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Disk finishing aluminum

Matt-Aburg

Matt-Aburg

Ultra Member
Does anyone know the best way to correct mismatch on aluminum. I have about up to a 0.01 step on my housings. I would like to avoid machining from the sides if possible. Other areas are just a shitty finish from vibration. I will be adding a touchup pass on those (top angled surfaces). Still I might need to disk them. I am wondering if there is special disks that won't load up made for aluminum.
 
For finishing/texturing I really like abrasive pads. You can get them in many grit equivalents & it takes a lot to load them up. Even just plain water is a good cutting/washing lubricant.I have some down to 800 maybe 1000# & it leaves a pleasing satin finish.

Now I will admit I chucked my die grinder roloc style pad in a collet & traversed it in a mill for personal R&D. It works, kinda. You need decent spindle rpm to get the speed, at least on the small diameters. And it still leaves a bit of visual overlap on the edges. Now maybe you could make a large diameter, big ass flycutter style & attach a disc of abrasive cut from a standard 8.5x11 sheet. They are attached with velcro. Bonding that stuff is not easy.

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I also like the roloc discs in a right angle die grinder. The electric right angle die grinders are fantastic. Once you try one you will relegate any air powered ones to the bottom drawer and wonder why you bought them.

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Janger said:
I also like the roloc discs in a right angle die grinder. The electric right angle die grinders are fantastic. Once you try one you will relegate any air powered ones to the bottom drawer and wonder why you bought them.

View attachment 30898
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This I gotta see. I've never found anything to match an air unit.

Yours looks like a 12V. What is the model number @Janger ?
 

A bit of a overview and demo. I use mine to debur parts, clean stuff up, grind off paint and dirt, fine finish surfaces. On the lathe or the mill while the part is still in the vise or chuck. Super handy. I've since bought two to hold different wheels. It uses the M12 batteries. Really the only down side is the price. I managed to acquire mine used so that helped. Thanks to john and john for putting me on to them @Dabbler and @johnnielsen .
 
Janger said:
Thanks to john and john for putting me on to them. @Dabbler and @johnnielsen .
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Those two pot lickers were keeping me in the dark this time...... Prolly cuz the didn't know I was interested.... ;)

I have 3 types of rechargeable tools. Milwaukee M12 for small tools and Dewalt 20V for the big stuff. I prolly use the M12 three times as much as the Dewalt. I also have some old Makita 18V I should prolly sell or give away.

I would NEVER have guessed that Air Killer of yours would do that. I've always dragged an air line around to do that kind of stuff.

I clearly remember the day I put my big airgun away in favour of the Dewalt Impact Driver Gun. Looks like the demise of my MAC Die Grinder is near too...... Looks like my air compressor will only be inflating tires and lifting tractors off the ground in the not too distant future.
 
I have the same unit. I'm a Milwaukee cordless fan boy. They are not for all jobs but 80% fulfill the need.
I think @Aburg Rapid Prototype might be talking about something more controlled like in a mill environment? at least that's how I interpreted. The M12 is more of a freehand tool.
 
Janger said:
I thought these tools were $200 before christmas now they are $270 ish without battery. Ryobi has a cheaper one.
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Ya, 268 at home depot and 220 on eBay.

I'll add it to my watch list.

But quite frankly, if it obviates my Mac air die grinder, it's a no brainer even at 300.
 
RAS or a vibratory sander with green scotchbright, will hide and blend a lot of tool path marks. That's what we use at work, and they work great. You can then take the pad by hand and make a nice directional brushed finish pretty easily, or from there grab a mop and start buffing. Glass beadblast is another method I've never used, but one of our competitors does, and their finished parts look better than ours IMO. I don't know if they start with sandpaper, or scotchbright too, but the finished blasted surfaces are so nice and uniformly finished it looks awesome. Would love to figure it out, and play around with it.

No need to buy special pads or discs, the pad will stay put between the work and the sander if you have sandpaper on it.
 
Dabbler said:
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. I used both Janger's 'Quiet' Air RH die grinder and the Milwaukee, and I started looking for the M right away.
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The difference in noise level is worth the price of admission. I wasn't excited about having yet another battery platform to deal with but I love that thing. Bought an assorted box of Roloc discs from Amazon and haven't looked back. About the only thing I use in terms of air tools now is the impact, but only if I've neglected to charge the big Dewalt, or the needlegun or small cutoff disc on the die grinder.
 
A really coarse sanding pad (36 grit) on a die grinder or angle grinder will hog more material than the scotchbrite and not load up too bad. Follow that with a the scotchbrite to improve the finish.
 
Doggggboy said:
The difference in noise level is worth the price of admission. I wasn't excited about having yet another battery platform to deal with but I love that thing. Bought an assorted box of Roloc discs from Amazon and haven't looked back. About the only thing I use in terms of air tools now is the impact, but only if I've neglected to charge the big Dewalt, or the needlegun or small cutoff disc on the die grinder.
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Not sure what you are saying here so please forgive me if my comments are stupid.

The big 20V Dewalt impact gun is amazing. 1200 lbf break away and 700 tightening. I've checked that 700 with a torque wrench and it's real.

For the little M12s go get yourself the drill and 1/4 driver set on sale. Usually under 100 for both. They are simply amazing little project tools - those furniture or toy or mama's gadgets with a gazillion screws that need assembly at Xmas or that purple Martin House you got from the kids. Put a drill in one and a nut driver in the other and go. Or two nut drivers or whatever. The point is that they are WAAAY better than an electric screw driver. I like them so much that all four of my kids got a pair of them a few years ago at XMas. Now I confess I was also thinkng mine wouldn't disappear as a result.

Anyway, the point is that the die grinder shouldn't be your only M12 tool.
 
Susquatch said:
The big 20V Dewalt impact gun is amazing. 1200 lbf break away and 700 tightening. I've checked that 700 with a torque wrench and it's real.
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Which model is it? Ive watched a lot of the "Torque Test Channel" comparisons, and the Dewalts seem to be holding their own, even though the Milwaukee has been seen as *the* market leader.
Susquatch said:
Anyway, the point is that the die grinder shouldn't be your only M12 tool.
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Ha! you got me! I was a confirmed Yellow guy, but after I got the M12 die grinder, 6 months later I got a new-in-the-box M12 drill and driver set (at used price, of course). They are great tools - light and powerful enough.
 
Dabbler said:
Which model is it?
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I believe it's the DCF899

This one:

Screenshot_20230219_201641_Chrome.jpg


I got it because I can't take an air impact gun out into the fields to work on farm equipment. This let's me do that. After the first usage, I don't use the big air hammer anymore. Mind you, it's no huge air hammer but 700/1200 lbf is more than enough for most uses.

My tractor wheel hubs are 700 and so are my disk arbour bolts. That's a LOT OF TORQUE.
 
I really like all four of my M12 tools. Light in the hand but still enough power to do what I need done. I have the right angle grinder, straight grinder, drill and driver. I also have the Proxxon ac110 variable speed long neck right angle grinder which I use regularly too.
 
Susquatch said:
The big 20V Dewalt impact gun is amazing. 1200 lbf break away and 700 tightening. I've checked that 700 with a torque wrench and it's real.
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I agree, but it's a paperweight without a charged battery and I may have a problem with remembering to charge the battery:rolleyes:
Susquatch said:
For the little M12s go get yourself the drill and 1/4 driver set on sale. Usually under 100 for both. They are simply amazing little project tools - those furniture or toy or mama's gadgets with a gazillion screws that need assembly at Xmas or that purple Martin House you got from the kids. Put a drill in one and a nut driver in the other and go. Or two nut drivers or whatever. The point is that they are WAAAY better than an electric screw driver. I like them so much that all four of my kids got a pair of them a few years ago at XMas. Now I confess I was also thinkng mine wouldn't disappear as a result.
Click to expand...
Agree again but I've got that covered with Dewalt.
Susquatch said:
Anyway, the point is that the die grinder shouldn't be your only M12 tool.
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Still agree but I'm not going to replace the Dewalts until the batteries start to go bad.
I do have a Milwaukee multitool and find it surprisingly useful.
 
Dan Dubeau said:
RAS or a vibratory sander with green scotchbright, will hide and blend a lot of tool path marks. That's what we use at work, and they work great. You can then take the pad by hand and make a nice directional brushed finish pretty easily, or from there grab a mop and start buffing. Glass beadblast is another method I've never used, but one of our competitors does, and their finished parts look better than ours IMO. I don't know if they start with sandpaper, or scotchbright too, but the finished blasted surfaces are so nice and uniformly finished it looks awesome. Would love to figure it out, and play around with it.

No need to buy special pads or discs, the pad will stay put between the work and the sander if you have sandpaper on it.
Click to expand...
Fingers faster than my brain. Wrong acronym. RAS Should be ROS (random orbit sander), or DA(dual action). Don't use a radial arm saw with a scotchbright pad ;).
 
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