A Better Way To Grind Fiberglass??

One of my secret weapons when having to grind fiberglass and do NOT want to be itchy!!! This tool is priceless!!!

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[paulgush]

Good tip! I used a 1/2 inch belt sander from Harbor Freight to grind a bevel to repair a Laser dinghy cockpit floor. An angle grinder gives you great control over the depth and slope of the bevel, but the belt sander was handy to get so close to an inside corner.

[johnboylong]

Bought one and it already paid for itself. Used it on our cockpit area. Got in places u couldn't otherwise. Made quick work of an otherwise long project. Used it to re-contour the base of the seats as well. Glass should lay in after it stops raining an we getter dried out and prepared for that process. Thx for the great info!

[willempje]

I liked your remark that it's better to swear once when you buy it, then to swear every time you use it :-)

[az]

Great tip. Bought a less expensive 1/2” belt sander on Harbour Freight. Worked great for beveling edges etc.

[gregm.]

Hi Andy,

I have found that the best way to avoid having that stuff in the air is don't turn it into dust in the first place.
To remove nonskid, rust on steel and wood coatings use a paintshaver/marinshaver pro. It vacuums as it cuts and the pieces are big enough to not become airborne. It uses replaceable carbide inserts and is similar to a facemill in a machine shop.
The second tool I use is a gelcoat peeler that was made by Gelcoat Removal Systems who is no longer in business. My shop may start actually producing these if there is a market but I can tell you that the shavings are very easy to control and the peeler can be used to remove material surgically.
The other tool I use are carbide cutting dies used in an air driven die grinder. Very small and precise tool. The dies can be bought in hundreds of styles and are extremely effective in removing fiberglass with the precision of a dentist. There are 2 types, one has a cross-hatched pattern used for ferrous materials and those plug up easily. The other has a unidirectional cutting pattern used for non-ferrous material and they make very short work of FG. I can remove a 1/32" inch line down a crack in seconds with NO damage to surrounding area. With larger dies I can trim and model a keel area or large damage very quickly as well as make tapers for patch areas. They will trim lead and a whole host of materials. The speed can be controlled by an inline air valve for perfect control. The chips again are big enough that they lay down and stay put. The carbide dies never seem to get dull and at roughly $15 to $25 each they are a true bargain.
I will never sand FG again unless it's with a longboard. If you would like more input feel free to ask....you'll love this system.

[vicki]

So glad I found your videos. Thank you for the wealth of information! I bought a used and abused little sunfish that I’m trying to restore.

[davidbradley]

An old construction trick with fiberglass ichy-es is to cover yourself (skin) with baby powder and I mean cover yourself! The powder keeps the fiberglass from sticking to your skin and it works great. Also, you have clothes you use to work in fiberglass, and when not in use they go in a bag. Do not wash these clothes in your washing machine with out running the WM empty with soap to remove any residual fibers left behind. also, only wash your fiberglass work clothes alone in the WM. Remember lots and lots of baby powder.

[brettm]

Great information. I too am a fiberglass tech. Our shop has large fans in the back wall, and we have fans in the front. When I grind, it's like a wind tunnel, and the dust pulls to the rear of the shop. Your vacuum idea works well too. That's my go to, if I have to do quick repairs in our rigging shop.

[gregmichalski]

Great recommendation! I couldn't justify the price on the Makita (though it was tempting) so I went with a smaller import and a couple packs of 40 grit belts. I ground out to glass over the original bilge drain hole in my transom today and I am in love with it for all the patchwork I need to do on my restoration project. Even though I'm working outdoors dealing with controllable dust for the smaller scale grinding is going to be freaking awesome. Thank you for all the knowledge you share!

[lancehymers]

That does it! I've watched too many of your videos, found them too useful, and am applying too many of your suggestions to my boat projects. I can't keep watching without guilt - as soon as this video finishes playing I'm going to start supporting you on Patreon. I love your videos - keep up the great work. I have a ton of fairing, glassing, and teak refurbishing to do this year, so I'll be watching lots of your videos again. ;-))

[tysonburns]

I saw a few youtube videos of this and tried it. I don't know if this will help you, but it helps me with drywall dust when cutting or sanding drywall. Get a large plastic sparklets water jug (maybe 5 or 10 gallons?) and cut the bottom off so it's like a huge funnel. Cut little half round or triangular notches all around the edge of the big open end. Looking down from above, cut two holes in the side to get your hands and forearms into the jug, at the 12 and 3 o' clock position. Put some duct tape or something around the inside edges of these two holes so the plastic won't cut your wrists or forearms. Attach your vacuum hose to the narrow neck of the bottle and turn on your shop vac. Put the bottle over your grinder or sander and reach in through the two holes you cut in the sides. As you work you will see air getting sucked in through the notches you cut in the base and carry away dust and debris to the top of the bottle where the vacuum hose is. You can modify this 10 different ways to suit your needs.

[johno]

I used one of those, Bosch made a little wider one with shorter belts but my go tool is the small Festool for the dust collection.

[extantia]

The Makita 3/4 inch x 10 ft vacuum hose’s (Part number 192108-A) suction end slides right into the dust extraction port without any issue with the spring loaded cap. The other end will take the RIDGID 1 1/4 vacuum adapter. Mind you Makita told me they didn’t know what hose of theirs or anyone else’s would fit. But another owner told me that the ID of the extraction port was around 3/4 inch and another non-Makita source told me that the OD of the suction end of the hose was 3/4. So I put two and two together and fortunately two and two did go together with a perfect fit! Dust extraction is very important for all my sanding tools since I’m restoring a fiberglass sailboat. Nice vid by the way-

[brandonsusich]

About to start repairing my Grady White 255 Sailfish and this video has me rethinking my grinding cut-out approach for gaining access to my stringer scab-in under the fresh water coffin. I am working outdoors and was entirely about to start using my grinder with that same paddle but maybe not after watching this video... thanks a ton! Epic timing for me! LoL

[pedalingthru]

Take a look at the festool grinders and dust collectors. I have been useing one for 5 years and there is almost no clean up. Festool catches about 98.5 % of all sanding /grinding dust.

[edrymes]

Great tip. The thing about using what a pro uses or their method is you know that they are doing it because it works or saves time or both. When the bottom line is your livelihood you don't mess around with something that doesn't work.

[davidross]

I've seen those tiny belt sanders for years and thought, "why would you need that??" After dust bombing my boat replacing thruhull backing plates... I found this video and thought, I'd give it a shot. It's turning into my most used tool. Thank you.

[tomharrell]

Andy the small belt grinder does produce a radius that is very aesthetic.

I have found way to completely keep FG dust out of the shop.
Grind it outside!! Then rinse it off.

[tripinseattle]

I just went through a 2 1/2 day cleanup after a 40 minute grinding job. Great video with sound advice.

[kriiigern]

Hugs from Norway!
You are the best source when it comes to learning about fiberglass. I really appreciate your videos.