Harbor Freight Wire cup brush
- Thread starter Bruce
- Start date
Depends. Sometimes it's difficult to get a regular bit to even start in on metal without bending things up. So you have to drill a pilot hole first. Then, you have to try and get your regular bit tip centered on the pilot hole and hope it cuts without walking. Step bit alleviates all those problems. It's especially useful if you want to widen an existing hole.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Bruce,
Here is what I bought:
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004RHAL/tvwb-20
You can choose quantity. At the time, three were 7.99 each. I was drawn to them because they are supposed to be more resistant to shredding than some of the others. I haven't had that problem with them so far.
Jon
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Wow, I would like to have had that set when I tried to add a thermometer to one of my kettles. It turned out to be harder than I had hoped, and like you noted the metal did bend. Fortunately, the thermometer covered up that damage. Still, I would rather have had the right tool to do it correctly. I will have to check out HF for those!
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
I thought those braided type of wire cup brushes were little too harsh. But I have never tried one. How do they work out for you?
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Jon, the step bit is a must have anytime you are drilling into metal. The hole comes out perfect with no ragged edges, I usually drill the width I want on one side and them gently clean the other side with the bit. As Dave said you need to drill a pilot hole first then you just slowly step drill to get to the diameter you want. I have a two piece set from HF I don't even think I paid 10 bucks for it they probably sell the 3 piece set that Dave is showing.
I needed this for a project years ago and its gotten quite a bit of used over the years a set like this in HD or Lowes is probably 20 bucks.
Brian
I needed this for a project years ago and its gotten quite a bit of used over the years a set like this in HD or Lowes is probably 20 bucks.
Brian
JKim in MA
TVWBB Pro
Thanks, Jon. I'm going to give those a try. Some fireboxes are so caked on with carbon that it takes the other kind of wire cups forever to clean. The one you mentioned should remove that tough layer pretty quickly.
Rich Dahl
R.I.P. 7/21/2024
Saw your email last night when I looked at the link the ad had been taken down. Yep I would have jumped on that even though it's a 200 mile RT from here.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Brian,
Grabbed a set for $8.99 Red Tag coupon special at Harbor Freight. Thanks for the good advice!
Jon
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Bruce,
I think you are probably right about them being a little harsh. It shows what happens when an accountant tries to pick tools. I was very concerned when I read about some wire brushes disintegrating and throwing a lot of splinters.
I have used the DeWalt ones on several restoration jobs and they do work. I wonder if a regular brush would leave fewer swirls. What I have done looks pretty much like what I have seen on this site. I did pick up a regular brush at HF today and also a face screen to use along with the safety glasses. I will let you know the differences I encounter.
They had a “Hercules” grinder for $34.99 coupon special. I didn’t buy but it did look and feel a lot more substantial than the cheap one I bought there. They recently came out with a Hercules sliding miter saw that isn’t at all cheap but at least to me looks really top drawer. I mention not because I want or need that but to highlight that I think HF is trying to add some higher quality stuff that gives the name brands (from the same assembly lines?) something to worry about.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Jon, glad I could help Dave chimed in on this also.
Trust me in drilling metal wanting a nice smooth edge you will get that 9 bucks backs in spades especially with the amount of grills you are doing.
Brian
Trust me in drilling metal wanting a nice smooth edge you will get that 9 bucks backs in spades especially with the amount of grills you are doing.
Brian
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Jon, I looked at the Dewalt and Milwaukee 4" angle grinders and they were only $59. I think that is a pretty good price. If my current ones die, I may just go with one of them. But, a guy can buy six of those $10 HF ones for the same price. I was in Menards today and saw some they had on sale for $10.99. They looked basically identical to the HF $10 ones, except for slight differences like color.
But, I will probably pick up one of those Multi-Drill bits from HF next time I am there. I know they put them on sale a lot as well.
But, I will probably pick up one of those Multi-Drill bits from HF next time I am there. I know they put them on sale a lot as well.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
!
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Harbor Freight wire cup
Bruce,
Your question about the braided DeWalt wire brushes I bought being possibly too harsh got me to try out a regular wire brush from Harbor Freight. Wow! What a difference! Definitely makes general cleanup easier and does make less deep swirl marks. It worked great on the pitiful Q200 I am currently rehabbing:
It also worked really well on a couple sets of Genesis end caps:
However, when I tried it on a Genesis 13-bar firebox, it did fine for the lowest areas but the years of hard burned-on soot and grease were more than it could overcome. For this, the braided wired brush was the answer:
My observation is that there is a place for both types of brushes, but the regular type is much better for most applications. I don’t know if a more expensive brand regular brush would do even better. I originally bought the DeWalt braided one because it was rated high for not throwing splinters. I decided to upgrade to double eye protection to compensate, and it seemed to work just fine.
Bruce,
Your question about the braided DeWalt wire brushes I bought being possibly too harsh got me to try out a regular wire brush from Harbor Freight. Wow! What a difference! Definitely makes general cleanup easier and does make less deep swirl marks. It worked great on the pitiful Q200 I am currently rehabbing:
It also worked really well on a couple sets of Genesis end caps:
However, when I tried it on a Genesis 13-bar firebox, it did fine for the lowest areas but the years of hard burned-on soot and grease were more than it could overcome. For this, the braided wired brush was the answer:
My observation is that there is a place for both types of brushes, but the regular type is much better for most applications. I don’t know if a more expensive brand regular brush would do even better. I originally bought the DeWalt braided one because it was rated high for not throwing splinters. I decided to upgrade to double eye protection to compensate, and it seemed to work just fine.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Jon, I have found that if there is actual grease in the firebox, it is indeed tough to get out. The burnt on dry stuff is easy. If I thought about it, I would fire the grills up before I start the rehab and let them go a good half hour at least on high and maybe even put some aluminum foil over the cooking grates to raise the firebox temps to burn off all that gooey liquid grease. Gotta worry about warping the firebox though.
