Many questions about restoration tools

1) Air compressor. I plan on painting, cleaning, etc. Maybe I'll run a few tools, but I know air tools are $$$! So, there is a big 21 gallon, 4.5 hp peak, 3 hp rated one. I don't know what this means, but 4.0 SCFM @ 115 psi / 4.4 SCFM @ 90 PSI. Its 110 volt, which I guess means it will plug right into my wall. So, what do you think? Strong and big enough for the job? Only $150!

2) Angle grinder. They have several sizes. 4.5" is the cheapest, but they also have 7" and 9". Which is best?

3) I'm sure I need some sort of sander to smooth out layers of primer and such. There is a 7" rotating polisher/sander. Or do you guys have a recommendation for something better?

4) I don't know what to get, but what tool gets old paint off of metal easy? An attachment to a grinder, or drill, or what?

Thanks for any help!

For angle grinders, get one of each. At least one 4-1/2" and a bigger 7"/9" for heavy grinding. The 4-1/2" unit is handy for smoothing welds and cutting. You can replace the grinding disk with a cutting wheel, various wire brushes, flap disks or even sanding wheels.

For sanders, I love the 5" random orbital type. With 60-80 grit paper, these things will peel paint and rust off anything in short order.

Get yourself a twist-wire cup brush or two for the angle grinder to do cleanup on castings and heavy stamped parts like rims. Don't use them on sheet metal, though.

Anyway happy B'day and many more.

Joe

One cheap tool that I wouldn't be without now
is a needle scaler that I paid $40 for at Northern
tool. It is the first tool I reach for on a lot
of restoration work. It takes off old thick paint, rust, and hardened grease quicker than
anything else. Then I hit it with a wire wheel
on a 4 1/2" grinder or the sandblaster. Use with the best eye and ear protection you can buy.
Good luck,
Mel

I can confirm that small air compressors are virtually useless for your intended purposes. I have a Harbor Freight pancake configuration one and a slightly larger Sears one. They will inflate tires, run a paint gun or a framing nailer that isn�t being used too vigorously, not much more. From having read hundreds of postings on the subject on this forum I�m convinced that buying enough air pressure to do what you need is a very expensive proposition, but that it makes little sense to buy less than enough.

I have much more experience with angle grinders since I use them practically every day. On the issue of whether to pay 4 to 6 times the cost of a 4� or 4�� Chicago Electric (Harbor Freight) grinder to get a Makita, Milwaukee, DeWalt, or Metabo, there�s no easy answer. Those who say you get what you pay for are people who like to have things settled in their minds. I wish it were that easy. There�s no question in my mind that Chicago Electric grinders larger than 4�� are light duty at best---and not good quality even at that. The manager of the local HF retail outlet suggested that I might be better off with a Milwaukee as he signed off on the return of the second burned out 7� angle grinder I brought back in less than a month. But I have a 4�� Chicago Electric which I have been using hard for 5 years now (as well as a much newer one that stopped working when a wire to one of the brushes came loose inside the case.)

Here are a few other things I have discovered about grinders:

1. Wire wheels, whether straight or cupped, are mostly good for throwing pieces of wire at you if they aren�t knotted wire.
2. A cupped, knotted wire wheel on a Milwaukee 9� angle grinder is the most dangerous tool I have ever used (and I�m a man who always keeps the blade guard of his worm drive saw wired up so that he�ll never expect it to be down when it decides not to be.)
3. Using a 7� or 9� angle grinder will make you tired, but you�ll get just as tired of the time it takes you to remove the same amount of metal or paint with a 4�� grinder. I�m 60 and I can still grind metal with a big Milwaukee grinder for 90 minutes or 2 hours if I lay it down once in awhile to stretch.

All the best, Stan

Seriously, stay away from Harbor Freight tools. Its cheap to buy but most of the stuff won't last for more than a few hours of use. Find a friend that knows good tools and head to a few farm and estate auctions. They are generally a great place to get good tools at a fair price. You do need to look stuff over carefully and bid wisely though. This is a personal thing, but I've had good luck with Milwaukee and Makita tools. Bosch has been disappointing in performance and durability considering their high price tag, but I'm sure many will argue that point. In any case, as others have said, buying cheap tools is usually very expensive, especially when you consider having to replace them after a short time and the time lost when the tool breaks and you have to go get another one.

Have you checked out craigslist.com?

I have both a Makita & a HF angle grinder. I bought the HF a couple years ago when we were moving from CA to CO. I needed one to finish a project at the old house, & my Makita was in a truck on its way to CO. I'm still using the HF grinder. Not nearly as nice as the Makita, but does what its supposed to.

I like a palm sander. I have a random orbit air sander, but rarely use it. If you buy a big sander/polisher, make sure it has a random orbit mode, otherwise you'll end with marks you'll have to take out by hand.

Keith

For general grinding a 4 1/2" will be best, for smoothing large surfaces, the larger disk will leave fewer divots and ridges.

Nathaniel

As for your grinder I have 4-7-9� in the shop because I get bored real quick using a 4 on a 9� job but if your only going to buy one forget HF and go to Lowes, or Home Depot and look at the 4 � offerings from Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee and Dewalt and make your choice based upon your wallet. Dollars here equals performance. Play with the display models at the store. If the %$#% safety switch on that particular is a pain to work at the store it will remain so the whole time you own it.. You never go wrong with a Milwaukee tool but I choose the Makita because I like the switch, about $65. Again, lots of money compared to HF but been there.

Get a cup brush for the grinder and use it to remove rust loose paint etc. Flap wheels work good for old paint removal as will a flexible backing with 60-80 grit paper disks. Just don�t try to use the ridged wheels made for grinding welds etc for paint removal because you will make a mess of your sheet metal or castings with one.

I use HF and the stuff sold there has it�s places in my shop. Mostly tools that are used only occasionally, not electric powered and cost many bucks if bought elsewhere. Your every day tools should be bought elsewhere.

Zero effort except the setup. Run a search of the archive for tons of info on how to set it up.

Good luck on your tool search.

dcm

Don't bother with a drill for removing paint, use the 4.5" SAG. Sanding discs or wire wheels work, and have different applications. Generically, a disc works best on flat panels, and a wire wheel works best on funky shaped pieces.

Carson

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