right angle die grinder, what do you use most?

[dirtmister16]

hey guys, i have a right angle die grinder that im debating on what to set it up for.

i know alot of guys use roloc and the pads. which pads? for which jobs?

what about a cupped wire wheel, seems that should be handy.

i think my main uses would be cleaning brake bosses,small engine heads and other small engine surfaces(gasket surfaces).

various other tasks will creep up at times im sure. just want to know what would be most useful and what you guys use most.

 

[Haveblue]

These are great for gasket surfaces! They hold up pretty well, and are a good multi purpose cleaning and polishing disk.

 

[dr_clyde]

2" roloc. So many attachments.

 

[Iron Cat]

these are what I use exclusively on my right angle dies

 

[Buckgnarly]

2" roloc. So many attachments.

.....x2

 

[ZRX61]

Red & brown scotchbrite pads, & #50 to #200 grit sanding discs mostly, plus the yellow or green hedgehog wheels shown in post #2.

I use 3in & 2in.. when the 3in discs get ragged on the edges they get put aside to use on the 2in mandrel for final use.

 

[jfcasey]

2" rolocs... the shop supplies red green and brown. I typically use green for most jobs unless its a gasket surface then I use something finer.

 

[doan]

i have 2. One has a 1" wire cup brush, and the other has a 2" roloc.

 

[Haveblue]

I like the yellow "bristle brush" for the most part, especially on aluminum. I think its 80 grit. I havent tried the other brushes, but I have tried the brown pads, the pads kick *** on steel! The Rolock system is a win.

 

[Ign]

Another vote for red 2" Rolocs. Good for gasket surfaces but go easy on aluminum edges/corners. I use 'em to deburr/polish saw cuts out of the ends of aluminum stock cut in the band saw.

 

[Scott K]

Carbide burrs. Lots of shapes/profiles/sizes

 

[DirtRoad]

I have 4 right angle die grinders setup for different things, 2" roloc, 3" roloc, 2" roloc scotch bright type pad and 3" cutoff disk.

I get everything from HF, even the grinders are the $10 cheapys, all works great.

Where you guys get your attachments from?

 

[plinker]

Mainly burr's and roloc's.
Peferably a mini grinder for the roloc's.

 

[Skin]

Mine has a wire wheel stuck in it pretty much all the time. Works great at removing gasket material, general polishing, and getting rust off of things.

If I really want to grind my new favorite tool that I've had for a couple years now is a 2" angle grinder. Thing is one of the best new air tools to come along in a while as far as i'm concerned.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

These are great for gasket surfaces! They hold up pretty well, and are a good multi purpose cleaning and polishing disk.

what is this?

 

[Skin]

what is this?

http://www.3m.com/product/information/Roloc-Bristle-Disc.html

 

[firebox40dash5]

I don't think I've ever taken the 2" Roloc off my right angle. Same pad use as everyone else it seems, Scotchbrite, sandpaper, and gasket removers. I've got a pair of straight grinders with a cutoff mandrel and carbide burrs on them.

 

[doan]

Best place to buy Roloc stuff? Lowes and HD are pretty limited - just starter kits.

 

[Haveblue]

"Where you guys get your attachments from?" Check NAPA, I dont know about other stores, but the one here has a good welding/grinding selection. I think my next purchase will be some carbide burrs.

 

[Iron Cat]

I bought mine from the SO dealer years ago and haven't needed to replace them yet.

 

[toolman1967]

I have 4 right angle die grinders and they are all set up for different jobs. I just get tired of constantly changing heads out. One has the 1 inch rotolock, one has the larger rotolock, one has wire wheel and one has a zip cut wheel. I also keep 2 straight die grinders, one with a burr cutter and one with another zip wheel. I just grab another grinder for whatever job I am doing, some jobs require 3 or 4 different configurations to get the job done right.

Tim the Toolman

 

[trexdoink]

I keep a flap wheel on mine, great for lawnmower blades. Word of advice... the roloc or 3m pads will remove too much material for use on aluminum. I took a cast iron lube manifold to a machine shop that was nearly ruined from overuse of roloc pads ( according to the shop). You can buzz a .015 dip in something with a few mis strokes. They are handy but use caution.

 

[dirtmister16]

thanks for the input guys! looks like roloc is the way to go and wire cup brush second. ill have to pick up a second one next chance i get!

thanks! right now i have the right angle, standard cutoff wheel die grinder, and a mini die grinder with burr.

 

[PT Doc]

Enco is a great place especially when they do free shipping and 30% off. Zorotools might be another source, free sh over $50 otherwise sh Is $5.

 

[ZRX61]

Best place to buy Roloc stuff? Lowes and HD are pretty limited - just starter kits.

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/search/search.aspx?keywords=roloc discs 3m

 

[DirtRoad]

Harbor freight has a ton to choose from, seem to be just as good as anything else ive tried.

 

[theknurl]

i use Dotco 1/4" right angle die grinders, they are bulletproof

http://www.excelairtool.com/Assets/ProductImages/10L1200-36.jpg

my new one is probably 20 years old
my old straight shank is over 40 years old

 

[PT Doc]

Having cracked Lehigh valley pricing, it seems like the ceramic flaps discs are quite a deal if those are regular prices.

 

[KinzeMech]

Carbide burrs. Lots of shapes/profiles/sizes

I love those things, but I find they're more controllable on a straight die grinder.

I typically have the last burr I used in the straight die grinder, and a roloc disc or sanding pad in the RA die grinder.

 

[wafrederick]

In tight spots.Don't use the scotchbrite pads for gasket removal.GM's engine exchange program found out why engines failed,improper repair procedures.GM does not recomend them for gasket removal and includes Jasper.The scotchbrite pads contain aluminum oxide which are agressive and act like a cutting tool tearing up bearings.GM found this out starting in 1993.This old GM video shows why at the 5:00 part:

 

[Haveblue]

^you bring up a good point, the 3m bristle brushes use ceramic,instead of aluminum oxide.Is ceramic better/safer for gasket cleaning? Like I posted, I use the yellow disks a lot, and they work well, but ive seen the tsb about aluminum oxide, and wonder about ceramic. The ceramic disks dont seem to contaminate things as much. Surely, ceramic is softer, and safer to use for gasket cleaning? Sorry, Im thinking out loud here, Id like some opinions from the experts on this.

 

[J HAV]

Dotco... 2" rolocs

 

[Scott K]

Ton of bulk roloc on ebay.

 

[Monte]

^you bring up a good point, the 3m bristle brushes use ceramic,instead of aluminum oxide.Is ceramic better/safer for gasket cleaning? Like I posted, I use the yellow disks a lot, and they work well, but ive seen the tsb about aluminum oxide, and wonder about ceramic. The ceramic disks dont seem to contaminate things as much. Surely, ceramic is softer, and safer to use for gasket cleaning? Sorry, Im thinking out loud here, Id like some opinions from the experts on this.

i bet a manual gasket scraper would be the safest option ?

 

[KinzeMech]

i bet a manual gasket scraper would be the safest option ?

I wouldn't. I like the way the bristle discs remove the need to worry about gouging aluminum, as can happen with scrapers or razors.

That said, I am always on the lookout for better ways to remove gasketing...