Is it possible to use an angle grinder as a polisher?

[PCSB]

I have an angle grinder and it looks as though I can fit a hook and loop backingplate to it. Would it be sensible to use this with the appropriate polishing pads? I've never used a polisher before so thought I'd ask ...

 

TIA

Paul.

[Higgs]

2 minutes ago, PCSB said:

I have an angle grinder and it looks as though I can fit a hook and loop backingplate to it. Would it be sensible to use this with the appropriate polishing pads? I've never used a polisher before so thought I'd ask ...

 

TIA

Paul.

 

Too fast, and too aggressive, in my opinion. likely to throw polish out to the edge, and create heat on the surface. 

 

 

[PCSB]

1 minute ago, Higgs said:

 

Too fast, and too aggressive, in my opinion. likely to throw polish out to the edge, and create heat on the surface. 

 

 

Thanks, that was my worry.

[baldlimey]

I have a friend who does professional car detailing and he does have an angle grinder in his aresenal for difficult jobs but he says it took many hours of practice (and mistakes) before he could use it without burning through the paint.

[PCSB]

1 hour ago, baldlimey said:

I have a friend who does professional car detailing and he does have an angle grinder in his aresenal for difficult jobs but he says it took many hours of practice (and mistakes) before he could use it without burning through the paint.

Ta, looks like I'll be polishing by hand

[BEngo]

A variable speed sander polisher, with either a hook-loop backing pad or a screw on sponge mop are good for polishing.  Makita make a good one, but pricey,  Axminster used to have an own brand one that would be good enough for occasional DIY work.  Halfords do, or did, a 240 V orbital one, which was a real chocolate teapot.  The 12v ones are even worse.

 

N

[PCSB]

3 hours ago, BEngo said:

A variable speed sander polisher, with either a hook-loop backing pad or a screw on sponge mop are good for polishing.  Makita make a good one, but pricey,  Axminster used to have an own brand one that would be good enough for occasional DIY work.  Halfords do, or did, a 240 V orbital one, which was a real chocolate teapot.  The 12v ones are even worse.

 

N

Thanks. I already have a lot of DeWalt cordless gear so have been looking at this 18V XR Brushless 125mm Dual Action Polisher - Bare Unit - DCM848N-XJ | DEWALT United Kingdom no idea how good it is, but all my other DeWalt stuff is very good. Trouble is, it is expensive at around £200.

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, PCSB said:

Thanks. I already have a lot of DeWalt cordless gear so have been looking at this 18V XR Brushless 125mm Dual Action Polisher - Bare Unit - DCM848N-XJ | DEWALT United Kingdom no idea how good it is, but all my other DeWalt stuff is very good. Trouble is, it is expensive at around £200.

 

 

The web page doesn't tell us the crucial bit of info. Does the whole pad rotate or is the action the same as an orbital sander?

 

 

[PCSB]

2 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

The web page doesn't tell us the crucial bit of info. Does the whole pad rotate or is the action the same as an orbital sander?

 

 

Is one better than the other? I'm guessing that a full rotation is probably better ... 

[blackrose]

I bought a cheap electric polisher for 15 quid about a year ago.. It's ok. I'll try to find a link.

 

Edit. I can't find it, but Argos does this one for £32.

 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1513974

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by blackrose

[MtB]

12 minutes ago, PCSB said:

Is one better than the other? I'm guessing that a full rotation is probably better ... 

 

 

Full rotation is absolutely essential, I'd say.

 

 

[PCSB]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

 

Full rotation is absolutely essential, I'd say.

 

 

Thanks, I'll check before I buy anything!

[Phoenix_V]

something like this would be better than an angle grinder as it can run slower https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb808psh-electric-polisher-220-240v/936KV?tc=IC6&ds_kid=92700055256569560&ds_rl=1244066&gclsrc=ds&gclsrc=ds

[Slow and Steady]

^ these look like angle grinders, but they are much bigger than the usual 4 1/2" ones most of us have. Really good but require skill to avoid burning the paint and polish will fly off in all directions and annoy your neighbours.

[MtB]

3 hours ago, Slow and Steady said:

^ these look like angle grinders, but they are much bigger than the usual 4 1/2" ones most of us have. Really good but require skill to avoid burning the paint and polish will fly off in all directions and annoy your neighbours.

 

 

They are nothing like angle grinders. They rotate at about 150rpm instead of the 3,000rpm of a grinder.

[Slow and Steady]

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

They are nothing like angle grinders. They rotate at about 150rpm instead of the 3,000rpm of a grinder.

The one I had when I painted campers was vari-speed, but yes, 10,000rpm wouldn't be good!

[MtB]

Just now, Slow and Steady said:

The one I had when I painted campers was vari-speed, but yes, 10,000rpm wouldn't be good!

 

Or... you could polish your whole boat in 3 minutes flat!

😂 😂 😂

[Slow and Steady]

2 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Or... you could polish your whole boat in 3 minutes flat!

😂 😂 😂

Seriously, they would be good for a boat apart from polish flying off everywhere!

[Murflynn]

14 hours ago, Phoenix_V said:

something like this would be better than an angle grinder as it can run slower https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb808psh-electric-polisher-220-240v/936KV?tc=IC6&ds_kid=92700055256569560&ds_rl=1244066&gclsrc=ds&gclsrc=ds

 

specification says 600 to 3000 rpm - too fast IMHO

[BEngo]

15 hours ago, blackrose said:

I bought a cheap electric polisher for 15 quid about a year ago.. It's ok. I'll try to find a link.

 

Edit. I can't find it, but Argos does this one for £32.

 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1513974

 

 

 

Have something like the Argos one.  They are carp. All right for shining off wax on  a car where the paint is already shiny but not for dealing with dull paint.

 

The screwfix tool is like what you want, but that one seems a bit fast.  600 rpm will have polish everywhere.  Screwfix descriptions are not renowned for their accuracy of detail though, so it might be worth asking to see /try one if you have a local store.  150-200 rpm is what you want to achieve.

 

Then you need some sponge mops.  Blue or white (firm)  for cutting, pink (soft or very soft) for finishing.

N

[Iain_S]

The Screwfix one looks very like the Titan 4 1/2" angle grinder without the disc guard and a D handle rather than a side handle. 

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Iain_S said:

The Screwfix one looks very like the Titan 4 1/2" angle grinder without the disc guard and a D handle rather than a side handle. 

 

That is what I would expect, why retool (the expensive part of production) when the existing tooling but different gears would do the job as well.

[Slow and Steady]

11 minutes ago, Iain_S said:

The Screwfix one looks very like the Titan 4 1/2" angle grinder without the disc guard and a D handle rather than a side handle. 

Except it's 2x the size and 2.5kg. Like this: