Grinder discs and use by date

That'll be a production date for batch monitoring purposes.

Nope. It's a date that the manufacturer is prepared to cover the product by a very limited warranty. It's got to do with the resin used in its manufacture starting to break down if it's been subjected to worst case scenario conditions,i.e. Left lying on the dashboard of a van in direct sunlight for the last 3 years Previous company I worked for were warned by both elf and safe tea,and their insurance company,that should they make a personal injury claim with a grinder involved that had an out of date disc on it,that there would be problems......

A bit of common sense goes along way.....😊

I've always been of the opinion that if it goes round when switched on and there's no chunks missing then it's fair game

A few years ago I was given a bunch of 'out of date' cutting and grinding discs by a local dealer as his insurer said chuck them I used them and about 25% of them either shattered or had chunks fly off but I have also had that happen with cheaper branded discs and I'm not the most gentle person when grinding.

And on the subject of cheap discs I have just bought some thin cutting discs from In-excess (discount/ overstock retailer) for 60pence each and they have performed much better than some that were twice the price.

I did a Building trades course on abrasive discs which included a power point with some great pictures of what goes wrong when you decide "ahh f**k it it'll be alright"
The discs have Rated speed i.e. do not use a disc rated at lower rpm than your machine works at, what the disc is for; stone steel, stainless, grinding , cutting etc and end of life date.

As they cost very little i wouldn't take the risk.

Not sexy but worth looking at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg17.htm

Wet/damp is the biggest killer of cutting discs. I'd rather use an out of date one that's been stored correctly than one that's got wet at all. It's why I like ones from brands that come in a cardboard box rather than a plastic wrapping- if the box shows signs of deteriation from damp you know the contents aren't good to use.

In my old day job has a project manager I was sent on an abrasive wheels course several years ago (So that I had a full understanding of the statutory requirements / compliance to H & S law etc) - The images we were shown of actual bodily injuries were enough to make you feel ill just looking at them - bl**dy scary - just not worth the risk for the sake of good quality in date discs - a pair of gloves and decent face visor that carries an impact rating (and not just something flimsy that just prevents sparks making contact with your face) Has for anyone willing to run a disc of any type / size / rating on a machine without a guard - one word 'IDIOT'

didn'y know about the date thing..

As Dez says if they have got wet or damp bin them, i allways break up the disc's I bin that arn't wornout so they can't get fished out of the bin and used.

Also wear a sooding headsheild when using a grinder, goggles / saftey specs will save your eyes, but a broken disc travelling at speed will make hell of a mess of ones face / neck. Most 115mm grinders spin at around 10,000+ rpm.

ANYONE taking a guard off a grinder is asking for it and is a candidate for the Fuq-wit award IMO.

Having been "bitten" by a grinder on my fingers a few times - only little grooves, nothing went missing. I was using a grinding wheel, with gloves on. and slipped, it does make a squirty sticky mess.