Angle Grinder Vibration

[warrenpfo]

How the hell do I stop my hand from going all tingly and getting that itchy feeling after using a grinder as I have a lot of angle grinder work ahead of me and after today am not sure what the hell I’m going to do. Any clever thoughts or do I just need to toughen up.

 

[TonyP]

2 choices really..... toughen up or dont use the grinder....

Sorry dont really know, better gloves maybe?

 

[warrenpfo]

I have an old bicycle tube lying around and thought that i might try wrapping the handle to lessen the vibration.

 

[BRE Fabrications LTD]

Couple of things really to consider really:
1. If you don't use hand tools and power tools alot you won't be used to it and will suffer more than someone who's on the tools day in and day out. It will lessen eventually and you'll "toughen up". When I was still on the tools (plumbing) i could go all day without suffering too much, but I would wake up at night with the "claw" where I could barely my fingers. That was before i learnt about pnt 2. Now when I do get on the tools my hands are tingling within 10-15min.
2. You need to be careful of how long you are actually using it for at a time. Google "vibration white finger". This is a chronic condition that occurs after a long period of using tools that vibrate. But it will give you an understanding of why your getting the symptoms you describe and the potential ling term damage that can be caused by over doing it.

3. Lastly if you have a cheapish grinder then it will vibrate more than a higher spec one as they tend to have vibration dampening grips and other goodies like brushless motors that vibrate less too.

All in all use it for a few minutes, take a few off and so on. That should lessen it.

 

[BRE Fabrications LTD]

Another thought, is there not possibly a better tool for the job?

What exactly are you grinding and what are you trying to achieve?

Sometimes all it takes is using the right tool...

 

[Mark N]

you can buy mechanics gloves with gel in the palm to help, like these:
http://mechanix.com/cg-series/cg-padded-palm-glove

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Do they vibrate? I use mine a fair bit and can't say I've ever noticed a problem, maybe there's a problem with yours? I'm assuming we're talking 4.5" not 9" ?

 

[warrenpfo]

Yes its a 4.5" from bosh. Not a bad make and i would think well built for a bit of grinding. I have not touched a grinder in maybe 2 years so thats not going to help but if im going to be using one for a few days to come then alli can do to stop fingers swelling would be great.

 

[Chris]

It sounds as thought the grinder is out of balance. Take everything off the spindle and run it up empty. See what that's like. You will be very unlikely to get VWF at these levels of exposure, but there is another very similar condition called Reynaulds disease, which looks all the world like VWF but occurs naturally in some people. The symptoms are tingle and 'blanching' of the fingers - where they go white and when the blood returns can be extremely painful. Low temperatures exacerbate any form of vibration induced problems as does smoking. Damages is caused to the minute capillaries in the fingers, restricting blood flow.

Tips would include:
Keeping fingers warm
When using air tools - directing exhaust away from fingers
Not gripping tools too tightly
Using good quality abrasives that increase work rate, decreasing dwell time
Not wearing too thick gloves that actually crease your bent fingers more (a common mistake)

You shouldn't get these symptoms and to be fair, like noise - you don't actually get used to vibration. That's a bit of a myth. More likely you find better ways of working or more comfortable grips.

If symptoms persist - I'd stop and try something. If it's that bad, trust me it's not doing you good Warren. Forget all the fancy aids and things, that is simply covering up the problem. Try using flap discs as well. They tend to go out of balance less than DCD's. Make sure you are mounting the wheels correctly too, to prevent movement on the arbour.

Chris

 

[warrenpfo]

Thanks Mr H&S its good to get the low down on things that can do you more harm than good.

I will run her up without any thing on and see how that goes and then go from there.

 

[Chris]

Hey, it's what I do. And in a previous life I used to run the fettling and despatch sections of a large foundry. So grinding, shot blasting and the like are all pretty familiar to me. And I can even drive a crane.

Chris

 

[Neil Stone]

I use grinders a hell of a lot (stone masonry).
Check that the tool is ok, could be the tool is damaged and hence out of balance.
Next anti vibro gloves. Mine have gel pads on finger pads and palms.
A decent grinder will have anti vibro body (inbuilt shock absorbers that cut down on the vibration transferred to the body).

 

[sae70]

I don't use grinders as a rule, but in the last week I've used at least a half dozen different machines whilst constructing my winch tray. Most of the machines I've used have been at my m8's workshop where he has a half dozen machines, mostly of the smaller variety with grinding discs, slitting discs and flappy discs. I used one of his larger ones to cut the box into two giant 'L's' with a thicker cutting disc and although I had a good sweat on by the end of the task I don't recall any significant vibration more just the fear that I may be about to cut my leg off or set light to my trousers!!! When at home and wanting to get on with the tray I'd be using my own small and large grinders (Both Bosch machines) the only time I experienced some significant vibration was with the large machine and this was cured by changing for another disc. When I mentioned this to my m8 he said that he often found new discs to have an off centre or badly pressed hub and that he'd just bin them and move on!!! Out of the machines that my m8 uses in his workshop there was one that had an insane amount of vibration!!! It was one that was set up as a flappy, he said that there was a manufacturing fault with the rubber backing disc, but seemed to just put up with it as a usable second machine if the other one was in use already.

Hope this helps

Good luck

 

[PETE BELL]

HI i use a 9ins grinder on average 2hrs a day cutting and mostly grinding and have done for at least the last 24years if vibration is a prob its usualy the disc but i find that cheap grinders are alot worse to use . i have prob used them all to destruction in the past so if you intend to use them often buy a good one -nicer to work with and last lots longer i now only use metabo . to be honest my hands are a mess and i blame grinding for this o and ive got to say -eye protection IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL IN YOURE BOX -i had a tiny piece of metal in my eye so went to a+e i lay on a bed and the doc dug it out of my eyeball with a hyperdermic needle as i watched (cant close eye) ooooo just not nice

 

[Graham]

I think reading this thread, it seems that some peoples nerves in their hands are used to being shaken and stirred, "read possibly damaged already" to when some one who does some serious grinding work comes along, their hand nerves are still pretty much "all working and in one piece"
So you feel the vibrations that much more intense.

When I was in the ship building, many years ago, like 35 years ago, I had messed up hands for a few years.
But I think, taking time out of the heavy metal industry, does repair your hands to a degree.

I think now, if I picked up a 9 inch Makita, I would have segs and blisters before the day would be finished.

But now they are nice and smooth for other "applications" which beats the ass out of metal work any day of the week.

Gra.

 

[Ben]

Ive been using angle grinders for about the past 10 years fairly regularly.

Ive never had a problem until last year when i was re-building my truck.

I used a wire brush attachment in the 4.5" grinder to clean the rust off my back axle, and after about 5mins my hands were tingling very badly and i was convinced id got white finger.

For about the next 2-3months my hands kept tingling, and some times shaking, and it was quite painful trying to work, especially when it was cold.

I went to the docs and they said they thought it was carpal tunnel. They said if the problem persisted thye could do an operation.
Fortunately it went away on its own, but im now a bit more careful, and wont use the wire brush angle grinder attachments anymore.

 

[frank rabbets]

Get the wife to do it.

Frank