My parents just bought me a 4x36 belt sander with disk attachment as an early Christmas present since they new I had been trying to save up money for a while, and I was wondering is there a proper way to store the belts so that they last as long as possible and so that they preform as good as possible?

The only thing I can advise is that you don't store them so they could kink or smash. Folding sand paper/belts breaks the bonding material and weakens the backing at the fold. 

Get a cardboard tube the same size (or larger) than the largest roller of the sander. Mount it sticking out from the wall, and hang the belts from that. 

So what's all this talk I have heard about needing to store belts in a heated cabinet (light bulb as heat sorce) to limit humidity?

33 minutes ago, Dillion Brian Grant said:

So what's all this talk I have heard about needing to store belts in a heated cabinet (light bulb as heat sorce) to limit humidity?

i have never heard that, nor have I had any trouble with a non heated shop

2 hours ago, Steve Sells said:

i have never heard that, nor have I had any trouble with a non heated shop

I'll try to find the link

 

I wasn't able to find it but I could have sworn I saw it well whatever I guess it is what it is

Like storing a lot of things - store in a cool dry place.

If you don’t keep them warm enough, they’ll never hatch. 

3 hours ago, JHCC said:

If you don’t keep them warm enough, they’ll never hatch. 

Lol and the sarcasm begins

If you're worrying about using a lightbulb as a heater to keep away moisture, you're either have too many belts, are not using them enough or a bit of both. 

They're supposed to be consumables and trying to get every last bit of life out of them will affect the quality of your finished work. 

If you have too many or not getting enough use for moisture to be an issue, adjust your quantities, or store the excess belts elsewhere in a dry place and never worry about bulbs. 

While I don't think humidity is an issue for sander belts unless it's excessive condensation IS an issue for other things. Welding rod should be kept in a hot box but other things can be kept safe in an old fridge with a light bulb.

Another old timey trick that works well for things like tool box drawers is anhydrous sheet rock. Sheet rock is largely gypsum and baking it in the kitchen oven above 230 f. will drive out the hygroscopic moisture. Anhydrous  Gypsum is VERY hydrophilic and works just like those little gel packs you have to dig out of pill bottles. 

It's cheap, easy and very effective for keeping condensation off stuff you want kept dry. Say, keep a 1/2" x 2" x 12" piece under the padding in your rifle case. Hmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

On ‎11‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 8:40 PM, JHCC said:

Get a cardboard tube the same size (or larger) than the largest roller of the sander. Mount it sticking out from the wall, and hang the belts from that. 

ok cool Ill certainly do that

On 11/24/2017 at 2:27 AM, Frosty said:

While I don't think humidity is an issue for sander belts unless it's excessive condensation IS an issue for other things. Welding rod should be kept in a hot box but other things can be kept safe in an old fridge with a light bulb.

Another old timey trick that works well for things like tool box drawers is anhydrous sheet rock. Sheet rock is largely gypsum and baking it in the kitchen oven above 230 f. will drive out the hygroscopic moisture. Anhydrous  Gypsum is VERY hydrophilic and works just like those little gel packs you have to dig out of pill bottles. 

It's cheap, easy and very effective for keeping condensation off stuff you want kept dry. Say, keep a 1/2" x 2" x 12" piece under the padding in your rifle case. Hmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

I really love that idea