Lately I have had wire wheel brushes fling wires all over the place when I’m cleaning off rusty parts. I usually buy the fine wire type. The wires end up in my clothing, my hair, my shoes and all over the garage. Every so often I drag a magnet around the floor and the entrance of my garage to pick up what’s fallen. Is this a problem other people are having? Is there a better quality wire wheel brush to be had? Or is this the state of the art these days.

I have had a lot of them from HF and home depot do the same thing lately so I pulled in to a shop when I saw a Snap-on truck, the guy driving loved the "T" and sold me a set I have not had a problem with. A little on the expensive side but you get what you pay for.

They make plastic impregnated wire wheels.
I have a 2" one that I clean gasket surfaces and rust off the threads of bolts before trying to loosen them. (I'm a technician in Ohio).
The impregnated ones last 20X longer and don't loose whole strands of wire.
Worth the extra money.

Go to an automotive machine shop supply Company for your wire brushes. They are a better quality also, and may also be a little better priced then Snap-on. It has been a while since I bought from Snap-on. Try Goodson, Silver Seal, or Regis supply Co. I use all these company's products on a daily basis.

Mark

I purchased a new medium and fine wheel for my machine about a year ago. I gulped when I saw the price for an American made wheel. It is easy to pay $30+ for one. I would never put up with a wheel that spits out wires and would of course never use one without eye protection in any event. I can recall only one wire coming out since I installed them about 1 year ago. Brand was Weiler if I recall, but am not certain. I am very pleased with their performance and have the boxes in the shop and can verify if you'd like

I go to a lot of estate sales and have been able to buy older, U.S. made wire wheels brand new in the package for a buck or two when I find them.

This happens allot with mine. I'm spinning them up to 20,000 rpm with an air tool. I just gave up on finding good ones and started buying in bulk off Amazon. I wear saftey glasses, respirator, and clothing that I know is going to get ruined.

I will admit this is my favorite part of restorations. Taking something nasty and cleaning it until it's beautiful. Rust, mud, toxic paint, I love it all.

I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone this, but sometimes we may get in a hurry or forget. Regardless of how high a quality wire wheel or abrasive wheel that you use, WEAR SAFETY GLASSES.

James and Terry, Amen. I always wear OSHA approved prescription safety glasses when using wire wheels or anything else than can fling debris into my face.

Thanks all. Never heard of the plastic embedded wire wheels. I’ll ask around. Oh ... I use a flip down face shield when I use the wire wheel or grinder.

I never knew until recently that a lot of the brass wire brushes you find are just brass plated steel. I was using one that looked brass but it would produce sparks on occasion and stick to a magnet. The packaging didn't say brass, but it didn't say steel either. That would be dangerous if you were using one around something flammable thinking it was brass, then it sparks and catches something on fire.

Yup, just did a "brass wire wheel" job a couple of weeks ago on a milk pail and ended up with steel wires in my shirt and shoes. First time I went to paint stripper instead.

A friend of mine who runs a steel shop was running a wire wheel and ONE bristle broke off...went up his nose and landed in his sinus cavity. He was knocked out like a punch from Mike Tyson.

I have had those wire wheels scuff my arm and grab my shirt and wind it up so ALWAYS wear eye protection. That needle will go faster than you can blink.

Tim Moore

Corey Walker, it didn't say brass or steel but I'll bet it said MADE IN CHINA

Mark,

I think Dave is talking about the 2” abrasive discs that go on die grinders and the like. I use them all the time! They also come in 3”. They cost about $1 each when bought in a pack. I have not used a wire wheel in decades! The abrasive wheel has been the “new” technology for a very long time! You can get the discs as abrasive wheels or sanding discs (wheels) with different grit. I keep 36 grit and 80 grit discs in stock and for finer finishing I finish up with an abrasive wheel. The abrasive wheels also come in 3 different grades as well; coarse, medium & fine. As Dave has said, they’re great for removing tough gasket material, rust & paint removal, etc.

Cheers,
Willis

You need to buy wire wheels or cups for your 4" grinder that use the knotted wire. The wires don't seem to fly out and impale you.

Willis, I have the "Rollock" plastic bristle discs, also.
I was talking about a wire wheel though, with plastic infused into the bristles, I got it from Snap On. I don't know how big they come, but I do use it on an air tool.
It works great for RTV sealer on a steel surface, not very flexible though.