If you're thinking about other uses for a grinder once this job is done, I'd look at the variable speed 12 amp Makita grinders, either the 9565CV 5" or the 9564CV 4 1/2"....I'd take the 5" myself. This grinder has variable speed for various types of profiling(like diamond cutter profiling and hole drilling on marble/granite counter tops) which require much lower rpm's than regular grinders have. The advantage of the 5" over the 4 1/2" too, is that there are a number of 5" contour blades on the market for cutting through granite and roughting out for an undermount sink application. A variable spd grinder will run about $140-ish but offer more versatility than a reg grinder imo...Bosch also makes a VS grinder but I much prefer Makita. Check out
Toolocity if you're interested in working on countertops/stone.
Mark, have you considered renting a sandblaster to take the rust off the railing?
