2 granite carving sequences

["Bob Hackett" <kinfolk@zzzzzzz>]

The key thing here is you get what you pay for(as always).The industrial
brands like Dotco,Cleco,Dynabrade,etc,are made to withstand the everyday
abuse of a shipyard.The folks who use use 'em don't have a dime invested in
them and they treat them as such.These same tools are used by the divers so
mud and silt is not a problem.
  For those looking to get into a pneumatic hammer cheap,look at needle
scalers.These have a square shank,a trigger control,and generally come with
a set of tools that is pretty useful on soft to medium stone.They have a
longer stroke and are crude compared to a Trow+Holden but are hard to beat
for an entry level tool.The needles are great for texturing wood too.
    You say you've had to replace the bearings on your angle grinder a
number of times?If everything else is still working fine why not upgrade the
bearings?Chances are your bearings are shielded bearings,or bearings with a
single seal as opposed to a double seal which keeps the lube in and the
trash out.Move up to permanently lubed,double sealed bearings and you'll see
a noticable difference in operation and bearing life for not much more
money.Bearings are like alot of other things in that they come in different
grades.The quality(and life) improves as you move up.Ask the guy at the
bearing supply place(you aren't buying replacements from the original
manufacturer,are you?)and he should be able to hook you up.
  When you reassemble the gearhead,seal everything that even looks suspect
with silicone seal and pack the gears with a high grade moly grease.If the
gearbox is packed with grease(leave alittle space for grease expansion)the
water has no room to hang out.An alternative would be to seal it and then
fill with oil thru a hole tapped for a threaded plug.
  My apologies if I'm telling you things you already know.These are just
some things I've learned the hard way and feel like they might save others
some trouble.
  A bottom feeder's life is hard enough without having to put up with
temperamental tools.
  Like they used to say on TV,"A man can't do it if his underwear
won't".Aint it the truth!

Mainely,Bob