Keeping your sanding supplies clean during use not only saves time and money but also improves finishes. Clogged abrasives result in particles that are no longer uniform in size; this can lead to visible scratches and/or burning on the work surface. Allowing finishes and fillers to cure fully before sanding is the best way to prevent build-up; however, over time, the voids fill during normal use.

With belt and disc sanders, proper technique is critical to good results. Dwelling too long in one spot or trying to remove stock too quickly generates a lot of friction heat, potentially causing melted plastic, scorched wood, and distempered metal. None of these are desirable for your parts and the disc or belt being used is usually ruined by the debris burned into the abrasive coating. The good news is that you can clean your sanding sheets, discs and belts quickly and easily, greatly extending their usable life while protecting your finish quality.

2Sand.com’s gum rubber cleaning sticks rapidly remove foreign material from the face of your abrasive surfaces. Holding the end of the cleaning stick to a spinning disc or belt causes the gum rubber to melt and get sticky. The melted rubber mixes with dust and debris on the surface of the abrasive, then rolls off as it cools, taking the dirt with it. You can instantly see the results as you work.

The cleaning is most effective when done regularly, so you should keep cleaning sticks on hand wherever sanding takes place. As debris builds up on the sanding surface, it can overheat and burn into the disc or belt. A burned surface generally cannot be properly restored, so prevention is the key. The gum rubber does not stick to the sanding surface, so all it takes is a few seconds to keep the abrasives working as long as possible.

Any abrasive surface can be quickly restored with these cleaning sticks, from Wide belts machines to 1/4 sheet hand held sanders. Even the band saw sanding belts featured in a previous blog work better when kept clean, and the gum rubber is soft enough to be effective even with hand sanding applications.

These gum rubber cleaning sticks come in regular and jumbo size to best fit your needs. The larger cleaning sticks tend to work well on stationary machines such as disc sanders and stroke sanders. The smaller cleaning sticks are ideal for cleaning hand-held sanders. As they will wear away in use, you’ll want to keep some in inventory to keep your valuable sanding supplies functioning cleanly for as long as possible.