My RO90 tried to kill me

[cliffsgarage]

OK, not really. But apparently Festool sander backing plates decay over time? Festool's solution was somewhat amusing ...

UPDATE: I've tried several ways to give the link, but it just won't appear. Let's try this way ... youtube dot com/watch?v=AW1V_5KnhNE

 

[peter halle]

Welcome to the forum.  Yes the backing pads do deteriorate over time. 

Peter

 

[waho6o9]

They're a consumable just like the old time 1/4 sheet sander pads'  that we used to have to replace.

Welcome to the forum!

Here's the link:=53s

 

[cliffsgarage]

Thanks for all the welcomes, but I've actually been a member for about a decade. Chrome lost my login/password and I have absolutely no idea what it was or what email I used So I just created a new account.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I like how you talk.  [smile] I like the way your voice sounds and the way you pronounce your words and make your sentences flow.

But about the backing pads, I think their lifespan is a bit short if you're a hobbyist who uses them intermittently, but pro's who use their sanders daily should wear them out before they deteriorate chemically. And Festool mainly aims at the last market. Back in the days when my father still had his bodyshop, the sanders would run 4 or 5 hours a day and we would replace the backing pad every 6 to 8 months because it was simply worn out because of use.

It doesn't take 6 to 12 months for a Festool pad to deteriorate though, but a few years. The pad of my RO150 broke after 8 years, of my ETS125 after 4 years - but I bought it used and it was old already, and of my ETS150 it broke after 6 years. 

 

[safety1st]

wondering if keeping them in systainers (in a closed box) would help reduce deterioration.

 

[AlexThePalex]

wondering if keeping them in systainers (in a closed box) would help reduce deterioration.

It would, it is not exposure to air that makes them deteriorate, but exposure to UV light. UV light is the killer of plastics.

 

[Michael Kellough]

wondering if keeping them in systainers (in a closed box) would help reduce deterioration.

It would, it is not exposure to air that makes them deteriorate, but exposure to UV light. UV light is the killer of plastics.

Nope.

Inherent vice.

Keep them in a plastic bag in a Systainer in a dark basement and they’ll still disintegrate.

 

[SS Teach]

Good to know.  My sanders are going on 7 years.

 

[jimbo51]

My RO 150 pad fell apart this evening 30 minutes after my local Woodcraft store closed. Fortunately I had a spare.

It was very difficult to change the pad. First, I could not get the Fast Fix button to depress. Once I finally got the button pushed in, I nearly gave up before the pad finally came off.

Ah, wrong pad. I did not pay attention to the fine print on the package. I bought it so long ago, I do not remember where I got it.

Guess I will wait until Woodcraft opens up in the morning.

 

[DeformedTree]

wondering if keeping them in systainers (in a closed box) would help reduce deterioration.

It would, it is not exposure to air that makes them deteriorate, but exposure to UV light. UV light is the killer of plastics.

Nope.

Inherent vice.

Keep them in a plastic bag in a Systainer in a dark basement and they’ll still disintegrate.

Many things kill plastic/synthetics.  Without knowing the exact material of the pads, you can't begin to identify the main threat.  Light will probably be a strong component, but humidity can drive change, time is always there, temperature.  Different people in different places with different storage methods will probably have different drivers that kill the plastics.

 

[RJNeal]

I bought a used et 150/5 from a fellow FOG member about six years ago. Used it a time or two stored it in its systainer. Brought it out last year and the pad when south. So sun light is probably not the problem.
Rick.

 

[AlexThePalex]

wondering if keeping them in systainers (in a closed box) would help reduce deterioration.

It would, it is not exposure to air that makes them deteriorate, but exposure to UV light. UV light is the killer of plastics.

Nope.

Inherent vice.

Keep them in a plastic bag in a Systainer in a dark basement and they’ll still disintegrate.

I suspect that's also part of the problem, the chemicals inside which react with each other over time. But notice how your pads turn from the freshest white to light brown over time? That's UV. UV light speeds up those chemical reactions inside the material.

 

[Euclid]

I think the best you can do is to keep them in a vacuum, in a sealed glass container, in the dark. And never take them out.
Some, though, may find this less than convenient...

 

[Cheese]

Just the nature of the beast...Festool, Milwaukee, Porter Cable sanding pads all toast. A foam insert to hold a Starrett dial indicator... toast. A foam insert inside a S&W presentation case to hold a S&W Model 66...toast.

Actually, a while back I was going to start a thread warning folks about using soft foam inserts to store expensive/precision items.

In the cases of the Starrett and S&W items, the boxes were factory items with factory soft foam inserts, kept in a dark temperature & humidity controlled environment and basically never/seldom used. The foam was toast within 15 years...maybe it was sooner, don't know both these items were seldom used. The worrisome part is that the degraded foam sticks to the item and it's tough trying to remove the foam without damaging the finish.

 

[CarlsonCarpentry]

Just the nature of the beast...Festool, Milwaukee, Porter Cable sanding pads all toast. A foam insert to hold a Starrett dial indicator... toast. A foam insert inside a S&W presentation case to hold a S&W Model 66...toast.

Actually, a while back I was going to start a thread warning folks about using soft foam inserts to store expensive/precision items.

In the cases of the Starrett and S&W items, the boxes were factory items with factory soft foam inserts, kept in a dark temperature & humidity controlled environment and basically never/seldom used. The foam was toast within 15 years...maybe it was sooner, don't know both these items were seldom used. The worrisome part is that the degraded foam sticks to the item and it's tough trying to remove the foam without damaging the finish.

I actually came across a vintage mitumoyo micrometer set a while back. Flawless condition still had rubber boots on all the micrometers. But the foam... the foam had disintegrated and stuck to the metal just as you say. I tried scrubbing, light chemicals etc. I couldn’t expiriment too much without risking the tools. But yes. This is exactly true.

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  not “toast”, mush.

 

[Euclid]

I'm heading off-thread a little here, but does anyone know how Kaizen foam reacts to ageing?

 

[CarlsonCarpentry]

I'm heading off-thread a little here, but does anyone know how Kaizen foam reacts to ageing?

I had seen this online but it still happened to me. Not aging but UV rays through a clear lid damage that foam a lot.

This was maybe 30 minutes in direct sun. Lid  closed.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Don’t have any Kaizen foam but in my experience the most durable foam is made of polyethylene. I’ve been working with it since the late ‘70s for packing fine art. I’ve never seen any that showed signs of age related deterioration. (It does contain plastisizers so it should not be in direct contact with matte paint surfaces)
Kaizen looks like a sandwich of poorly bonded layers of (about) 3mm polyethylene foam.

Checked the inter tubes and found only one post that identified Kaizen foam.
It said Kaizen foam is polyethylene. So, should be good for decades.