Cup Wire brushes -- twisted vs non twisted

Which ever you decide on, PLEASE use a shield to stop the wires that will eventually break off from getting to your hand/leg/body. I had to fabricate an additional shield for my 5" grinder when I used one of those brushes. This was after I discovered several wires sticking out of my fingers.

Paul

Ignoramus16855 wrote:

Thanks, I think that I will simply use welding gloves and a jacket.

i

Yeah... but for what purposes? This would be a great time for Tom Gardner to step in and explain the plusses and minuses of the various types and wheel shapes.

LLoyd

================= You should at least check into abrasive loaded nylon brushes.

Unka' George (George McDuffee) .............................. Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be "too clever by half." The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

John Major (b. 1943), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 July 1991).

A friend of mine got one sticking in his chest. When he wanted to pull it out, he couldn't. Pulling harder didn't work either. So he went to the ER, they x-rayed him. It was stuck in a rib and didn't get out, because it formed a hook in the rib. Required a bit of work ... :-))) I bet that next time, he won't just have a T-shirt on.

Nick

The knotted brushes are WAY better! The knotting makes the whole brush stiffer so that the wires flex less. Because they flex less, the wires don't break so easily due to fatigue, and so you can use the brush until the wires wear down, rather than until they break and fall out.

I bought a couple of no-name non-twisted brushes last year. Each one lasted about 1/2 hour on the angle grinder. To finish the job I was doing I bought a box of five "Osborn" knotted brushes. I'm still on the first of those brushes, and it's had a hell of a lot of use. They only cost me the same as the lame non-twisted brushes, too!

Buy steel brushes for general rust removal work.

I've heard good things about Tom Gardner's brushes on this group. No doubt you have too!

Best wishes,

Chris

Ignoramus16855 wrote: > I need to do some rust removal on rusted pieces (cannot be submerged > due to their mounting). So I wanted to buy cup brushes with 5/8-11 > threading to mount on an angle grinder. What I would like to know is > whether twisted brushes (where bunches of wires are twisted together) > are better than nontwisted brushes that simply look like wild hair. >

The knotted brushes are WAY better! The knotting makes the whole brush stiffer so that the wires flex less. Because they flex less, the wires don't break so easily due to fatigue, and so you can use the brush until the wires wear down, rather than until they break and fall out.

I bought a couple of no-name non-twisted brushes last year. Each one lasted about 1/2 hour on the angle grinder. To finish the job I was doing I bought a box of five "Osborn" knotted brushes. I'm still on the first of those brushes, and it's had a hell of a lot of use. They only cost me the same as the lame non-twisted brushes, too!

Buy steel brushes for general rust removal work.

I've heard good things about Tom Gardner's brushes on this group. No doubt you have too!

Best wishes,

Chris

I was talking about de-rusting, which Igor mentioned. Maybe there are situations in which non-knotted brushes are better. I'll defer to Tom on that. But my experience is that for de-rusting, the knotted brushes are far better.

Best wishes,

Chris

Fingers? You are not doing something right. I usually pull them out of the groin area of my clothing, when I forget or am too lazy to put on the leather apron.

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR LOWER TORSO. I'M AN E.R. NURSE AND GOT THE PLEASURE OF HELPING A DOC LAST SUMMER, TRY AND REMOVE WHAT WAS LEFT OF AN EXPLODED GRINDING WHEEL FROM A GUYS ABDOMEN AND UPPER LEGS.

THE DISC WAS BED ENOUGH, BUT I CAN ONLY WONDER WHAT A SINGLE WIRE THAT'S COMING OFF THAT WHEEL IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT LIKE A SPEAR, WOULD DO TO THE UNPROTECTED BODY. (AND YES, MY KNOTTED BRUSH BEATS THE HELL OUT OF THE STRAIGHT ONES. :-))

If it's working, still, please try de-rusting your shift key with it.

Thanks,

LLoyd

Knotted is coarser than straight. It's analogous to sandpaper. If you are going to paint afterwards, use knotted by all means. If you want a fine finish, then use straight.

A bit of the brush material smears onto the workpiece. If you're brushing something non-ferrous with a nonstainless brush, you'll see surface rusting afterwards. I generally spend the $$ and buy stainless.

Body & hand protection is in order, but most of all eye protection. You may think you can keep your eye away from the plane of rotation, but really, have you ever had a momentary spaceout in your shop? Aren't you glad it didn't cost you an eye?

Another big big issue with running little angle grinders is carpal tunnel syndrome. Your hands hurt like crazy after running those things for a few hours. Vibration gloves, the kind they sell individually for about $20 each (not pairs), help a little but after doing it for a few years you'll wind up having your wrists operated on. Trust me.

Also, those little grinders are loud, so wear ear protection.

Grant

Grant, good point on the eye protection. I will follow it. My main risk of carpal tunnel stems from my use of computers, grinding takes relatively little of my time.

i

Ask Tom Gardner in alt.machines.cnc. He makes them.

and saftey glasses and face sheild i presume

I did not think it was mentioned BUT the swirrlling wheel can get cought in loose clothing don't ask how I know but I was not hurt other then my feelings ed ke6bnl

Ignoramus16855 wrote:

What size grinder? Asking which is better, knot-type or crimped? Which is better, apples or oranges? They are differently tools for different applications. All imports excepted because they aren't brushes...I don't know what they are, but they aren't brushes, they are designed to clean your wallet, not metal.

In general, if you buy American, Use the knot-type with .014" steel wire for general purpose work, .020" steel wire for moderately heavy duty work, and crimped wire for lighter cleaning, surface finishing and deburing. Brush wire ranges in size from .003" to .035" Matching brushes to jobs is a science and there are lots of trade-offs. Example: What brush to use for cleaning scale from diamond plate verses what brush to use for removing sticky paper labels from drums? The other variables are matching pressure and speed to the job. The only time you use stainless steel or other alloys is for brushing matching alloys. A good brush will wear but not shed. Wear protective clothing and face and eye protection.

Oh, BTW, try to FIND American made. Better welding and mill supply stores, sometimes but almost never at consumer stores. Look for "Weiler", "Osborn", "Pherd Milwaukee", "Anderson" or "Ohio" that's it...everything else is foreign or American private branded.

The difference between American made and foreign is in the wire. American made has very specific specs for wire and it is costly...up to $9.00/pound verses the foreign brushes made from mostly rejected tire-cord wire at $0.19/pound. Do the math.

I've never tried the twisted brushes but have used quite a few non-twisted ones. As others have said, WEAR PROTECTION. The more the better. Eyes protection is essential. I don't rate brushes for rust removal. IME they simply polish the rust. The twisted brushes may be better of course but I find something that will get under the rusty skin to be the best. A flap wheel or an ordainary grinding wheel used gently does it for me. The other factor is the metal thickness. If it's thin, use a lot more care otherwise you could end up with nothing but a series of holes.

John

Special "Groin-seeking" wire...no extra charge!