The most indispensable tool during repairs or construction work is considered to be a drill, electric or battery-powered. It helps to carry out a lot of preparatory work, from mixing the solution to grinding wooden or concrete structures. To perform the last operation, you will need a grinding attachment for a drill, which has many modifications that can be used to work on metal, wood, concrete and plastered surfaces.
Purpose
Specialized attachments for drills sometimes quite successfully replace a full-fledged narrow-profile tool. This approach allows the home craftsman to significantly save money by eliminating the purchase of expensive equipment.
Sanding attachments do an excellent job of removing paint from walls and ceilings, cleaning metal from rust and finishing primed surfaces. All that remains is to polish the treated areas with felt or felt. Naturally, such a decision justifies itself only in everyday life. The industrial segment requires high power, good output and high speed. But a household nozzle, alas, cannot provide this. The scope of application of such devices is private houses, cottages, apartments and garages.
When installation on a screwdriver is necessary, a special adapter or hex shank is required. It all depends on the specific model of the tool and its functionality.
A screwdriver is convenient for many, but it has one serious drawback - the low speed of rotation of the chuck. Therefore, it is not very suitable for cleaning the same rust, where decent speeds are needed.
On the construction market you can find a wide variety of devices for processing almost any material, from wooden parts to finicky glass surfaces. The common form factor of a drum or cymbal can be used in both vertical and horizontal positions thanks to special adapters. Thus, the drill can act as a sharpener, providing sharpening and grinding of parts.
conclusions
Now that you have figured out how to choose the right car polishing attachments, you can easily carry out your first polishing work. Always remember that this type of work requires a delicate approach. It’s better not to take unnecessary risks and test the nozzle on another surface before use. So, by trial and error, you can create your own list of attachments that you will use in your work. Decide which material is preferable for you: foam rubber, sheepskin wool or felt. And always be mindful of the speed at which you polish the car.
However, to avoid mistakes that could have a negative impact on the condition of your car, it is better to give preference to professional detailing. Experts will quickly select equipment specifically for your case and return your car to its salon appearance without risk.
Advantages and disadvantages of sanding attachments
Despite the abundance of solutions, such devices are still auxiliary and are not suitable for solving specific problems. One of the main drawbacks is the weight of the drill. It is difficult to hold a heavy instrument with outstretched arms or above your head. Because of this, the quality of surface treatment and the duration of the procedure suffer.
But where high precision is not required, such as stripping materials or peeling walls, this point is not critical. In a word, a grinding attachment for a drill is a household device that does not pretend to be of a professional level.
A clear advantage of a tandem of a drill and an attachment is its low cost and accessibility. By spending a few hundred rubles, you can get a return that is more than adequate for your household needs. Whereas buying professional equipment will cost a pretty penny. And it is not a fact that the tool will be needed after the necessary work has been carried out.
How to polish a car with a drill?
It is not advisable to polish with a drill on a hot day if the work takes place outside. The paintwork can get hot, so you need to park the car so that the sun's rays do not fall on it.
Work process:
- The body must be treated with any means that dissolves fat, and polishing paste must be applied to the surface in small portions. It is best to start work from the trunk and move towards the hood.
- First, a felt circle will do. Place the car polishing attachment on the drill and set the tool to 1300-1700 rpm, moving in horizontal and vertical lines. Do not press the drill too hard, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the paint or acrylic coating.
- Remove any remaining polishing agent with a damp sponge or cloth.
- Next, you can begin soft polishing with a foam pad.
At the end of the polishing process, apply a finishing agent and wipe it with a dry microfiber cloth.
Variations
The type of nozzle largely depends on the characteristics of the material being processed and the required technological operation. In stores you can find the following design varieties.
- Plate. Used for finishing metal surfaces and polishing products.
- Disk. The design is great for hard to reach places.
- Cupped. Most often used for polishing decorative coatings and removing rust from metal.
- Drums. The nozzle is needed for working with sheet ends, crevices and rounded holes.
- Soft. The design is ideal for processing mechanically sensitive materials such as plastic, painted wood, etc.
- End The attachments have found their application in the high-precision industry, for example, jewelry. The size and shape of the head is selected in accordance with the required technological operation.
The quality of grinding using a drill directly depends on the size of the tool, its power, spindle speed and skill of the operator.
Each nozzle has a certain very specific appearance, so they must be considered separately, taking into account the scope of application.
Plate attachment
These polishing attachments are available in two types, depending on the base - plastic or cast rubber. The latter option is used more often, since there will be no damage to the surface, especially wood, due to strong pressure. The base of the device is covered with special paper, which is attached quite securely due to the sticky layer.
The hardness of the sandpaper is of great importance - this can be preliminary or, in the professional language of builders, rough processing of various surfaces. The same nozzles, but with softer and finer-grained paper, are used for finishing before painting. Before plastering the walls or applying putty, sanding is done using such attachments. The process is very dusty, so you must use respirators and special glasses.
Special bowls
Nozzles that look like an inverted bowl, where metal brushes are located to remove scale, traces of rust or sanding wood surfaces. In carpentry, they are used to specifically highlight the texture of wood. The metal components ruffle the fibers and then a buffing wheel is used. Then stain and varnish are applied, as a result the item has a unique wood pattern, the texture clearly stands out under the varnish coating.
Bowls filled with softer material are used when it is necessary to perform fine polishing work.
Disc nozzles
A polishing attachment in the form of discs is installed on a drill. It differs from the designs described above in that the wire has a different direction: from the center to the edge. Such attachments also include fan varieties or a petal circle (when petals made of sandpaper are attached parallel to the base). Such products are used for cleaning hard-to-reach places and require a certain skill and dexterity.
Another version of the petal circle is also used in practice: when all its small components are fixed in the form of a common cylinder. Such nozzles are used when cleaning aluminum parts of radiators for cars, end and side surfaces from frozen flux after leaving a special furnace where they are soldered.
Cylindrical nozzles
In appearance they are very similar to a rotating drum. They are made from hard rubber, the working surface is located on the side at the end. Belts of a certain diameter, slightly larger than a cylinder, are made from emery cloth - they are put on the nozzle, and then the fastening bolt is tightened. As a result, the nozzle increases in diameter and securely holds the abrasive belt.
These attachments are used for grinding glass, wood and metal; their current application in practice is sanding radius holes.
This type can also include a grinding drum for a cordless or electric drill, the varieties of which are shown in the photo.
Soft attachments
A felt circle, attachments made of twisted rope, foam rubber, and soft leather are used in production when it is necessary to perform gentle surface treatment. They are fastened with two washers, like, for example, a sharpening wheel for a drill, when you need to make a miniature sharpener for a small cutting tool.
Soft devices are used for working with paint surfaces; they differ from other types of polishing attachments in their delicacy towards any materials . They are often used to remove technical debris after processing from surfaces that are vulnerable to abrasion.
End circle
Such devices are available in the form of various geometric shapes made of abrasive stone or softer material for delicate processing of various surfaces. Nozzles are used in hard-to-reach places for high-quality processing of smaller parts and products made of precious metals.
Abrasive attachments easily replace a file and are used for precise finishing of metal surfaces, while soft attachments are used only for polishing.
Grinding stone
Such devices in production eliminate various errors in working with structures made of various metals and concrete products, for example, sagging formed during floor pouring. The grit size of the fixture significantly affects the quality of grinding or polishing work.
Equipment types
Several types of equipment are used in polishing. Firstly, these are rotary polishers. They come in different types, sizes, capacities, etc. However, by and large, they are all the same. All modern rotary polishers have several speed levels and replaceable polishing plates. They constantly maintain the same speed, the nozzles rotate in a circle.
In addition, eccentric sanders can be found in auto repair shops. This type of grinder has several types. In fact, they differ only in the rotation of the disk.
This equipment is professional. If you decide to polish the car yourself, then a drill, screwdriver or grinder may be enough for you.
When polishing, what matters most is not so much the tool you use, but the polishing attachment and, of course, a certain skill in polishing.
Types of materials for making nozzles
Grinding discs are selected according to the material from which it is made.
- Emery cloth - it has a wide range of grit and hardness.
- Soft materials, which include a vinyl drill attachment, perfectly remove traces of corrosion from metal surfaces, as well as old primer and putty. During operation, the metal does not heat up; delicate processing increases the efficiency of grinding.
- Grinding stones. The main application is to correct complex defects during construction work; they are easy to process metal structures and concrete surfaces.
A wide variety of materials and attachment configurations allows you to use the drill for grinding any surface. For example, a drill attachment for polishing a car will bring a painted surface to a shine, and small attachments used in jewelry production will clean the most inaccessible places on items.
Types of car polishing
There are two ways to polish a car:
- protective (delicate);
- abrasive (restorative).
The protective method of polishing is a kind of prevention that allows you to maintain the paintwork of the body in its original form. For this treatment, a non-abrasive polish (wax, Teflon) is used, which refreshes the color and smoothes out microcracks.
The abrasive method is relevant for eliminating small defects: plaque, small cracks and chips. For such polishing, abrasive agents are used, the use of which is carried out as follows:
- Existing defects or the oxide layer are removed using sandpaper or abrasive polish.
- The final surface treatment is carried out using non-abrasive products and special attachments for a polishing machine or drill.
Experts do not recommend using grinders for polishing cars, since most models of grinders do not have a speed controller, while on a drill this indicator can easily be set in the required range. If you still plan to use an angle grinder, you should not process the bumper, headlights and moldings with this tool to avoid damage to them.
Tips for choosing
In a good half of cases, grinding attachments are sold under the brand name of electrical equipment manufacturers. It's good if both devices are of the same brand. Then there shouldn't be any compatibility problems.
It is better to look towards well-known brands. They care about quality due to high competition in the market. Although products from no-name manufacturers are much cheaper, the chance of running into a mediocre product in this case is much higher.
Popular manufacturers:
- "Bosch"
- "Makita";
- Dremel
- "Bison";
- "Matrix";
- Fit;
- "Enkor";
- Verto.
It makes more sense to overpay for quality than to constantly buy waste grinding attachments that wear off after several uses.
Hardness levels
Depending on the hardness, polishing attachments are:
- solid. Used to remove scratches and small chips from a car body;
- medium hard. Gives the surface of the car a glossy shine;
- with a relief surface. Used for large volumes of work.
Experts recommend using several products at once. First, treat the surface with hard (coarse-grained) devices, and at the final stage - with soft (fine-grained) ones.
Nuances at work
The main problem when working with a drill is the correct position of the tool relative to the surface being processed. If you do not maintain a clear horizon when working with a circle with a diameter of 150 mm, then traces in the form of radial scratches will appear on the surface. To eliminate these negative consequences, you need to practice on some rough surface or use special devices.
There are two main types of grinding using a drill.
- The worker holds the tool in his hands - we indicated the negative consequences above; positive qualities include using it in hard-to-reach places and when processing parts of complex geometry.
- The tool is rigidly fixed to the table - this method is good because the quality of grinding becomes high. The disadvantage is the low mobility of the drill.
During operation, the tool heats up, so it is necessary to take breaks to allow the heated parts to cool down. It is mandatory to use protective equipment: glasses, gloves, respirator. By neglecting this, you expose yourself to the risk of injury, and dust does not contribute to the normal functioning of the human respiratory system.
When processing stone, glass and wood, all protective equipment must be used, otherwise the worker should not be allowed to take part in the sanding or grinding process.
Types of polishing work
Restorative polishing is divided into soft and deep. They differ only in the degree of varnish removal. Soft polishing removes a relatively small layer of paintwork. This is enough to hide the “spider web” effect or save the car from minor scratches. For deeper defects, it is better to use deep polishing, which will cope with scratches, small chips, etc.
DIY nozzle
If we are talking about some rough and rough work, then it is quite possible to get by with a homemade device. One of the easiest ways is to remake a classic round file. It is enough to remove the handle from the tool and process the seat so that it fits tightly into the chamber and is securely held.
To make a rough disk attachment, you will need a piece of plywood, a pin and a bolt with threads on both ends. Sandpaper will be used as a grinding wheel. We cut a circle out of plywood, attach a pin to it and glue sandpaper on top. After abrasion, you don’t have to remove the latter, but simply stick a new sheet on top.
Why do you need to polish a car body?
But how can you make your car look more attractive and presentable? One way to maintain a presentable form of transport is by polishing. Polishing removes scratches, small chips and other subtle defects. The basic concept of polishing is that car mechanics remove a thin layer of paintwork. This allows you to get rid of scratches and chips, as well as return the car to a fresh, presentable look without damaging the paintwork.
What attachments can be used to polish a body with a drill?
The main criterion for the relevance of a polishing attachment for a drill is compatibility with the drill clamp and low weight. The greater the weight of the nozzle and the larger its dimensions, the greater the torque and centripetal acceleration. Therefore, large attachments can often fly off the fasteners.
The second criterion is the dispersion of the coating. If it is too large, the attachment will simply scratch the car body. But when you need to remove rust or oxide, this can help. But then you need to switch to a smaller caliber.
Which tool is better to choose?
If you systematically use a drill to polish a car, the tool can quickly fail. This is due to the fact that the drill is designed for a straight-line load. That is, when processing various materials, the screwdriver is placed on its side. As a result, the bushings in the drill fail. Therefore, using a drill to polish various materials is undesirable, but possible.
An angle grinder is better suited for polishing work than a screwdriver, but we must not forget that an angle grinder has a speed that is an order of magnitude higher than a polisher.
Important! Therefore, it is best to use a grinder with a speed controller for the grinding process.
A polishing machine is the best option. Such a tool is already equipped with a speed regulator at the factory. And also at the lowest speed, the polishing machine exerts less specific pressure on the surface being processed than a grinder or drill.
Advice! Therefore, the best option for polishing is a polishing machine with felt wheels. This allows you to do the job carefully and avoid many unpleasant moments that can lead to poor-quality polishing of the car surface.
