Angle grinder and cutting ( Noob advice needed)

[thisisnotaspoon]

One of the inner fulcrum bolts is well and trully stuck on my midget, siezed into the metal liner of the bushing. No ammount of hammering is moving it, and it's been soaking in WD40, diesel, shock'n'unlock, and anything else I could point at it to no avail.

I'm guessing the easiest way to get it out is going to be to cut it either side inbetween the chassis and the wishbone (it's in this order bolt head+washer - chasis -A-arm - chasis - washer+nut).

Talk to me about angle grinders and cutting wheels for cutting through a ~12mm bolt. Screwfix has a £20 800W model, or a 600W Bosh one for £40, as it's not going to see regular use I'm guessing power will trump brand (and implied long term reliability).

Secondly, safety kit, beyond work gloves, goggles and a fire extinguisher?

[PaulKemp]

Any angle grinder with thin cutting disc will do a 12mm bolt no problem
Don't use a grinding disc, to thick for a neat precise cut

[paintman]

1mm cutting disc will do the job nicely - I use a lot of them when cutting & welding. Be careful not to put side pressure on them.
Gloves & eye protection are vital - sparks & eyes don't mix well.

I tried a cheapie grinder from Homebase when my old one packed up. It managed to do halfway through a piece of 11/2" angle iron before there was a big cloud of smoke & that was that. Took it back & got a Bosch one instead. When I unpacked the Bosch there was a nice selection of discs with it incl 2 diamond ones!

[dmiller]

Watch the direction the sparks bounce off in, they will burn you and damage paint work etc. Wear googles and gloves and thicker clothing (t shirt and shorts is a bad idea probably).

Never put the grinder down still spinning.

This may sound silly but switch it on and hold and move it around while it's spinning before using it to get a feel for it, there is a kinda gyroscope effect that it's easier to get used to before cutting.

Use the gaurds when your cutting.

If it comes with disks the grinding discs the thicker one and the cutting disks the thiner one.

Prepare your woman for how manly you'll feel after using it! ;-)

David.

[SWTH]

I'd go for the Bosch one. I have one at home and it's taken some serious use and abuse over the last few years.

A few things to consider;

Always unplug the grinder when changing discs - simply switching off at the mains is no good - get into the habit of physically breaking the power connection. You don't want to accidentally nudge the go button and slice your fingers off.

All the advice above about safety gear - goggles etc - is well worth paying attention to.

When you buy discs, check they are rated at a higher rpm than your grinder (most are). Grinder rpm info should be on the grinder itself.

[HustleRussell]

I hate angle grinders. They really demand respect. Don't be tempted to use it without guard and handle in place, and as has already been mentioned, never attempt to grind using a cutting disc- they will shatter if used in this way and your gloves, googles, jeans, t-shirt etc will not stop a fragment which is travelling at a hundred feet per second.

[It's fixable...]

If this is the first time you have used a grinder I'd be tempted to use a browshield instead of goggles as getting hit in the face by grinding debris can be very off-putting.

[blade7]

I used angle grinders for years in my job, still get a fright if they kick back unexpectedly. Fitting the disc correctly is important too. Have you tried heat on the bolt OP ?

[Jed-S]

SWTH said:

You don't want to accidentally nudge the go button and slice your fingers off.

^^ This

I have a huge respect for angry grinders but still managed to knock the on button while pushing one out of the way when working in the confined space of a Midget. The 1mm cutting disk made a nice cut through my heavy leather gloves and into the back of a finger down to the bone.

thisisnotaspoon said:

as it's not going to see regular use

yeah, right... it is a Midget you're working on. I went through nearly 30 discs on mine but it was a basket case and it did have some enhancements done to it.