Grinding and cleaning disks?

[mountain eagle]

So I've finally been working on stuff and am using the disks I have on hand for grinding and cleaning. The were all bought with no real thought behind them other than "hey, this should work".

Anyone want to give their view on which types of products should be used when? Maybe even pictures since I don't know the proper names of the various types of wheels, disks, and sanders......

The straight bristled wire wheel kept spitting out wires...... ouch.

[Newman180]

The flap disc's for angle grinders seem to work real well. You can get them pretty cheap from HF, but they don't seem to have bite as the equivalent Dewalt. Could be my inexperience.

[odleo]

Newman180, Becareful with the HF disk, I have grenaded several disk lately. I like the norton's a freind gave me. The hve a good bite.

Mountain Eagle Wire wheels are nice but they do throw the wire. I have been looking at getting some encapsulated wire wheels. They use them in the maintenace department where I work and they like them.

[rustycase]

The Radnor disks are the best I've used...

Lol... As Leo said, the HF stuff will work, maybe... and no telling when it will go south!

...if a straight wired disk is loosing bristles too fast, it may be the wrong application for it... use a disk with coarser wire and don't press it down so hard to the work surface.
Then yah got twisty strands, and knotted twisty strands...

One day I'd like to go in and have em box up half dozen of each so I could have em all on hand to use the right thing when it was waranted...
And a separate set for use on stainless!

Good luck
rc

[ISKI]

This is one place where you get what you pay for. I use SAIC disks and cut off wheels when I need the job done right. These are the best available at the local Air Gas supply. The Harbor Freight equivalents which I have also used don't last long and are slow to cut or clean. If I use a cheap disk on my good Milwaukee grinder it could explode. If I use the same disks on my inexpensive grinder it won't. The Milwaukee spins much faster, and I do not think that the inexpensive disks are speed rated properly. For sand paper I also use a very aggressive grit for removing paint etc as it is almost self cleaning. I use Fine sand paper or emery cloth for cleaning up a weld joint which I don't want the metal thickness to get worn down. The word on the street is that real men use #2 Grit which never clogs.

[rustycase]

+1
I have been told that SAIC is top of the line.
...I'm just a skinflint!
rc

[odleo]

Rusty That makes 2 on skinflint, I am one too

[mountain eagle]

Good to know what to look for...... I'll have to go look at the cheap and quality options and see how cheap I'm feeling..........

[rustycase]

ME, I am one of those who believes in having backups for just abt everything... which is why my pile is pretty big!
...I try to buy the best quality I can, but don't have many reservations about buying discount products to have the backups that may be necessary to get a job done.
That guy Murphy is always turnin up !
Best
rc

[Nick]

I've burnt through quite a few dewalt 60grit discs on a buddy's grinder. My experience - They choke at the drop of a hat. Put them to leaded paint and they fail like the French at defending their borders. I've actually done better sanding a 2x4, bolting in a handle, and spray gluing a sheet of 40-grit to it. (My neighbors will attest. Nights of me out in the driveway with halogens at 3am in the middle of summer vs making noise should sum it up.