to retire the sand paper on the disk. It is attached with the velcro system and I purchased from ShipSmith a few Velcro-Backed Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper Discs.

After they arrived I pealed the old worn out one off and tried to attach a new one. But It doesn't appear to want to adhere to the disk. Is there a trick to attaching new velcro backed discs?

I feel a bit silly since velcro should be pretty much idiot proof!

Phillip

[a1gutterman]

I bought a used Mark V 500 about a year a go and finally decided that it was time to retire the sand paper on the disk. It is attached with the velcro system and I purchased from ShipSmith a few Velcro-Backed Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper Discs.

After they arrived I pealed the old worn out one off and tried to attach a new one. But It doesn't appear to want to adhere to the disk. Is there a trick to attaching new velcro backed discs?

I feel a bit silly since velcro should be pretty much idiot proof!

Phillip

Hi Phillip,

Could there be debri in the loops (correction-hooks)? Maybe the plastic loops (correction-hooks) got brittle and broke apart when you removed the old disk? Can you look at the loops (correction-hooks) with a magnifier? This is a new one on me! How about a couple of pictures?

edited for corrections

[kalynzoo]

I hazard a guess that the old velcro broke apart when separated. You might try brushing the disc with a stiff brush to clean the hook and loop system. Just for the heck of it, try a small piece of velcro against the new sand paper disc and see if it attaches.
Good luck.

[Ed in Tampa]

Remember there are two different pieces with velcro. The hooks piece and the loops.
As velcro gets old the hooks will become brittle and break off. If enough do you can not get the loops to stick.

Also since it is made from plastic if they get hot enough ( as in bearing down when sanding) the hooks and/or loops can be damaged.

Lastly two pieces of loops will not stick together. Some one might have swapped (mistakenly) a hook piece with a loop piece and you are trying to get say the loops to hook to more loops (won't happen). While this would be hard to do using Shopsmith supplied material it is very possible with after market hook and loop systems.

If I remember correctly the SS replacement paper is always the loop side and the disk that mounts to the steel sanding disk is the hook. If your sanding disk has loop material it won't stick.

Loop material is softer to the touch, hook material seems more coarse or rougher.

[pjallen]

thanks for all the reply's. I have managed to take a few photos of the disk. My poor old camera is not doing too well.

As you can see I am starting to believe that the hooks have dried out and broken off as seen in the photo.

So I guess I will purchase a new velcro system from shopsmith and see if that fixes it.

Phil