pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 29 dec 03
Hi Carol,
Maybe more like 15 degrees difference between the Grinding
disc-wheel, and the plane of the ground...
Even less is fine...a very slight tilt...too, just see where
it seems to like it for the kind of work you are doing.
Likely the instructions anticipated the grinding of 'welds'
or the like where a more obtuse initial address might be
justified...
Consider to either grind 'wet' with ample water on the
surface, or, to wear a breathing mask, or, to do it outside
and have a breeze and to carry away the particles...
Good luck...
Phil
lasvegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carole Fox"
> Well, for Solstice this year my husband received pottery
and I got a power
> tool! Yep- I got an angle grinder!! (probably because I
have been hinting
> around for a while now about how I needed one to get the
glaze off my kiln
> shelves). Oh -I was so proud when I was able to attach the
masonry wheel all
> by myself. And you should have seen how funny I looked in
all my protective
> gear (geez- My face is hardly big enough to wear a mask
and goggles at the
> same time!)
>
> But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln
shelf and I don't know
> what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the
grinder at a 30 degree
> angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a
mess of it. How
> do these tools work? The archives did say this was the
tool for the job. But
> how does one go about it?
>
> Thanks,
> -Carole
>
>
> Carole Fox
> Silver Fox Pottery
> Elkton, MD
> thesilverfox@dol.net
>
>
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Carole Fox on mon 29 dec 03
Well, for Solstice this year my husband received pottery and I got a power
tool! Yep- I got an angle grinder!! (probably because I have been hinting
around for a while now about how I needed one to get the glaze off my kiln
shelves). Oh -I was so proud when I was able to attach the masonry wheel all
by myself. And you should have seen how funny I looked in all my protective
gear (geez- My face is hardly big enough to wear a mask and goggles at the
same time!)
But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I don't know
what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the grinder at a 30 degree
angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it. How
do these tools work? The archives did say this was the tool for the job. But
how does one go about it?
Thanks,
-Carole
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
Vince Pitelka on tue 30 dec 03
> But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I don't
know
> what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the grinder at a 30
degree
> angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it. How
> do these tools work? The archives did say this was the tool for the job.
But
> how does one go about it?
Carole -
The way to use the angle grinder depends on what you are grinding. For hard
glaze runs, or for grinding edges of ironwork or hard stone, you use the
edge as described. In this case, hold the tool very firmly and feed the
grinding wheel in carefully, so that you can stop immediately once the glaze
run is removed.
For cleaning old kiln wash, hold the wheel much flatter against the kiln
shelf. If the attachment collar and nut are recessed back in the middle of
the masonry wheel, you can even hold the wheel flat against the kiln shelf,
but it is best to tilt it very slightly in one direction, so that it pulls
uniformly in one direction as you are grinding. If you hold the wheel
completely flat against the shelf with the grinder running, the tool will
want to go in every direction, and is much harder to control. Try it and
you will see.
The general rule with a hand-held grinder is this: The more wheel in
contact with the surface being ground, the slower the grinding and the
easier it is to control the depth of cut.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Office - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 x111, FAX 615/597-6803
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Earl Krueger on tue 30 dec 03
Carole,
I don't use a hard grinding wheel on mine. They make a rubber disk
that backs up sandpaper; commonly used for removing paint. It flexes
so with a little pressure it bends and is parallel with the surface. I
use 60 grit silicon carbide paper with it. You can still gouge but its
a lot easier not to.
Besides that, it takes practice. How about getting a plain old common
brick and practicing on that?
Earl...
Bothell, WA, USA
Cary Chleborad on tue 30 dec 03
The big tricks to effectively using a high speed abrasive tool are:
#1 Keep it moving, the softer the material, the faster you need to move
it around in order to NOT dig a hole.
#2 Be affirmative with your action. If you use too little pressure with
a grinder it will want to skip and bounce around. Grip it firmly and
press it into the work piece with at least as much force as it weighs.
I've never used an angle grinder on a kiln shelf before, but translating
my experience from every other material I've ground, I'd use a short
(1") long forward an back scrubbing motion with the disk over the spot
you're trying to clean. I'd move it fairly fast, maybe 1-2 strokes per
second. I'd also tip the disk down to a lower angle, maybe 5 to 10
degrees. You might also want to "pre-dress" the edge of your new disk
on a chunk of junk concrete. Grind on it until the sharp edge of the
new disk gets rounded over a bit.
If it still proves to be too aggressive, try a "regular" disk meant for
metal, it will clog up and be less aggressive. You can also get cup
wire brushes for the grinder as well, I prefer the "knotted" type.
Lastly, be careful! Grinders are mean; I've slipped before and in one
quick "puff" the grinding disk ground a hole through my glove and deep
into the flesh of my finger.
Also, wear breathing protection! Masonry products contain silica - not
good for the lungs!!
Good Luck!
-Cary
>
> But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I
don't
> know
> what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the grinder at a 30
> degree
> angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it.
How
> do these tools work? The archives did say this was the tool for the
job.
> But
> how does one go about it?
Bruce Girrell on tue 30 dec 03
> But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I
> don't know what I'm doing wrong.
> I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it.
Part of the problem is that the tool is pretty heavy, making a "light touch"
more difficult. But you are going the correct direction. A light touch is
the key.
Here are some things I can think of:
1) Watch your body position. If you are holding the tool at arms length, it
will be difficult to control the tool and you will tire quickly. You may
need to brace the kiln shelf in a different position, perhaps almost
vertical, so that you can approach the shelf with the tool held close to
your body. In that way you can make finer, more controlled movements. Move
your hips rather than your arms.
2) Look at the direction that the disk is rotating. Always move in the same
direction as the portion of the disk that is contacting the work is moving
(a picture would be nice here - if you don't understand what I'm trying to
say, email me and I'll draw a simple picture). When it is time to move the
other direction, move the tool away from the work, reposition it, and move
the proper direction again. If you have the disk in contact with the work
and you move the other direction, the wheel will want to dig into the work,
making a gouge.
3) The tool is pretty aggressive, as you have found out, so it doesn't need
much pressure. Watch closely as the disk contacts the work. Approach very
slowly until the edge of the disk just barely touches. Use lots of light so
that you can see what you are doing. If the tool wants to grab and gouge you
are using too much pressure.
4) Use a finer grit. The work will go slower, but you will have better
control and your mistakes will have less consequence.
5) Use less angle. A flatter angle will decrease the aggressiveness of the
cut. Just don't put the disk flat on the work or you could lose control of
the tool.
Have fun with your new toy!
Bruce Girrell
in not-very-snowy northern Michigan where Santa brought new toys for the
kiln, new toys for the lathe, and an awesome set of windchimes
piedpotterhamelin@COMCAST.NET on tue 30 dec 03
Dear Carol
That angle grinder is a very dangerous tool and you should BE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT THE WHEEL IS MATCHED TO THE SPEED OF THE TOOL!
Please take a look a the 4 links that I have on my web page and understand them.
http://home.comcast.net/~piedpotterhamelin/grindingwheel.html
Be safe and with peace
Rick
--
"Many a wiser men than I hath
gone to pot." 1649
> Well, for Solstice this year my husband received pottery and I got a power
> tool! Yep- I got an angle grinder!! (probably because I have been hinting
> around for a while now about how I needed one to get the glaze off my kiln
> shelves). Oh -I was so proud when I was able to attach the masonry wheel all
> by myself. And you should have seen how funny I looked in all my protective
> gear (geez- My face is hardly big enough to wear a mask and goggles at the
> same time!)
>
> But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I don't know
> what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the grinder at a 30 degree
> angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it. How
> do these tools work? The archives did say this was the tool for the job. But
> how does one go about it?
>
> Thanks,
> -Carole
>
>
> Carole Fox
> Silver Fox Pottery
> Elkton, MD
> thesilverfox@dol.net
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Michael Wendt on tue 30 dec 03
Carole,
Get either a flat finishing disk or a cup wheel (silicon carbide) and hold
it nearly flat to the shelf surface since you don't want to gouge. I also
found that the router speed controls sold by Harbor freight help since they
slow the rate of turning dramatically and allow you more time to react to
what you see as you repeatedly lift the stone off the surface.
Good Luck,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, ID 83501
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Carole wrote:
>But then I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I don't
know
what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the grinder at a 30 degree
angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it. How
do these tools work? The archives did say this was the tool for the job. But
how does one go about it?
Thanks,
-Carole
<
Snail Scott on tue 30 dec 03
At 08:41 PM 12/29/03 -0500, you wrote:
>...I proceeded to gouge the heck out of my kiln shelf and I don't know
>what I'm doing wrong. The directions say to hold the grinder at a 30 degree
>angle. I tried to be light with my touch, but I'm making a mess of it. How
>do these tools work? The archives did say this was the tool for the job.=
But
>how does one go about it?
The thing I see most of my student doing wrong
with angle grinders is that they push it in a=20
forward motion, allowing the wheel to dig in=20
like a shovel. PULL the tool lightly across=20
the surface back toward you, just skimming the=20
surface as you go. Like using a knife to smooth=20
excess frosting off a cake, you wouldn't want
the blade down in the forward direction of the=20
motion like a snowplow, but following behind on=20
the trailing edge. When using angle grinders=20
on metal or even on fired clay, this is less=20
critical (though still the best technique), but=20
mullite kiln shelves are too soft to resist the=20
inevitable digging-in that accompanies even the=20
most delicate forward (or sideways) push. Also,=20
while a 30=BA angle is appropriate for harder=20
materials like metal or fired clay, a lower=20
angle will give you greater control on soft=20
surfaces like shelves and help keep the surface=20
flatter.
-Snail
Kathy Forer on tue 30 dec 03
I hope this isn't the case, but it could be. It's not to say you
couldn't be a fireman, or fireperson (firewoman?) with proper desire,
tools and training, but maybe your grinder is too large or heavy for
you.
When we were pouring bronze, I could only just barely use the 5-1/2"
angle grinder and was most comfortable with the 4-1/2" Metabo. The
larger tools just gave too much kick and I am very strong indeed. But
not tall enough at 5'-2" stretching, so didn't have proper leverage.
Short arms? I needed to hold it against my body to control it and that
left much to be desired.
But perhaps you're tall enough to be let on the roller-coaster. And if
that's the case, what excellent advice on this thread, if only I had
kiln shelves or the Metabo hadn't been stolen by the "Hole in the Wall"
robbery gang.... Oh the criminal life that fine tool went on to lead!
Kathy Forer
in sunny NJ
Alan Fox on tue 30 dec 03
Hi Kathy-
I, too, am 5' 2" and 98 pounds so I know what you mean. But this is not a
big grinder, Sears special- $39.95 with case and attachments- so I do not
think that success is out of my reach.
Well- I guess if it comes down to it, I could get some help but I'll try the
suggestions from the list first and hopefully I will figure it out.
Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Happy New Year!
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy Forer"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 2:09 PM
Subject: Re: How to use an angle grinder?
> I hope this isn't the case, but it could be. It's not to say you
> couldn't be a fireman, or fireperson (firewoman?) with proper desire,
> tools and training, but maybe your grinder is too large or heavy for
> you.
>
> When we were pouring bronze, I could only just barely use the 5-1/2"
> angle grinder and was most comfortable with the 4-1/2" Metabo. The
> larger tools just gave too much kick and I am very strong indeed. But
> not tall enough at 5'-2" stretching, so didn't have proper leverage.
> Short arms? I needed to hold it against my body to control it and that
> left much to be desired.
>
> But perhaps you're tall enough to be let on the roller-coaster. And if
> that's the case, what excellent advice on this thread, if only I had
> kiln shelves or the Metabo hadn't been stolen by the "Hole in the Wall"
> robbery gang.... Oh the criminal life that fine tool went on to lead!
>
> Kathy Forer
> in sunny NJ
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Tjo62@AOL.COM on wed 31 dec 03
I have a 4 inch thick, silicone carbide grinding pad that I put on my angle
grinder. It is wonderful. I used it to save about 30 kiln shelves and a dozen
plate stackers when I used what I thought was kiln wash. My shelves when
from shiny to almost like new (in 4 hours) lol
Kathy Forer on fri 2 jan 04
Grrr Carole, You're thinner than I was before my mother got married!
...if you know what I mean. If you don't, which is likely..., I was
over 18 when I gave up being under 100 :)
I once knew someone who could carry two 50# plaster bags up two steep
flights of stairs, one poised on either shoulder. And wonderful to
watch.
Best of luck, Your Arms Not Too Short to Use an Angle Grinder, even if
you are a waif ;)
All is balance,
Kathy
----- Original Message -----
> Hi Kathy-
> I, too, am 5' 2" and 98 pounds so I know what you mean. But this is
> not a
> big grinder, Sears special- $39.95 with case and attachments- so I do
> not
> think that success is out of my reach.
>
> Well- I guess if it comes down to it, I could get some help but I'll
> try the
> suggestions from the list first and hopefully I will figure it out.
>
> Thanks for your thoughts on this.
>
> Happy New Year!
>
> Carole Fox
> Silver Fox Pottery
> Elkton, MD
> thesilverfox@dol.net
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