Thread: How to change paper on Carbatec disc sander

to remove the old paper (wear it out before removing!) tear it off and use metho/turps to soften the remaining glue. if you cant get all the old glue off start the machine and use a blunt chisel to scrape it off while the face turns. (its easy - dont fret too much... I'm sure I'll be flamed for this advice but I have not suffered any for doing it - you wont remove any aluminium or at least bugger all. I promise.) really just use anything to remove the glue. scrape,sand, whatever... but you gotta remove it all or it will be lumpy and the hook and loop wont stick evenly or flat which will affect longevity of the pad.

when I replaced with hook and loop I removed the table and face plate to achieve this; easiest with least swearing. hook and loop is available from various places in various sizes. I recommend the sandpaper man rather than carbatec as carbatec charges far too much. The sandpaper man is friendly and offers great cheap prices; especially for larger orders - eg no postage added for over $150 in orders - lets face it its worth the extra up front of a larger order and you have more than one sander right?

make sure when you replace the table you allow enough clearance so the paper that is attached by hook and loop which is prouder of the faceplate surface doesnt rub away he table edge and prematurely wear the paper.

when replacing with new hook and loop paper i use a 12 inch diameter circle of cardboard - I remove the old paper, place the cardboard against the plate and then insert the new paper against the front of the cardboard. slide out the cardboard and press the paper carefully into position. works every time.

any grammar or spelling nazi's know where to go.

Thanks for this advice , Zed, much appreciated. Am a bit uncomfortable using a chisel to scrape off the glue and stuff on the aluminium backing plate

I bit the bullet and was able to remove the table and part of the cast iron dust collection channel, as shown below, and can now access the whole backing plate.

I have always used our sponsor The Sandpaper Man for all my abrasive papers - he gives great service , quick, and at reasonable prices

You'll get sick of doing that soon enough.

Working at both a High School and a College I have changed heaps of sandpaper discs. As Zed said, rip the other one off. It would have been glued on with special disc cement. Usually, I just rub my hand over the aluminium discs and the glue rolls off.

For convenience, the hook and loop are great but you will probably pay more for the velcro backed discs sanding sheets. However, gluing them on is okay but you need to get disc cement which is different to the normal contact adhesive.

Found an interesting way, using a heat gun to remove the abrasive. See it here.

The instruction video from Grizzly is also very helpful here

Originally Posted by Dengue

would it be better to glue a loop and pile disk on the rotating platten, and then use velcro backed abrasives?

It will give you the flexibility of quickly changing disk grits without destroying the one you are taking off. I use the velcro backed abrasives and I find being able to change from course to fine and back again a real advantage.

Hi Dengue,

I have a Carba-Tec 9'' disc sander I got sick of getting glue off the disc sander when I want to change the sand paper which was hard to get off all the time. I got sick of buying sanding disc when I put them on and start sanding something down and next thing they fly out of the shed. Buying in Bundaberg I kept getting ones with old glue on them. So I desided to go for a velcro pad disc that you just stick on metal disc just like some portable sander. No more flying off. Now I just buy the disc sand paper with the velcro on. There is no more trying to get the glue off. I just can change disc as I want now. I don't know if you would like to use that sort of thing but I like it. They last for years and only time you have to get the glue off when it wears out. I've had mine for 10 years. Still going good.

Cheers Graham.

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. Forgot to mention that the sandpaper discs I ordered late today were velcro backed. Slightly more expensive, but I think the advantages of being able to change quickly without ruining the disc will pay off.

My only problem is to get the original glued one off, and replaced with the loop and pile converter exactly centred on the disc.

Hi Dengue,

You could try your wife's finger nail polish or a bit of thinners.
Also could try Eucalyplus oil or Methylated Spirits. There is ordinary
spirits but there is pure spirits which is stronger you pay more for it.
You could try a heat gun or a hair dryer to soften it first and see
that makes it easier. Let me know how you get on.

Cheers Graham.

Joe, as mentioned by others, white spirits or turps will easily dissolve any glue left on the platen. You shouldn't need to scrape it while spinning, but a plastic scraper/putty applicator will speed the process. It's a bit messy, though, so keep the paper towel handy.

I just thought I'd mention the one drawback of using hook & loop - the disc surface won't be quite as flat as when using a glued-on disc, especially after a little use. The hook & loop tends to settle more in some areas, resulting in a very slightly uneven disc surface.

I notice it most when cleaning up the edges of segments for segmented turning. The part of the disc that I've used the most sits a bit lower and leaves a slight, barely visible, curve on the sanded surface which has to be cleaned up on a sandpaper board before gluing, if I want a perfect joint.

I'm changing back from velcro to glue-on, as soon as I wear out my current velcro discs.
(Been planning to for months, but it's taking ages to wear the discs out.)

you need to get disc cement which is different to the normal contact adhesive.

thanks for your encouragement, kidbee. What disc cement do you recommend, and where do you get it from?

Hi, sorry for the off topic if this is out of form let me know! I'm just wondering how is the carbatech sander? Is the table very rigid once locked in place? From the photos it looks like the table locks from each end which should make it pretty solid. I've been contemplating one for a while but with no local supplier I wont be able to play with one before getting it.

they are ok. for the price they are fine. they spin and remove material. you gotta press REAL hard to make them stall. or at least with mine you do.

Originally Posted by Zed

they are ok. for the price they are fine. they spin and remove material. you gotta press REAL hard to make them stall. or at least with mine you do.

Ditto,what Zed said.

Cheers