I get a lot of stuff in the mail, because I’m always collecting components for various projects. Today I went to the post office and there was a large box that was very heavy. It didn’t make sense because I usually don’t order anything that’s going to be very heavy, for when I am away; if I’m away for more than a couple of days, my neighbor up the street collects my mail for me, and I don’t want to overload her.
Inside the box was two more boxes! Mystery. Well, the boxes claimed that they were DeWalt angle grinders. But I don’t recall buying more angle grinders. And, wait, these are rechargeable battery-powered angle grinders.
God golly am I going to make some dust with these!
But I have no idea who sent them. I mean, there’s a label on the box and it maps to [deleted] but I’m not sure who that is. Did one of you send me these things? If so, I am hugely thankful; they are going to come in super handy!
By the way, if you ever need to remove a lock from a door, this is what you would use – not Thermite, or explosive. An angle grinder with a cutoff wheel will chop off a typical padlock in about 20 seconds.
I’m in the habit of sending random boxes of stuff to people, and I’ve only just now discovered how disconcerting it can be to get a random box of goodies. If it was one of you, thank you thank you thank you.
Twarn’t me.
Why would even the most generous of angels think you would/could use more than one?
They look fantastic, but I’ll never give up on my Thermite.
Oh wow, how cool is *that*? What a great gift!
I am a low-tech person and if I had to remove a padlock without the benefit of a key would probably seek out some good hefty bolt cutters.
Pierce R. Butler@#1:
I currently have 4. This will make 6. 2 of them will be ultra-portable and that will be nice.
Right now, I have one each mounted with:
– flap sanding disk 80 grit
– flap sanding disk 400 grit
– thin cutoff wheel
– thick standard wheel
Switching the abrasive is time-consuming and every time you switch, there’s a chance you can do it wrong. So it’s (arguably) dangerous. When I get grinding bench 2.0 completed I’ll have all the grinders on a shelf, hooked into a power distribution system (rectractable extension cords) so I don’t have to worry about making sure anything is plugged in – just grab and go.
I’m also trying to get a machinist to make me an angle-grinder threaded mount that will take a 1/4″ threaded bolt so I can bolt on a little sanding drum for getting into little curved areas.
And the battery powered ones will be really useful if I ever need to adjust the way some padlock is hanging on a chain.
Callinectes@#2:
I’ll never give up on my Thermite.
Understandable!
Have you ever seen any of the videos of them welding railroad track using the thermite packs? It’s … impressive.
kestrel@#3:
I am a low-tech person and if I had to remove a padlock without the benefit of a key would probably seek out some good hefty bolt cutters.
Waaay too much work. An angle grinder vaporises metal about as fast as an oxy/acetylene torch.
Come to think of it, an O/A torch with a cutting bypass would probably be the single best way of removing a lock without being noticed. But I don’t want to drive around with an oxygen tank in my car. I mean this is all super-hypothetical, anyway. Right?
Tactical, too. And you can dual-wield.
(Looks in tool cupboard) Nope, not me, mine’s still there in all its gleaming yellow malevolence.
Speaking of boxes that arrive by mail, have you already gotten the one from me?
Awawaw.
Sorry.
I’ve been renovating for too long. Yesterday I used the new high duty (Makita, for the Europeans) jig saw for the first time and the only regrets I have is not having bought that two years ago.
You know that something has happened to you when you find yourself salivating in front of a display of 10 foot carpenter levels…
Lofty @#8:
“Gleaming Yellow Malevolence” is the name of my thrash-metal band.
*Reminds self that I really don’t need one of these so stop salivating.*
I’m familiar with thermite. We played with it as kids. Iron and aluminum were common waste products of machining operations.
Under a different name, Cadweld, we use it to weld large copper cables for grounding grids. Thermite melts the copper powder and base material and a carved carbon block directs the flow and molds the liquid into a useful form. Just make sure everything is dry. A few drops of water in the wrong spot and the whole thing explodes with white-hot molten copper going everywhere. Cadwelding in the rain, yay contract deadlines and bad scheduling, is nerve wracking but doable if you can get a system set up to preheat everything. Wind, rain, cold and working down in a ditch it all has to come together dry. A coworker has a pair of safety glasses where a drop of molten copper burnt through and dripped down the inside of the lens. It doesn’t get much closer than that.
As for cutting locks. A side grinder with a diamond blade is handy. But you might be surprised to see how fast a plain old hacksaw works with a fresh high quality blade. Most padlock hasps don’t last thirty seconds. The trick for either method is to use a pair of Vice-grips to hold the lock while you work.
Gee, Christmas in September … nice. Use them in good health.
What a lovely surprise, there’s nothing like having good tools for jobs you know you’re going to do. Or even having good tools for jobs you might do. I quite understand the salivating :-)
I sent them!
No I didn’t.
Maybe they were sent by the manufacturer as review samples? Could be your fame is spreading.