The design of a belt sander essentially comprises of two parallel drums on its underside that are spun with a motor. It has a continuous loop of sandpaper, or a sanding belt that is pulled around the drums to sand or level wood and other materials. Belt sanders are a much rougher tool than other sanders and are normally required only for certain projects that need quick removal or rough surface leveling. They are very often employed for removal of paint or such finishes from materials.

The most common size of belts used on belt sanders is 3 to 4 inches wide. Though wider sanding belts help working on larger areas, their handling tends to get a bit more difficult.

One often makes avoidable errors working on a belt sander; as it hardly takes a moment to lose control or remove excess of material. As most have a powerful motor operating them, one needs more power to control them. So it’s imperative for the operators to feel comfortable and be cautious with their belt sanders. Let’s understand that getting the precision of finish sanding is quite difficult with one of these bulky power tools.

Maintenance

The bulky build of belt sanders proves helpful in their withstanding somewhat serious shop abuse. As these are tough machines, they don’t pose any major maintenance problem. The only important thing that you need to assure is that the two cylindrical rollers (drums) and the sanding belt remain in perfect alignment. If the rollers are not exactly parallel or get tilted, the belt wouldn’t track in the center of the rollers and would keep slipping. Imperfect alignment of rollers may push the belt up toward the housing causing damage to the housing or the belt, may be even both. That makes it a good practice to adjust the rollers every time while changing the belt.

Another good practice to follow while changing the belt is to check the platen for any wear or dents and scratches. The platen comprises of a thin piece of metal backed with an equally thin sheet of cork. It rests (on the underside of the sander) between the inside of the sanding belt and the sander’s shoe. Its function is to offer a flat, yet somewhat soft support for absorbing shocks, both for the sander and the belt. The friction caused due rubbing of belt over the platen, wears it off. The important and unmistaken visible signs that should prompt you to replace platen are worn out crumbled cork or thinned out metal.

Changing the Belt:

For changing of belt, turn over the sander onto one side so that its open side faces up. Next, pull the release handle so that the rollers come a bit closer to slacken the belt. Before replacing the belt ensure that it faces the direction as indicated (by arrows) at the bottom of the belt – else the sandpaper will move in the wrong direction. Glide the belt over the rollers and drop the handle so that the belt tightens over the drums. Using the sander’s tracking knob align the rollers to be perfectly parallel. The sander must be engaged to adjust the tracking so be certain the sander is secure before making any adjustments. The sander may face either up or down as you adjust the tracking, but it helps adjustment if you can see the belt while carrying the adjustment. The belt should follow in the center of both the rollers and the platen, but in case of an intractable belt, simply ensure it tracks in the center of the rollers.

As a lot of saw dust is generated while sanding, it’s imperative to keep all power tools clean. Make sure that the dust is blown at the end of every job to ensure its smooth and efficient operation.

Handling of sanders needs extra caution and patience, be slow while working on it. At the same time have no fear of using these powerful bulky tools; these are very useful for many of the applications one performs in a wood-shop. There is no better tool for quick removal of material and leveling of surfaces.

Concrete staining as a DIY project is interesting and easy, if you know some of the dos and don’ts’. It simply involves spraying of concrete stains on to the floor and giving sometime say, 4-6 hours for the stains to chemically react with the lime content of the concrete. At the end of the prescribed time, you need to remove the residue by washing the stained floor. Take note of the fact that washing puts to an end the chemical reaction that was so far taking place.

Basically, staining is a chemical process. An acid stain contains about nine percent acid that goes to open the pores of the concrete, thus enabling stain to react chemically with lime present in the concrete. Here are some more technicalities of the whole project.

1.Concrete Density –It’s not difficult to understand that an insufficient or improper porosity of the concrete surface will not allow the stain to go deeper and react with the lime present there. As a result, the stain continues to remain or float near the top of the surface and fails to impart any coloring to it. A simple test helps you determine the porosity. Pour a few drops of water on the concrete. If water is not absorbed and forms a bead instead, it means you have to open up the pores. You may achieve that by the application of a mild gelled acid on the surface and removing it within 10-15 minutes.

2. Blemishes – Staining is a very affordable option for getting a beautiful concrete, but blemishes, if present in the concrete, become visible. But, one doesn’t see the blemishes till the stain have been applied and the surface cleaned thoroughly.

3. Layering color – You get concrete stains in earthly shades of brown and green. The browns may vary from amber, which is light to dark brown and ebony that could be dark brown to black. For a better depth, use dark browns. The greens go to include bluish green and need a very careful handling as moisture often tends to give hem a black shade. You may start by applying lighter browns that may be followed by darker shades to get additional variations. A hand-held pump sprayer is used for applying stain to the concrete. A medium bristle broom may be used to even out pooling, followed by another spray. The process is spray- broom- spray. Let it be there for 4-6 hours.

4. Cleaning Residue – As a consequence of staining, there is residue left on the surface and it has to be cleaned. The volume of residue varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Usually, using cool or warm water with a bit of ammonia can clean the surface. However, adding some baking soda may clean heavy residues. Mop the surface and wet vacuum the same to get desired results. Finally, use a white rag for wiping off the surface. If you get the color of stains on the mop, you need to clean it once again.

5. Sealers – Before applying sealers, make sure that the slab is completely dry and that takes about a day after cleaning. There are many types available, but water based sealers with wax give excellent results. Acrylic water based clear epoxy with a wax coat provide additional strength. Generally water based epoxies give an amber tint, thus making them more suitable for floors with brown stains. You also get solvent-based sealers and Urethanes. Though these are quite tough, they have a rather unpleasant smell and are best avoided.

6. Concrete Overlays – Concrete overlays offer a new and clean surface. Concretes are rarely free of any blemishes and overlays offer a perfect solution. These are available in white or gray concrete, with white producing more vibrant colors. Overlays allow you to experiment with colors before you stain or dye them. While applying stain to the concrete, it needs to be diluted enabling it to reach to the lime. Therefore concrete stains are very affordable when applied to an overlay. Concrete stains need just about an hour or two for reacting with the overlay, whereas they need a much longer time of six to eight hours when applied on a concrete slab. Quite often acid stains may cause too much of a variation on an overlay. The same can be avoided by using concrete water based dyes. These are first sprayed and then mopped up to even out the variations caused by acid stains. Being translucent, the acid stains bleed through. Another advantage of using water-based dyes is that they impart depth of color.

7. Price – On an average, concrete staining with sprayers works out to about seventy-five cents per square foot. And, that includes the cost of tools, mops and sealers. Add another $1.5 -$2.00 per square foot for overlays, depending on the size and the cost of tools.

Tags: acid concrete stains, concrete staining, stained concrete