Need a cheap place to buy resto tools.

[revjim]

Where can I get sanding discs, wire, etc... for body prep...cheap...your suggestions???

[MP33]

Harbor Freight maybe?? You said you wanted cheap.

[revjim]

yes...good idea...

[KIC]

Take a buddy with will power though, or you will be attending Harbor Freight Anonymous after spending all your money and then some. One time I went there to return a $40.00 item that I didn't need, and it cost me $150.00 to walk out the door. That place is addicting.

[lakeroadster]

You should stick with name brand quality welding wire, such as Lincoln, Miller, or ESAB. Cheap welding wire can 'cause a lot of headaches... not all wire is created equal.

[chevy_man5]

A lot of people have said on here to not buy the cheap cut off wheels from Harbor Freight. They say they blow up easier. I had a stack, that I figured I would use up, then buy some better ones.

A couple of weekends ago, I needed to cut a bolt, and the brand new disk exploded, before I even touched anything. Luckily no-one got hurt, but I threw the other ones away, and bought some from Lowes. One of the pieces put a heck of a dent in the sheetrock 20' away across the garage.

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by chevy_man5

A lot of people have said on here to not buy the cheap cut off wheels from Harbor Freight. They say they blow up easier. I had a stack, that I figured I would use up, then buy some better ones.

A couple of weekends ago, I needed to cut a bolt, and the brand new disk exploded, before I even touched anything. Luckily no-one got hurt, but I threw the other ones away, and bought some from Lowes. One of the pieces put a heck of a dent in the sheetrock 20' away across the garage.

I hear ya. Hhaving worked in welding / fab shops for the past 30 years I have seen some pretty horrific injuries as well as near misses related to grinding and cut off wheels. One place I worked a guy was wearing a full face shield and a grinding disc came apart. A chunk of the wheel embedded itself into the acrylic shield! I wouldn't have believed it if i hadn't seen it myself.

When grinding or using a cut-off wheel I have been using those full face shields and safety glasses both ever since. Belt and suspenders.

I buy my grinding consumables at Home Depot.. have never had a problem.

[jocko]

chevy man, you're making me wonder the quality of my "stack of 100 cutoff wheels for $2" from the hairy guy at the car show..... CRIPES!

I'd have to agree. This stuff falls into the "you get what you pay for" category, but I think it can be a hard decision at times when it comes to 'consumables'. In other words, I've got no problem paying extra $ for a nice, quality body dinging hammer made by Martin because I'll keep it forever, but when it comes to sandpaper and grinding disks, it can be hard to choose the brand names because they are quite a bit more expensive than some of the cheapies that they "look" just like. But the performance really is different in most cases. I do a little woodworking sometimes, and truer words have never been said - the cheapo sandpaper ends up costing more in the long run because you use 10 times as much to sand the same area or you give up and go buy the good stuff in the end anyway to finish it.

KIC, I'm with you - I have to enter HF with my credit card still in the truck and only $50 in my pocket or I walk out with a thousand things I don't need or will never use. It's like crack for truckers.

[MP33]

He said cheap, not good. i agree buy

[jocko]

revjim - sorry, I never answered your question, I just rambled. As for cutoff wheels and grinding disks, I usually buy dewalt stuff like that from home depot or lowes. They are not too expensive but not the cheapest either.

[jocko]

Originally Posted by MP33

He said cheap, not good. i agree buy

Good point. I digressed.