As with any other type of brush, the tips of the bristles should do
the work.=A0

Wire wheels may "shed" wires because the wires are not crimped or
bonded to the hub well enough. Cheap wire wheels are always a waste of
time and money.=A0

Wires may also break. Again, cheap wheels are not worth it. If you see
broken wires around the wheel hub, try working with a lighter touch.
The fatigue life of steel depends on the stress. Less bending = lower
stress and longer life. A simple example is to wiggle a paper clip back
and forth 1/16" vs. bending it through about 60 degrees until it
breaks. At 3600 rpm, that kind of experiment won't take very long to
give you an answer.


Another random note:=A0Some of the cheap wire wheels that appear to be
made with brass wire actually use brass-plated carbon steel wire.

Wire wheels are a metal finishing tool, not a cleaning tool. They can
save a lot of time and effort when removing rust, as long as you don't
mind a wire-brushed surface when you're finished.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 10/5/2012 1:58 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
>
> I've never used these much, but recently I put one on the gr1nd_r to 
> clean-up some big ill-treated Wetzler clamps that followed me home 
> from a rummage sale. They cleaned up nicely, and I've painted those 
> parts that needed it, and put them on the rack for when they're 
> needed. But today I was cleaning up down there - sweeping & etc., and 
> realized there was a fair bit of wire wheel on the floor - more than a 
> little. I've always known these things shed, and wear the requisite 
> safety gear, but I'm wondering if maybe the amount of shedding 
> indicates the wheel is past its due date, or if perhaps my technique 
> is bad ( nothing new there) and maybe I was pressing too hard on it. 
> Any thoughts?
>
> Don
Thanks to all who responded. I took the wheel off for a closer look. 
It's 6" X 3/4 & medium coarse, with no brand marks. I couldn't find a 
record of buying it, so it was in his shop when Dad died (late 80s). He 
usually got decent stuff. It was marked $17.50, so I'd say wasn't cheap. 
The sidewalls/hub are just shy of 1/8, so it's not lightweight either.  
I think my technique was at fault - running it too fast and bearing down 
too hard on the wheel, when I should have been using a coarser wheel. 
Any brands to recommend?

Safety glasses or impact shield whenever something's spinning quickly - 
goes almost without saying. Vice-grips for small stuff. And I wear a  
shop coat when I expect things to fly around a bit or get particularly 
grubby.

I see LV has a 6in brass wheel at a low price. 
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=65204&cat=1,43415,43439
Can anyone vouch for it?

Thanks again.
Don

-- 
"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without 
evidence." Christopher Hitchens, 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don (&GGs), I think somebody mentioned it, but I left it out:

1725 RPM !

It's way safer and works just as well as 3450.

I hate 3450 motors with a passion.

Cheers, Wes

On Oct 6, 2012, at 2:29 PM, Don Schwartz <dkschwar@t...> wrote:

>  I think my technique was at fault - running it too fast and
>  bearing down too hard on the wheel, when I should have been using
>  a coarser wheel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Far safer for both the tool and the user are the various grades of steel wool
and various types of wire brushes desinged for unmechanized use. Once you've
gone past the thin layer of grey or brown staining that's characteristic of old
steel, you've destroyed the tool's patina and no longer have what most think of
as an "original" surface. At that point, the number of potential buyers for the
piece diminishes. Of course, it's the owner's choice.

I think that as a class, older metallic braces are most prone to damage from
wire wheels, and that as a class, they have been the most abused. The relatively
small radius of their surfaces means the even the briefest contact with a
spinning wheel results in the "picked chicken" look. It's more work to use
hand-powered techniques, but the results are so worth it.

Then too, polished steel is a poor substitute for long-absent nickel plating.
So, if most of the plating is gone, get over it. There are shiny tools at the
hardware store.

Randy Roeder
Web site: oldtoolheaven.com
Repaint houses, not old tools.

----- Original Message -----
From: "WesG" <wesg@g...>
To: "Don Schwartz" <dkschwar@t...>
Cc: oldtools@r...
Sent: Saturday, October 6, 2012 3:04:07 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: Re: [OldTools] Question about wire wheels

Don (&GGs),
I think somebody mentioned it, but I left it out:

1725 RPM !

It's way safer and works just as well as 3450.

I hate 3450 motors with a passion.

Cheers,
Wes

On Oct 6, 2012, at 2:29 PM, Don Schwartz <dkschwar@t...> wrote:

>  I think my technique was at fault - running it too fast and bearing down too
hard on the wheel, when I should have been using a coarser wheel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "WesG" <wesg@g...>

Don (&GGs),
I think somebody mentioned it, but I left it out:

1725 RPM !

It's way safer and works just as well as 3450.

I hate 3450 motors with a passion.

Cheers,
Wes
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Wes,

No problem.  I have a GEM grinder and a Modern Mfg grinder.  No matter 
how hard I crank either one, I can't ever get close to 3450.

Sorry, just feeling like a smart ... this morning.  :-)

Frank Sronce (Fort Worth Armadillo Works) 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank, I did laugh out loud. My grinders are all powered by a college
cycling team that rides in shifts on a large treadmill that I built.
When they get tired, I just don't grind anything until they feel better.
Cheers, Wes

On Oct 7, 2012, at 12:54 PM, "Frank Sronce" <dilloworks@s...> wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "WesG" <wesg@g...>
>>> Don (&GGs),
> I think somebody mentioned it, but I left it out:
>> 1725 RPM ! It's way safer and works just as well as 3450. I hate 3450
>> motors with a passion. Cheers,
> Wes
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Wes, No problem. I have a GEM grinder and a Modern Mfg grinder. No
>> matter how hard I crank either one, I can't ever get close to 3450.
>> Sorry, just feeling like a smart ... this morning. :-) Frank Sronce
>> (Fort Worth Armadillo
Works)--------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----------

Hi Don, et al,

everything that all the other guys said, plus...

On 07/10/12 06:29, Don Schwartz wrote:
>
> Safety glasses or impact shield whenever something's spinning quickly 
> - goes almost without saying.

I strongly recommend a full-face shield, with brow guard, when using a 
wire wheel. I usually wear one for anything that spins fast. The one 
time recently that I wore safety glasses instead, I ended up with what 
felt like an extremely stiff and wiry hair on my forehead. Didn't feel a 
thing at the time, but when I went to wipe my brow, I sure as hell 
noticed it. It felt really odd. Inspection in the mirror revealed I now 
had a heavy-duty hair implant of the wire variety. No damage, but it was 
embedded hard enough it took a firm grip to get it out.

Fun times.

Cheers,
Philip.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Been buying brass wire wheels at Men@r..., where can a fella get a
better grade?



________________________________
 From: tomcap <pacmot@yahoo.com> To: "dkschwar@t..." <dkschwar@t...>;
 "oldtools@r..." <oldtools@r...> Sent: Saturday, October 6, 2012 3:03 PM
 Subject: [OldTools] Question about wire wheels

As with any other type of brush, the tips of the bristles should do
the work.=A0

Wire wheels may "shed" wires because the wires are not crimped or
bonded to the hub well enough. Cheap wire wheels are always a waste of
time and money.=A0

Wires may also break. Again, cheap wheels are not worth it. If you see
broken wires around the wheel hub, try working with a lighter touch.
The fatigue life of steel depends on the stress. Less bending = lower
stress and longer life. A simple example is to wiggle a paper clip back
and forth 1/16" vs. bending it through about 60 degrees until it
breaks. At 3600 rpm, that kind of experiment won't take very long to
give you an answer.


Another random note:=A0Some of the cheap wire wheels that appear to be
made with brass wire actually use brass-plated carbon steel wire.

Wire wheels are a metal finishing tool, not a cleaning tool. They can
save a lot of time and effort when removing rust, as long as you don't
mind a wire-brushed surface when you're finished.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.

To change your subscription options:
http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools

To read the FAQ: http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html

OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/

OldTools@r... http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I buy brass and steel wire wheels from Jules Borel

<http://julesborel.com/>

Take a look at p.66 of their catalog.  The online version is a bit 
awkward and the proces out of date but they are a good outfit and I have 
been very happy with my purchases.  If you use the search tool try wire 
brush.

Troy

On 10/8/2012 11:37 AM, mark ross wrote:
> Been buying brass wire wheels at Men@r..., where can a fella get a better
grade?
>
>   

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I 100% agree with Randy about wire wheels and collectable tools.

Wire wheels can be very useful for cleaning a rusty trawler, though.=A0

Tom


________________________________

Far safer for both the tool and the user are the various grades of steel
wool and various types of wire brushes desinged for unmechanized use.
Once you've gone past the thin layer of grey or brown staining that's
characteristic of old steel, you've destroyed the tool's patina and no
longer have what most think of as an "original" surface. At that point,
the number of potential buyers for the piece diminishes. Of course, it's
the owner's choice. I think that as a class, older metallic braces are
most prone to damage from wire wheels, and that as a class, they have
been the most abused. The relatively small radius of their surfaces
means the even the briefest contact with a spinning wheel results in the
"picked chicken" look. It's more work to use hand-powered techniques,
but the results are so worth it. Then too, polished steel is a poor
substitute for long-absent nickel plating. So, if most of the plating is
gone, get over it. There are shiny tools at the hardware store. Randy
Roeder Web site: oldtoolheaven.com Repaint houses, not old tools.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.mcmaster.com/

has a decent selection of hand and power brushes in various forms, shapes,
bristle materials and bristle diameters.

Tom

________________________________
 From: mark ross <mlro2s@y...>
To: tomcap <pacmot@y...>; "dkschwar@t..." <dkschwar@t...>; "oldtools@r..."
<oldtools@r...> 
Sent: Monday, October 8, 2012 8:37 AM
Subject: Re: [OldTools] Question about wire wheels
 

Been buying brass wire wheels at Men@r..., where can a fella get a better grade?
------------------------------------------------------------------------