Right I am suffering from the typical noob welder blues, my welds are doing the job but sometimes blobby and I am currently using a flap wheel on my drill which number 1) is doing my head in and my ears as it is so loud and 2) a flap wheel is basically bits of sandpaper stuck onto a wheel, not the best thing for grinding through big ugly blobs of metal. Ideally I would get one of those angle grinder things with a nice heavy duty grinding wheel on it but that costs money so I am thinking would sanding with sandpaper say 40 grit work? It is mainly the big blobs causing the problem.
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gordon stephenson
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A flap wheel on an angle grinder is a very useful piece of kit,the disc are available in quite few grit sizes to suit the finish required.
steveo3002
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you can get grinders for £10-15 that will do the job , okay theyre not great quality but theyre ok for hobby use
you will spend more than that on sandpaper
you will spend more than that on sandpaper
I use Norton 36 grit Zirconium disks - very rapid removal rate
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p84...=26799435383&gclid=CITZs6GVuL8CFScXwwoddY4A0Q
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p84...=26799435383&gclid=CITZs6GVuL8CFScXwwoddY4A0Q
Okay guys, looks like an excuse to buy a grinder then
I will hopefully get one next month, but I want to get a decent one in the first place. From my research on here I read about flap disks being preferred anyway, but I thought for the blobs I would have needed something more hard wearing but it seems that flap discs are good all round from what you guys say. Yeah, using the drill is quite a deafening experience, but until I get the angle grinder I will try to get a lower grit flap wheel to hopefully get the torture over with quicker.
I will hopefully get one next month, but I want to get a decent one in the first place. From my research on here I read about flap disks being preferred anyway, but I thought for the blobs I would have needed something more hard wearing but it seems that flap discs are good all round from what you guys say. Yeah, using the drill is quite a deafening experience, but until I get the angle grinder I will try to get a lower grit flap wheel to hopefully get the torture over with quicker.
steveo3002
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ive always used a hardstone to tickle any proud welds/blobs until theyre close to the flat then use the flap wheel , that way youre not making the metal either side of the weld thin
Doing much sanding with drills isn't ideal because the bearings aren't usually designed for the sideways thrust and it does them in. Using sandpaper by hand sounds like a pain. If you are using it with an electric sander, they are designed mainly for wood and surfaces which are fairly flat to start with. I think hard bobbly bits of steel sticking up would soon wreck the pad the paper sits on.
The 500W £15-ish angle grinders aren't much good in my experience. They've had it after about one cutting disc.
If you can wait, get a Lidl/Aldi special, which is probably the best value for less than £20, but get some branded discs.
The 500W £15-ish angle grinders aren't much good in my experience. They've had it after about one cutting disc.
If you can wait, get a Lidl/Aldi special, which is probably the best value for less than £20, but get some branded discs.
gordon stephenson
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Aldi and Lidl are good value. And they take a 5" disc which I like, However they do not have them in stock all the time, Keep an eye on their web sites for them coming up,Three year warranty too.
christofloffer
if it says 'dont', then it must be fun!
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i use an angle grinder all the time, apart from the welders its the second most useful tool in the garage. grinding discs for pre-weld prep/heavy cleaning, cutting discs for shaping and flap wheel discs for light cleaning/finishing. its always to hand and it makes life so easy. just get a set of goggles and ear defenders and a set of cheap but thick gauntlets. i have hit my hand with a flap wheel before and the wounds are far from pleasant, so i have an old set of welding gauntlets for it.
i picked mine up at a car boot sale for £10 and its great, i wouldnt be without it. the drills can do the job eventually but the grinders are better, stronger and faster at doing the job. a decent make of flap wheel disc will last for a long time and the grinder will last loads longer than a drill will. its worth the investment.
i picked mine up at a car boot sale for £10 and its great, i wouldnt be without it. the drills can do the job eventually but the grinders are better, stronger and faster at doing the job. a decent make of flap wheel disc will last for a long time and the grinder will last loads longer than a drill will. its worth the investment.
MoreWellie
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and when you have one and understand how useful it is you will very quickly realise that having 3 or 4 would be so much more useful
cutting, grinding, flappy disk, wire brush.............
oh and, as christofloffer said, do treat it with respect because it can do a lot of damage very quickly
cutting, grinding, flappy disk, wire brush.............
oh and, as christofloffer said, do treat it with respect because it can do a lot of damage very quickly
marlinspike
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I have the Aldi grinder and it is streets ahead of the other cheap one I bought. I would recommend a full face mask as it's a bit of a shock when a spark hits you in the face. I still think about the pic that someone posted on here of when he got kick back and the grinder went up in his face.
Awemason - going to get some of those discs, they seem very cheap. I usually use a grinding disc, edge on, but worry about removing too much material and weakening the weld.
Having 2 grinders saves so much time changing discs between cutting and grinding, that if you see a good grinder deal it really is worth getting two.
Awemason - going to get some of those discs, they seem very cheap. I usually use a grinding disc, edge on, but worry about removing too much material and weakening the weld.
Having 2 grinders saves so much time changing discs between cutting and grinding, that if you see a good grinder deal it really is worth getting two.
gordon stephenson
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I bought an Aldi angle grinder years ago and worked it to death,When it packed in, I thought I'v had my money's worth out of that,But on carrying out an inquest,everything was great just brushes worn right down,there was a replacement set came with the grinder so poped them in an away we go again, And all for about £7-50 including 3 discs, Only fault is they are a little thick in the body, makes your hand ache if one handed grinding. P.S. Just a little tip.I kept the spare brushes inside the side handle after making a little bung to hold them in, then you always know where they when needed.
Okay guys, looks like an excuse to buy a grinder then
If you want a decent one, prices start at about £45 for Makita/Blue Bosch/Metabo/Hitachi although there are clearance bargains/refurbished etc on ebay and otherwise on the web. What you can get second hand if your luck's in, is a different story. The £50ish ones are by the sales blurb intended for a lot of light use. The top end ones described as suitable for mortar raking and heavy industrial use seem to start around £80. Flap wheels class as light use I'd say. Always remember to let the power tool do the work, (which is what you paid for) and you hold it, guide it and keep it in contact, but don't make it struggle. That said, the 500/550W ones don't take much to make them struggle.
Aldi do both 4.5" and 5" grinders when they are on offer. The 4.5" is 1200W and is like a miniature 9" grinder and came with a spare set of brushes and a shallow guard and a deep guard. I only use mine with wire wheels, which is hard going. The bearings are a bit sloppy but it still does the job. I bought it about three years ago for 15 notes and if it died tomorrow I wouldn't feel short changed.
As regards safety, there was a picture on here a while back of an eyeball pierced by a stray bit of wire from a grinder brush.
julianf
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I have an aldi one (or lidel - i cant remember which). Coming up to two years old, and starting to wrattle more and more.
Its the only thing ever that ive managed to keep the receipt for - they have a 2 year warranty, and i figured it would never last that long!
Its the only thing ever that ive managed to keep the receipt for - they have a 2 year warranty, and i figured it would never last that long!
Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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The 4.5 inch Hitachi is what I use and its great. I looked at reviews of cheaper ones and everyone seemed so say the vibrations made it unholdable after a few minutes so I just went for a nicer one. So far (6ish months) its held up great, would definitely recommend it to anyone.
Also, I got mine in this twin pack with a 9 inch grinder as well, thinking it would be good for big things but to be honest, ive never needed it, and don't think I ever will. And it doesn't grip thin disks. And it trips the circuit breaker. Basically, don't get it, for the same price, you could have 2 small (useful) grinders
And to grind my welds, bevel edges and remove mill scale, paint or rust, I use flap discs from The Range (Blackspur brand) £1 each and last as long as the Bosch ones. I'm now a huge fan of grinding wheels because they bounce around a bit, leave a nasty edge (that needs flapwheeling) and the weight makes it kick when it starts and acts as a gyro to makes it harder to rotate the grinder about a different axis to the shaft. And they're so much louder than flap wheels
Also, I got mine in this twin pack with a 9 inch grinder as well, thinking it would be good for big things but to be honest, ive never needed it, and don't think I ever will. And it doesn't grip thin disks. And it trips the circuit breaker. Basically, don't get it, for the same price, you could have 2 small (useful) grinders
And to grind my welds, bevel edges and remove mill scale, paint or rust, I use flap discs from The Range (Blackspur brand) £1 each and last as long as the Bosch ones. I'm now a huge fan of grinding wheels because they bounce around a bit, leave a nasty edge (that needs flapwheeling) and the weight makes it kick when it starts and acts as a gyro to makes it harder to rotate the grinder about a different axis to the shaft. And they're so much louder than flap wheels
If your still looking for an angle grinder Tesco direct sell a Silverline one for £22.50, I've just recently brought one myself and so far cannot fault it. I was a bit dubious because it had some bad reviews but it is really good and the box says it has 3 year guarantee. I though I it was well worth it.
Its certainly better than my old one which cost a lot more, I like it because the switch is on the handle whereas my other one has a crappy toggle switch on top It comes with a spare guard and brushes, however the downside is it does not come in a case and you do not get any disks with it.
The link is below.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/silverl...2625&icid=spiffy_angle grinder_212-2625_angle
They also do a 230mm/2500w for £42.00 but I've not tried that one so cant comment but the reviews look ok
http://www.tesco.com/direct/silverline-angle-grinder-230mm-2500w/212-2630.prd?skuId=212-2630
Its certainly better than my old one which cost a lot more, I like it because the switch is on the handle whereas my other one has a crappy toggle switch on top It comes with a spare guard and brushes, however the downside is it does not come in a case and you do not get any disks with it.
The link is below.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/silverl...2625&icid=spiffy_angle grinder_212-2625_angle
They also do a 230mm/2500w for £42.00 but I've not tried that one so cant comment but the reviews look ok
http://www.tesco.com/direct/silverline-angle-grinder-230mm-2500w/212-2630.prd?skuId=212-2630
