Quieter alternative to angle grinding welds?

[ELL]

I'm talking about grinding a few mm off the welds, which usually takes a minute or two per weld. Is there a quieter way to do this than an angle grinder?

 

[Kram]

Yes, hire a decent welder that can do it properly first time

Or tig weld it.
Then theres bolts, rivets or glue...

You could also manually file back or sand the welds by hand, use grinder or finger sander at a low speed. Rotary multi tool etc... all a lot slower.

 

[JOEPRO]

I'm talking about grinding a few mm off the welds, which usually takes a minute or two per weld. Is there a quieter way to do this than an angle grinder?

Personally I find a 50mm roloc style flap disc on a Milwaukee m12 die grinder is a quick and slightly quieter way to dress down welds

 

[minimutly]

The first answer is the best, or at least the one I would strive for. Otherwise the answer is noise and dust...

 

[Erie Fred]

A Swedish milling machine Aka a file.

 

[hotponyshoes]

A lot of the noise comes from the material resonating.
Wet towels on flat surfaces keep the noise down a bit. If it's flat sheet magnet clamping onto a heavy tabletop will help.

 

[mike 109444]

^^^ Or sand bags.
Power file as said is a lot quieter.

Complaints from neighbours ?

 

[Dapph2]

A motor with a long stout flexi drive with a grinding disc in the chuck on it's end will be much quieter than a hand held 4 inch grinder as it will run a bit slower & not make as much noise.
Some of these shafts have side handles as well as a main grip handle .

Like this ..but warning do your diligent research etc.

Retailer of Grinding Machine from Mumbai, Maharashtra by MACHINE TOOL TRADERS

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www.exportersindia.com

 

[fizzy]

I'm talking about grinding a few mm off the welds, which usually takes a minute or two per weld. Is there a quieter way to do this than an angle grinder?

B+D powerfile - with quality 40 grit blue belts. A lot quieter - less scary to use and removes quite quickly. Mine gets loads of use. Feels cheap and nasty but just keeps on going. Around £50.

 

[indy4x]

Another vote for a powerfile with decent 40 grit belts, or roloc flap disk on a die grinder, just not an air powered one

 

[Gareth J]

Flap discs are significantly less "angry" sounding than grinding discs if not quieter. Coarse ones also remove material quicker and blend easier.

 

[Shedendman]

 

[droopsnoot]

Yes, hire a decent welder that can do it properly first time

I have the same trouble as the OP. I'm grinding down welds now and it's taking me ages, with a selection of a die grinder with carbide burr, the dremel for some fiddly bits, a flap disc in a grinder where the shape allows it, or the side of a 3" mini cutting disc. I'd love to be able to get the welds a lot flatter, but I'm struggling. Part of the issue I have is that I'm doing car bodywork, so I'm reluctant to let the weld pool sit too long in case it distorts the panel. Any pointers to what I'm doing wrong would be appreciated.

It doesn't help that I've left it until all the welding is done, rather than grinding them back as each one was completed, because I've just got a massive amount of grinding to do. I can't run the die grinder for long because either the grinder, or the tool, get too warm and then start going blunt. The 3" mini grinder is battery, so it only runs for a while before that goes flat. Added to that I'm conscious of annoying the neighbours - they're light industrial units, and none of them have said anything, but it would annoy me if someone was making that noise all afternoon.

I don't have a Powerfile - are they really that much better than the things I've listed?

 

[steveo3002]

I don't have a Powerfile - are they really that much better than the things I've listed?

a bit better but all grinding is pretty offensive to the ear

milwaukee die grinder and rolocs is one of the best things ive bought , i use it alot , still get the panel rattling away but the actual machine isnt too bad

 

[droopsnoot]

a bit better but all grinding is pretty offensive to the ear

One of the problems I have is that the various things sometimes hardly touch the weld, so it takes ages to grind them down. The carbide burrs sometimes don't have any effect, I have to keep coming back to a section.

 

[steveo3002]

are you using no name abrasives? 24 or 36 grit should shift things pretty fast

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

B+D powerfile - with quality 40 grit blue belts. A lot quieter

+1 for the B&D...I often use it instead of a grinder as it's less noisy, less mess and a lot more controllable.

Power files are a bit like oscillating tools...until you use them they seem a bit pointless!

 

[awemawson]

A lot of the noise from an angle grinder is the motor itself whining away so different abrasives won’t make much difference

 

[fizzy]

A lot of the noise from an angle grinder is the motor itself whining away so different abrasives won’t make much difference

I agree they are noisy anyway but the difference in noise between a flap disc and a grinding one are considerable.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

There's differences between grinders too....my DeWalt 18v is a lot quieter than my older mains grinder...the latter sounds like it's spinning steel balls in a blender!