wagner paint eater

Was just wondering if anyone has tried one of these for removing years of antifouling buildup,looks like they should be a good tool for the job except for no vacuum hookup but if they actually remove the paint without clogging it would be easy enough to fab a retrofit. Im really only looking for opinions from those who may have actually tried one so have something to base an opinion on.

Steve.

 

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24c0rrAbsY8



Looks like a scourer pad.
I have used pads similar to this on sat180 2 speed sanders before

Like these from west marine/3m http://www.westmarine.com/buy/products/13139-paint-rust-stripper.html#.T-EWlrVDyEw

 

There's no magic bullet for that task but -- Yes these do work pretty good.

 

If you have a boat larger then say 22' or so, you'll kill one of these Wagner Eaters. These are home owner, DIY tools and just not built to work very hard. It has a pretty small contact patch too, so you make a career out of a larger boat's bottom paint removal job.

Get the 8" 3M abrasive discs and don't screw around with the house wife's model from Wagner.

 

Ten dollars a foot is what they charge around here, well worth it most of time to stay out of mess.

 

What I meant, really, is that the 3M gritty fiber discs (as pictured above) -- those work pretty good, but I've used them mounted on a mandrel in a drill (poor choice) and on a grinder (better choice.) . I haven't seen the Wagner Paint Eater but it appears to be just a grinder motor in a fancy housing. If Wagner's product line is any indication, it's homeowner quality - ok for touchup work but if you have a whole boat to strip its not likely to last. Better to spend on a quality grinder that will last, than on folding handles and cushy grips.

 

3M offers a bunch of these abrasion disks, in different sizes and grits. I use the 8" on a grinder and they work well. The little Wagner looks to use a 3" or 4" disk, so it's going to take longer to say the least. If you're creative, you can make a aluminum pie plate shield for the grinder, with a shop vac hose attached, which cuts down on the debris quite a bit. I do this on small jobs, but on larger I switch to a garden hose attachment that mists the work as it's ground down. This keeps down the dust, though makes a big mess and you get a smoother job of it too. If you put down a big tarp, before you start, you can pick up all the wet debris in one shot.

 

Wagner, is that the same company producing spray paint guns that do not work?
And engraving tools good only to engrave your name in soft cheese?

 

Yes, that's the same company. The very one that produces self contained paint sprayers, that shake your hand more than deposit paint uniformly. I think they're related to the Dremel tool company, which produces a tool that only has enough nuts to etch cream cheese and only if it hasn't been in the fridge for an hour or so.

 

I find a heavy duty variable speed sander with a 7" or bigger pad is best, after pressure washing. These are big and heavy, but will last several boats. Most of these consumer tools won't make it past the first boat.

 

I agree that the wagner tool looks like a handyman tool, however, maybe, just maybe they have struck the right combo of rpm for the 3m pad to actually work. I have seen these pads sold for use on an angle grinders but cant imagine it doing anything but clog at 11000 rpm but at 2000 maybe. This is why it would be nice to hear from someone who has actually tried one, not just speculate.

Steve.

 

I've seen home owners use them and they are as described. Naturally, you'll need a variable speed buffer/sander for the larger 3M pads, so you can match speed to the work or pad.

 

When I removed bottom paint I bought the large rectangular stick on wood floor sanding sheets from HD meant for a floor sander. I think they are 24 grit paper. The paper has a very strong heavy backing, a robust durable sand paper.
I then cut them into circles for the random orbit sander using a scissor.
These were very good at removing the paint.

 

I've used them on an angle grinder to take mill scale off the steel plate. Definitely worked but the pads didn't last long so not cost effective IMO.

PDW

 

PDW, see this is what im wondering, the discs look like they may work well, probably better than sanding discs which tend to load up, but it seems to me that speed would be critical, ive thought about using one on the sander/polisher which is slow speed and has good dust pickup which is crucial with bottom paint.

Steve.