Sandpaper melted in ETC EC 125 interface pad

[antoniomcs]

Hello everyone!
Today I was sanding with the ETS EC 125/3, with the white soft interface pad, and I accidentally wore out the sandpaper too much and used it longer than I should have. Besides the sandpaper starting to tear, it got stuck to the pad, maybe also with the heat of the friction.
Now I can't remove these two pieces from the pad... They're stuck.
Is there any solution to remove them without damaging the velcro of the pad?

Thanks.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I'm not seeing an interface pad. That just the direct pad of the sander itself, likely permanently damaged.
You were concentrated on a small space for way too long.

 

[antoniomcs]

Sorry.
Yes, it's the direct pad.
I was sanding the edge of several wooden circles, then I noticed this happened
But can I still use it as it is?
The only problem is that those parts of the pad won't stick to the sandpaper disc?

 

[Cheese]

Sorry.
Yes, it's the direct pad.
I was sanding the edge of several wooden circles, then I noticed this happened
But can I still use it as it is?
The only problem is that those parts of the pad won't stick to the sandpaper disc?

If this was my problem, I'd purchase and install a new pad and swap between the two of them and see if there is a difference. If there is no difference then just use the damaged pad until it expires and then you have a replacement pad.

 

[grobkuschelig]

I suggest taking a fine pick and clean the parts off. Then you’ll see how bad it is afterwards.

But I’m general, a new pad will be in your future, some time…

 

[luvmytoolz]

I've done the same early on with my sanders, just pull out all the bits with a pair of tweezers that you can and keep using the pad without issues. If the sandpaper doesn't have the entire pad to stick to it won't make any significant difference whatsoever.

Obviously the Festool pads are the best, but if you don't want to fork out for a genuine Festool pad, the ones on Ebay are surprisingly good quality and are dirt cheap.

 

[Michael Kellough]

“I was sanding the edge of several wooden circles,”

I ruined a pad beveling the ends of dowels.
Too much pressure and heat in the same place for too long.

I think luvmytoolz advice will get you going again. If you can’t pull the residue off then use a small sharp chisel to plow it off. A low spot is much less bad than a high spot.

 

[squall_line]

Based on those images, the hooks on the pad themselves are melted.  Once you pick off the residue, you'll definitely notice flat/bare spots on those locations.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yes, if you can pic/scrape or otherwise remove the offending area, you "might" be ok as far as adhesion goes, but that's not the only problem.  If you have any kind of "bulge" in that area, the abrasive will make harder contact with your project in that place. This will do a couple of bad things. First would be swirl marks  and second, it will likely interfere with the orbit of the sander itself.
The pad needs to sit flat on the surface to work correctly. This is evidenced by the way you wore those spots in your pad. Minimal contact changes the orbit, more completely it changes the spinning part of the random orbit.
If you can get it removed enough to be a low spot, you may be able to extend its life a little, but IMHO you need a new one. Keep that one for "abusive situations" and swap it accordingly.

 

[antoniomcs]

I don't think I could get it back.
I used a square awl, but it's really stuck to the pad.
In fact, part of the pad looks like it's starting to come off.
Thanks for the suggestions, but I think unfortunately I'm really going to have to buy a new one.
This is the first time this has happened to me, I didn't even know it was possible to happen.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The hooks on the Festool pads are short in order to keep the pad flat. That makes them sand better than lower quality pads but also makes them less tolerant of abuse.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The hooks on the Festool pads are short in order to keep the pad flat. That makes them sand better than lower quality pads but also makes them less tolerant of abuse.

Which is also why the interface pad is required with many other brands of sandpaper. The hooks and loops are different.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I don't think I could get it back.
I used a square awl, but it's really stuck to the pad.
In fact, part of the pad looks like it's starting to come off.
Thanks for the suggestions, but I think unfortunately I'm really going to have to buy a new one.
This is the first time this has happened to me, I didn't even know it was possible to happen.

Buy a new one by all means, but I wouldn't be tossing out this pad so quickly, it will be serviceable for lower grits no problem. With them you can afford to be a bit rougher.