# Wire Wheels Have More Uses Than I Thought



## darkzero (Aug 21, 2020)

So I'll need to replace the blade cleaner brush on my bandsaw soon. It just uses a 2" wire wheel with a through hole. I do have a wire wheel like this that has a removable arbor but not sure where I got it. All the ones I've looked at locally have a crimped on 1/4" arbor as usual. My plan was to just drill the center to remove the arbor. But looking closer at them it looks like if I do that the crimp will get undone & the thing may just fall apart.

So I found these wire wheels on ebay that has a through hole & the exact size hole I need. $13 shipped for 10 of them but coming from China. 10 will last me more than a lifetime.

Anyways it seems they have more uses than I was aware of. They recommend to *"Please keep one in your car, office, and kitchen in case for need"*. Um ok, will do.


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## rwm (Aug 21, 2020)

I don't get it?




Robert


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## mmcmdl (Aug 21, 2020)

I use them mostly for removing perfectly good skin from my hands and arms on many projects , I guess I should keep a few hundred at the house . Oh , wait , I already have a few hundred at the house !  ( funny thing is , I was just talking about wire wheels to the 2 mechanics I just relieved )

Also . We use the brass wheels on our dies when cleaning them up . They shoot the darn wires out everywhere ! Can't tell you how many times they end up stuck in my shirt , then of course I tuck that shirt in and they end up stuck in the underwear .


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## Nogoingback (Aug 21, 2020)

rwm said:


> I don't get it?
> 
> Robert



I think it would make a good pot scrubber.


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 21, 2020)

Jaws uses his wire wheel to polish his grille!


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## Cadillac (Aug 21, 2020)

Good back scratcher


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## brino (Aug 21, 2020)

I was cleaning up after coming in from the shop last week. I washed my hands and then my face. 
I noticed one eye-brow hair that hurt my face to touch and was a little stiffer than the rest.........
.......yep a wire from the wire wheel.

I guess that's why I wear those safety glasses!

-brino


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## vocatexas (Aug 21, 2020)

Lots of things we use in our shops have multiple uses. A guy that used to work for me always said he didn't even go on a date without WD-40.


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## mmcmdl (Aug 21, 2020)

vocatexas said:


> Lots of things we use in our shops have multiple uses. A guy that used to work for me always said he didn't even go on a date without WD-40.



Well it IS made for rusty tools !


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## darkzero (Aug 22, 2020)

vocatexas said:


> A guy that used to work for me always said he didn't even go on a date without WD-40.


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## graham-xrf (Aug 22, 2020)

I use them, but I hate 'em. The eyes water and I wince, even now just remembering what I was doing to pull one of the wires out of my cheek. I was also once careless enough one to go into the garage barefoot, and took one slid into under my foot at a shallow angle, but the wire was curved and squiggled, and a right b*itch to remove.

For de-rusting, OK, they can take off the worst of the loose stuff, but they don't really clean down to bare metal in a nice way. It burnishes into a sort of black semi-shiny murk.


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## silverchips (Aug 22, 2020)

vocatexas said:


> Lots of things we use in our shops have multiple uses. A guy that used to work for me always said he didn't even go on a date without WD-40.



Obviously you never knew what WD-40 was originally used for, that guy at work did  Here's an old vintage advertisement. You should try it


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 24, 2020)

brino said:


> I was cleaning up after coming in from the shop last week. I washed my hands and then my face.
> I noticed one eye-brow hair that hurt my face to touch and was a little stiffer than the rest.........
> .......yep a wire from the wire wheel.
> 
> ...


i pulled a painful wire impalement from the inside of my right nostril, talk about bring a tear to the eye


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 24, 2020)

If wire wheels are so versatile, then why there isn't one on my swiss army knife?


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## middle.road (Aug 25, 2020)

Then the ones stuck in your clothes somehow make it into the washer and then. . .
Item #1 on To-Do List - repair washer pump.


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## Nogoingback (Aug 25, 2020)

I think some of you guys need to invest in a good face shield...


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## silverchips (Aug 25, 2020)

Nogoingback said:


> I think some of you guys need to invest in a good face shield...



Or buy only US or German made wheels to greatly reduce this issue or both.


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## Bi11Hudson (Aug 25, 2020)

Seems out of place and probably a little silly to you folks but, I use the cheapest Horrible Fright wire wheels and brushes I can find. I have a use for the small wire in short lengths on my models. Purchasing a wire wheel or brush, I pull the wires out and bend them to my needs. The wire is .010 to .012 and held very loosly. And soft enough to bend without breaking. So, there is a use for those cheap wire wheels. The big issue is to never spin one up.

.


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## pontiac428 (Aug 25, 2020)

(Sorry, no jokes) 


silverchips said:


> Or buy only US or German made wheels to greatly reduce this issue or both.


Just truth.  Before running any wire wheel, one must first check the side for the word "Bosch" stamped into the wheel.  If it says anything different, like Chicago Brush Factory Xiamen-Guangdong, throw it out and start over.


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## graham-xrf (Aug 25, 2020)

Is it that the steel wires in the "good" ones does not fatigue and break off so easily?
OR
Is it about the way the wires are secured in the centre?

I sometimes wonder what the value to function is of the cup type with sets of twisted tufts..
[OK, OK - I didn't know what else to call them!]


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 25, 2020)

graham-xrf said:


> I sometimes wonder what the value to function is of the cup type with sets of twisted tufts..


it is used when you wish to chase an angle grinder across a surface, spit large diameter wires at dangerous velocities, and make the operator and anything in the work zone nervous whilst doing so...
whaddya think they were for????


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## darkzero (Aug 29, 2020)

Wow, these things came quick! Ordered them 8 days ago. I don't think I've ever had a package come from China that quick shipped economy even before this pandemic. I totally didn't except that!


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 29, 2020)

darkzero said:


> Wow, these things came quick! Ordered them 8 days ago. I don't think I've ever had a package come from China that quick shipped economy even before this pandemic. I totally didn't except that!
> 
> View attachment 335249


Where did you order them fom Will?


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## darkzero (Aug 29, 2020)

Ken from ontario said:


> Where did you order them fom Will?



Ebay

Edit: Sorry Ken, here's the listing if that is what you were asking for.


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 29, 2020)

darkzero said:


> Ebay


I know you got them from eBay but needed to know the name of the seller who ships so fast,  , I think I found him (Seller: buonshopping).
I looked on Amazon for a decent quality wire wheel (1/4" arbor attached) found one but had to pay $16 for a single wheel.


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## darkzero (Aug 29, 2020)

Ken from ontario said:


> I know you got them from eBay but needed to know the name of the seller who ships so fast,  , I think I found him (Seller: buonshopping).



Haha, I figured that is what you were asking for.    I edited my post above. Yes, that is the seller.


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## darkzero (Aug 29, 2020)

Ken from ontario said:


> I know you got them from eBay but needed to know the *name of the seller who ships so fast*,  , I think I found him (Seller: buonshopping).



I'm wondering if it was just lucky timing kind of thing. Cause I ordered a pack of cheap inserts the same day from a different seller, it arrived today also.


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 29, 2020)

I also edited my post,(#25) paid $16 for one but it is not the same quality.





						Weiler Narrow Face Wire Wheel Conflex Brush, Round Shank, Steel, Crimped Wire, 2-1/2" Diameter, 0.014" Wire Diameter, 1/4" Shank, 3/4" Bristle Length, 3/8" Brush Face Width, 20000 RPM : Amazon.ca: Industrial & Scientific
					

Weiler Narrow Face Wire Wheel Conflex Brush, Round Shank, Steel, Crimped Wire, 2-1/2" Diameter, 0.014" Wire Diameter, 1/4" Shank, 3/4" Bristle Length, 3/8" Brush Face Width, 20000 RPM : Amazon.ca: Industrial & Scientific



					www.amazon.ca


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## darkzero (Aug 29, 2020)

Ah I see. Yeah I don't consider the ones I got to be good quality. I'll never know how they will work in a die grinder anyway, I'm only using them on my bandsaw. These are only rated for 4500 rpm as opposed to 20K rpm for the one you got. They'll never spin that fast on my bandsaw.


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 29, 2020)

It is a good idea to use them cheap ones for a bandsaw,
You got me thinking I should order a few for my bandsaw  , what's currently on my Kalamazoo right now  are two wire pads that are about 20 years old they are being sold for about $40 for a pair.


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## darkzero (Aug 29, 2020)

Oh man, $40 for the pair!    Yeah cheap ones will be fine for this. I was too cheap to buy a $5 one locally. Grizzly sells them as replacement parts for like $3 or something but would be another $10 for shipping, tax, & their stupid CA surcharge fee. The original one on my band saw would still work fine since the bracket is adjustable. But even if I change them every 8-10 yrs these ones I got should last me a lifetime.


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