Wire Wheel / Cup Brush Suggestions

[John-NY]

I’ve been using a DeWalt wire cup brush on my angle grinder for cleaning stainless steel parts.

It has worked well but now feels like it’s absorbed so much Flavorizer Bar gunk into the bristles that it’s becoming harder and harder to use to bring things back to the shine I’m looking to achieve.

I’m also constantly picking dislodged wire bristles out of my sweatshirt and jeans.

I guess I have a couple questions.

How do you know when a wire wheel is ready to be replaced? Is there a way to clean the discolored junk out of the bristles?

Is there a gold standard wire wheel or cup brush attachment anyone can recommend? The Home Depot offerings have less than ideal reviews.

 

[JKalchik]

Whatever wheel (grinding, sanding, wire, etc.) you buy, make sure that it's designed & rated for the speed of your grinder. Please don't try a wire cup for a drill on an angle grinder.

Replace the wire cup when it's clogged up, losing wires, or is just plain no longer effective. Not sure what brand I'd buy for wire wheels, for grinding & sanding, I'll spend the money on Pferd-USA, every time. Try a welding shop, you'll spend more than HD, but you're more likely to get a quality product.

Aside from soaking in a solvent, I don't know how I'd clean a wire wheel.

 

[Bruce]

I go through several of these a year. They are inexpensive and maybe not as high quality as the Dewalt, but not bad either. For the price, they are a definite value. When they start wearing out and throwing a lot of wires, and being less effective, it is time to throw them out. You will instantly notice the difference when you put a new one on your angle grinder. Since they are a lot less expensive, you don't have to feel like you need to milk every single rotation out of them.

4 in. Crimped Wire Cup Brush

Amazing deals on this 4In Crimped Wire Cup Brush at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[John-NY]

I go through several of these a year. They are inexpensive and maybe not as high quality as the Dewalt, but not bad either. For the price, they are a definite value. When they start wearing out and throwing a lot of wires, and being less effective, it is time to throw them out. You will instantly notice the difference when you put a new one on your angle grinder. Since they are a lot less expensive, you don't have to feel like you need to milk every single rotation out of them.

4 in. Crimped Wire Cup Brush

Amazing deals on this 4In Crimped Wire Cup Brush at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Thanks. I also remember this advice from you about the braided ones:

That braided wire brush is a no no. It will permanently scar the aluminum. The other one might work, but probably be tough in tight areas. I would be surprised if it would work better than the wire cup brush.

My question here is, would they be ok for Stainless Steel parts like the Flavorizer Bars though?

 

[Bruce]

Harbor freight sells the braided ones as well. I would be hesitant to use them on flavorizer bars as they are very aggressive and used flavorizer bars might not like them too well. You could try one though. THey are little more expensive, but will likely last longer.

3 in. Twisted Wire Cup Brush

Amazing deals on this 3In Twisted Wire Cup Brush at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[John-NY]

Harbor freight sells the braided ones as well. I would be hesitant to use them on flavorizer bars as they are very aggressive and used flavorizer bars might not like them too well. You could try one though. THey are little more expensive, but will likely last longer.

3 in. Twisted Wire Cup Brush

Amazing deals on this 3In Twisted Wire Cup Brush at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Thanks! I just remembered I have a bunch of flap discs, I might as well give those a try too.

 

[Bruce]

John, let me know how they work.

 

[LeeHarvey]

Thanks! I just remembered I have a bunch of flap discs, I might as well give those a try too.

Flap discs will go through steel without a lot of effort. I wouldn’t put one near a grill.

 

[Steve Hoch]

I bought this set and have been pretty happy with it. I've used it on a few projects already, including cleaning up my flavorizer bars. They are for a drill, but I also have some for my angle grinder. Brass wire brushes work well on things that you don't want to be too aggressive with and don't want to end up with scratches in.

 

[Jon Tofte]

I am hardly an expert. Really an accountant who is still learning about tools as I have gotten into this hobby. Back before finding TVWBB I didn’t even know what a grindier jr cup brush really were or how to use them!

I don’t think it is very practical to clean cup brushes. They definitely get gunned up if you use them on the inside of fireboxes coated with burnt in grease and carbon. One used that way is not likely to then give you bright stainless parts.

So, for grill restoration, I think the cheap Harbor Freight cup brushes are the way to go. They don’t coupon as much as they used to, but you can still get deals now and then on smaller stuff like these brushes. Junk them when they get too gunned up or the bristles get short. Keep a couple for things that you want to shine and that are not covered with grease. I would rather change out inexpensive ones more often then use high quality ones for longer periods.

It is probably true that a top quality cup brush will throw less bristles than a HF special, but having them shot at you still goes with the territory. By all means, wear stuff to protect your eyes, lungs, hands and body. I finally broke down and went for a full face mask respirator. Ear protection is important, too.

 

[Jon Tofte]

GLOVES I LOVE FOR GRINDING

I bought these MIG welding gloves from Harbor Freight to use for grinding based on a YouTube review. I think they are one of HF’s best products. I like that they balance protection with flexibility and seem to hold up well. I can’t say the same about some of HF’s other cheap work gloves, but these are in a whole different class in my opinion.

Professional MIG Welding Gloves, X-Large

Amazing deals on this Mig Welding Gloves, X-Large at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[John-NY]

Yea that’s good advice. I bought a face shield for my lathe and the first time I went to use my angle grinder I thought it would be a good idea to wear it. After I started picking metal bristles out of my clothes I’m sure glad I did.

 

[John-NY]

John, let me know how they work.

Before and after with 120 grit flap disc.
I started with 40 grit and it was too aggressive.

It took only about a minute to do one side which is 10x faster than the cup wheel. Although, like I said, that probably is time to be replaced. But since the flap disc wears itself away rather than gets gummed up I could see it lasting longer.

 

[Bruce]

It looks like that did a great job. As long as it didn't remove good metal from the flavorizer bar, it looks like a winner. However, there is no real benefit functionally to cleaning them up that good. They will get coated back up in no time with use.

 

[John-NY]

It looks like that did a great job. As long as it didn't remove good metal from the flavorizer bar, it looks like a winner. However, there is no real benefit functionally to cleaning them up that good. They will get coated back up in no time with use.

Definitely. I just want to make my listings look more appealing.

 

[Bruce]

John, for a flip, that is a great idea. I typically don't re-use flavorizer bars for flips as they still look "used" when done wire wheeling them, but that flap disk idea seems to clean them up much better.

 

[LeeHarvey]

@John-NY Just to be clear - you’re talking about a sanding wheel like this, yes?



When I said up above that I wouldn’t get a flap disc near my grill, I was talking about one of these:
Back when I worked in truck frames, these were what the rework shop used for cutting apart welded components.

 

[John-NY]

@John-NY Just to be clear - you’re talking about a sanding wheel like this, yes?

View attachment 60122

When I said up above that I wouldn’t get a flap disc near my grill, I was talking about one of these:View attachment 60123
Back when I worked in truck frames, these were what the rework shop used for cutting apart welded components.

Yea, that bottom one is what I’m using.
You’re saying I could cut through steel with it??

 

[LeeHarvey]

Yea, that bottom one is what I’m using.
You’re saying I could cut through steel with it??

Yep. Aluminum oxide is some incredibly hard stuff. A lot of stainless is substantially tougher than plain carbon steel, so I can see how you’re getting good results on the Flavorizer bars. Just be careful around other components with it.

 

[John-NY]

Yep. Aluminum oxide is some incredibly hard stuff. A lot of stainless is substantially tougher than plain carbon steel, so I can see how you’re getting good results on the Flavorizer bars. Just be careful around other components with it.

So wait, those flap discs are not made out of sandpaper? They are made out of aluminum?