Hull Peelers Vs. Sanding

[shamrock]

Minaret, quick question, the other thread you referenced has a variety of softer pads. They each have max RPM limits as low as 750.

How do you use them or do you use them with the 6088 or the 10,000 grinder?

Thanks

[shamrock]

Minaret,

Just to add to that question, would there be a benefit to using a 7/9" grinder with a variable speed trigger? Would that make feathering the tool easier?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by shamrock

Minaret, quick question, the other thread you referenced has a variety of softer pads. They each have max RPM limits as low as 750.

How do you use them or do you use them with the 6088 or the 10,000 grinder?

Thanks

I dial it down as far as I can and ignore the rpm limits. I think they are CYA anyway, but I'm not exceeding them by much.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by shamrock

Minaret,

Just to add to that question, would there be a benefit to using a 7/9" grinder with a variable speed trigger? Would that make feathering the tool easier?

Yeah, in the vid I posted here I'm using a 7" variable speed.

[shamrock]

Originally Posted by minaret

Yeah, in the vid I posted here I'm using a 7" variable speed.

OK, thanks. The 6088 I got does not have variable speed.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by shamrock

OK, thanks. The 6088 I got does not have variable speed.

You fire that bad boy up yet? Your bottom should be a one day job with it. Do the easy spots first for practice, and stay back from the waterline and around jackstands and blocks, you'll kick back or go over the waterline if you get too ambitious. Block the waterline in by hand. Takes longer than sanding the bottom with a soft pad. I use 36 grit, but you may want to start with 40 or 60. Hold it flat and you'll get a much fairer surface than the DA with much faster results.

[shamrock]

Originally Posted by minaret

You fire that bad boy up yet? Your bottom should be a one day job with it. Do the easy spots first for practice, and stay back from the waterline and around jackstands and blocks, you'll kick back or go over the waterline if you get too ambitious. Block the waterline in by hand. Takes longer than sanding the bottom with a soft pad. I use 36 grit, but you may want to start with 40 or 60. Hold it flat and you'll get a much fairer surface than the DA with much faster results.

I will give it a try Saturday morning.

I'm glad you told me to hold it flat, I was picturing it on an angle. I guess that's for the very curved surfaces?

Should I switch this one out for a variable speed trigger? when The motor starts, the grinder twists in my hands because of the torque of the motor spinning so suddenly is pretty powerful. I am tying to picture how that will work when I am constantly pulling the trigger.

Thanks! looking forward to giving it a try

[minaret]

Originally Posted by shamrock

I will give it a try Saturday morning.

I'm glad you told me to hold it flat, I was picturing it on an angle. I guess that's for the very curved surfaces?

Should I switch this one out for a variable speed trigger? when The motor starts, the grinder twists in my hands because of the torque of the motor spinning so suddenly is pretty powerful. I am tying to picture how that will work when I am constantly pulling the trigger.

Thanks! looking forward to giving it a try

Yup, only come off flat on very curved surfaces like the turn of the bilge. Sand flat for awhile for practice first. Don't use a side handle. Torque twist only happens from a dead start, try feathering the trigger and you'll see.

[shamrock]

Minaret,

I'm a believer.

I used an 8" hookit soft pad on the 6088 grinder with 36 grit geen corps.

Me and a helper finished the boat in one day.

There is a learning curve, so at first I would start with the grinder and sand until the gelcoat was transparent, getting about 3/4 there, then we would follow with the sander to finish it off.

By the end of the day, I felt confident going down to the matt with the grinder and I even felt like I was getting a more fair surface with the grinder. The reason is the 8" pad bridged any waves in the bottom.

The grinder is a handful, and holding it up is a workout for sure.

I still have not sanded the really curved areas. I made an attempt, but was doing more harm than good. I just ordered a smaller pad.

Thanks!

[minaret]

Glad that worked out for ya! When it comes to fairing, bigger IS better. Next step?

[shamrock]

I worked on the curve of the bilge area this morning a bit with the grinder, I found that getting the disk to full speed, then releasing the trigger, then fanning the pad on an angle seemed to work very well and maintain the surface with very minimal divots. It definitely took some practice, but I feel I have it down.

I also bought a 2" soft pad with a foam interface drill bit which works well (although really slow) around the prop aperature and above the rudder.

Once it's done, I will powerwash, then get out the moisture meter and see where I stand there.

Thanks again!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by shamrock

I worked on the curve of the bilge area this morning a bit with the grinder, I found that getting the disk to full speed, then releasing the trigger, then fanning the pad on an angle seemed to work very well and maintain the surface with very minimal divots. It definitely took some practice, but I feel I have it down.

I also bought a 2" soft pad with a foam interface drill bit which works well (although really slow) around the prop aperature and above the rudder.

Once it's done, I will powerwash, then get out the moisture meter and see where I stand there.

Thanks again!

Congrats on having the balls to try doing it the easy way. Good job! Post pics for posterity if you can, I have a hell of a time convincing people this is how it's done. Make sure to wait a couple of days after pressure washing before you get some readings.

[Exile]

FWIW, and for those of us who can't swing building a tent around our boats, it turns out that dust shrouds w/vac attachments can be had for angle grinders. Makita & DeWalt make their own, and there are several aftermarket options. Only researchd this for 4.5" grinders, not the big bad 7" ones like the Milwaukee that Minaret recommends. I know they're available for sanders, but didn't know they could also be had for grinders. Have no experience nor idea how effective they are at capturing dust.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Exile

FWIW, and for those of us who can't swing building a tent around our boats, it turns out that dust shrouds w/vac attachments can be had for angle grinders. Makita & DeWalt make their own, and there are several aftermarket options. Only researchd this for 4.5" grinders, not the big bad 7" ones like the Milwaukee that Minaret recommends. I know they're available for sanders, but didn't know they could also be had for grinders. Have no experience nor idea how effective they are at capturing dust.

You can get them for all size grinders, but I find them to be too cumbersome in general and almost never use them, as I feel they affect my grinding ability poorly, with the hose or shroud always catching on something or hitting something at a crucial moment. Even on a bottom or hull side the added hose weight and drag bothers me. In most cases I prefer to hold a vac hose in my off hand while grinding or just lay the hose nearby if on a deck. With some experience you will realize that even with a shroud you will get a fine layer of dust everywhere when grinding. This means that the same level of masking beforehand is needed to control dust, and it also doesn't take much longer to vac up a thick layer of dust everywhere than it does a thin layer. They have their place, and it's for each operator to decide whether they prefer a shroud, but I generally don't myself for what it's worth.
I'll have to get a pic of one of our grinding contraptions. It's a plexiglass aquarium tank with thick strips of foam fitted around the edges to allow it to conform to deck shapes. Think aquarium flipped upside down on deck with two big rubber arm gloves from an old sand blaster box fastened into each side, with a built in light and vacuum port. So you set it on the spot you need to grind, plug in your vac and flip on the light, stick your arms in the big rubber gloves, and grind away. We only use it as a show of good faith in marinas that are very picky about dust and overspray. Just an example of the lengths people go to for dust control if the situation requires it, sometimes a grinder shroud or vac sander or any number of other methods are worth the hit to performance. Sometimes it's better to just mask off and go for it, cleaning up well afterwards.

[Chasing Summer]

Don't know if it's somewhere in the post or not; I'm not going to read all of them.
I got a 7", red, looks like a scotchbrite pad for a 7" grinder. I got it to take off 25 years of aluminum corrosion. I also tried it on the bronze stemhead. Worked like a charm. When working on the stemhead I got against the gelcoat. Like wiping butter off the counter .... the gelcoat was gone. These pads are only about $6-$8. I did an entire 48 ft mast with it. I was going to do the 6" ramdom orbit thing, but after finding this pad at North County Tool and Abrasives in San Marcos, CA I'm getting another one to work on my gelcoat.