Sanding Flap Discs
A beginner welder’s best friend
I got a 10-pack of these flap discs for just $15. If you want the same ones, using the link in the show description helps support my videos and the Cool Tools blog.
An angle grinder is a cheap, effective tool for cutting and shaping metal. Typically you use a cutoff wheel to cut through stock, and a grinding wheel to shape it. But a grinding wheel is pretty hard and unforgiving. For something with a little nuance, there’s the flap wheel.
This is a wheel of overlapping strips of sandpaper. This particular one is 80-grit, but you’ll commonly see them as low as 40, or sometimes up to 120 for metal finishing.
The sandpaper here is typically an aluminum oxide blend made specifically for working with metal. And unlike a grinding wheel, there’s a little give to it which helps it conform around the metal a little and is less likely to gouge it.
I use these for taking the paint or finish off of metal, and as a last step in any kind of welding work. Because even the worst looking weld can look a lot prettier after being ground down and then finished off with a flap disc.
These are a beginning welders best friend, though I’ve met plenty of experienced welders who swear by them too. They just smooth out metalwork for a more professional look.
04/7/1810 Pack 4-1/2" Auto Body Sanding Flap Discs 80 Grit ($13)
