19 replies to this topic

[mohammed]

Hi everyone,

Im thinking of doing some bodywork myself, some small rust areas on the outside body, and i am thinking of buying a grinder, can someone recommend me which grinder i should but and the bits i will need to do the bodywork, also will i be able to use the grinder to poilsh my mini??

thanks for the advice and recommendation in advance

mohammed

[JonnyBMX]

Makita 9554NB 4½" 240V Angle Grinder
thats the one I have, very good never let me down, gets used and abused daily.. it is quite quiet obviosuly its going to be loud if your going full pelt with a grinding disc but much more quiet then the cheap £20 ones..

in my advice go the best you can afford! for me this was a very good grinder to have!

[lrostoke]

My experience is slightly different :)

For the price of a known brand you can buy 3 cheap grinders 4.5 - 5" discs. This can be useful in that you can have one set for cutting,one set for a wire brush and another for grinding .

You'll be suprised how often you are changing discs, wheels etc with one grinder.

OK there long term life may not be upto a known make, but they are pretty much throw away at £20 a pop. And I've done 3 mini rebuilds on the same cheap grinders.

My big grinder is a Black & Decker this was one area I found the cheap ones didn't last

Edited by lrostoke, 22 February 2012 - 11:56 AM.

[JonnyBMX]

this is true! if you only have one grinder then you will be forever changing the discs about which is a real pain.. i am fortunate enough to have 2 makita ones, i had a £20 one for a bit but it didnt last very long lol! for me the makitas been a very good investment!

[Frisco]

If your only doing small jobs then a cheapo one will be fine. Get a 4.5 inch one and invest in some 1mm cutting discs and flap discs, it will make life much easier.

If you are going to use a wire wheel pay attention to the max rpm of the grinder. Most of the cheaper wire wheels will be 11000 rpm max

Edited by Frisco, 22 February 2012 - 12:47 PM.

[dangerousdowning]

I went for a cheap £20 one from screwfix, but also purchased a Dremel to get into the corners and for smaller, delicate grinding and cutting.

[lrostoke]

Twisted knot wire wheel



Rated to 12500 rpm , never had a problem with twisted knot and brilliant for getting rid of stubburn crap and cleaning up for welding

[AVV IT]

You do need to consider the build quality of power tools though, they are after all pretty dangerous pieces of kit should something go wrong. A while back I saw a case where the plastic side handle snapped off of a cheap grinder, sending the spinning disc into the operators thigh! The guy was actually using a cutting disc at the time and knowing how easily they cut through steel you can easily imagine how effectively it cut through the tissue and muscle of the poor guys leg! Let's just say that my cheap "own brand" grinder went straight in the bin, when I got home that day!

Edited by AVV IT, 22 February 2012 - 01:42 PM.

[mohammed]

thanks for all the replies everyone.. after that story im not buying a cheap one... need my legs to drive the mini after all..

are their any bits i need to sand the paint and metal.. (like 24 grit, ec) what grits should i buy. And also can i use the grinder (stick on a pplishing pad) to polish the car?? or do i need to buy something else to polish the car.

thanks

Edited by mohammed, 22 February 2012 - 01:57 PM.

[lrostoke]

You need a polisher really, they look like big grinders but are variable speed. ebay is a good place to look. Probably find they come with a variaty of polishing pads and mops, mine did :)

To be honest I wouldn't be to put off buying a cheap one because of the example above. Can't say any of the ones I've ever brought seemed of a flimsy construction.
The've had some right abuse with no damage to the casings ,

[mohammed]

You need a polisher really, they look like big grinders but are variable speed. ebay is a good place to look. Probably find they come with a variaty of polishing pads and mops, mine did :)

To be honest I wouldn't be to put off buying a cheap one because of the example above. Can't say any of the ones I've ever brought seemed of a flimsy construction.
The've had some right abuse with no damage to the casings ,

so that means a grinder and a polisher...

[AVV IT]

To be honest I wouldn't be to put off buying a cheap one because of the example above. Can't say any of the ones I've ever brought seemed of a flimsy construction.

Mine didn't seem particularly flimsy either, but I'm afraid that I've heard the inevitable phrase "I was using one of those cheapo ones when...." a few too many times, when it comes to DIY injuries. All I'm saying is that safety and build quality is something to consider with power tools, not just how effective they are at doing the task.

[lrostoke]

I guess the thing is be careful, you are using a dangerous tool, with very fast spinning parts, I guess even branded ones can become dodgy if dropped and casings crack .


Pretty much yes :) on the polisher

Like I say polishers look like big angle grinders but are variable speed.

The mops and sponges will fit in a small grinder but the speed will be to high and also unweildy because of the large size of the spong/mop heads.

Edited by lrostoke, 22 February 2012 - 02:33 PM.

[dave1293gt]

We have just replaced our 8 year old bosch at work. Our mobile sales guy only had a bosch on board to replace it at 40 quid we went for that.
He still recommends silverline. Just over 20 quid and 3 year warrantee. If you use it enough to break it in 3 yrs they keep getting replaced.
We also have 2 dewalts. They are very good but bloody heavy and also have a stupid gaurd catch that means you end up with at least a 2.5" diameter of disc left. Which get saved up and brought home as my cheapo gets almost down to nothing.

[minisam92]

draper grinder is what id buy you ll get one from wilkos for about £20 ish (think there dearer else were) ive had mine 3 years and gave it a lot of abuse and its still going strong were as ive knackered a few £40 ones doing the same job lol
and for cutting use the thinnest disc possible as it makes the job loads easier