Busting Surface Frame Rust With a Die Grinder

[Peter S]

Trying to knock Montana road dirt and loose rust powder and flakes off my stepdown Hudson's frame before undercoating with POR 15 or Zero Rust. Problem is that there are plenty of small spots that I can't hit with a wire wheel in my drill.

Dremel-style wire brushes shoot wires like a porcupine firing quills, and, even with a light touch at low rpm, they have a life expectancy of about 2 minutes.
I about an electric die grinder with a flexible shaft that accepts 1/4 inch collet wire brushes. has anybody out there tried this?

IF so, is it true that the 1/4 inch collet wire brushes are more substantial than the 1/8 inch Dremel junk?

Are there any brands that stand out? Harbor Freight has a $49 unit with a flex shaft and foot pedal, but it has just a 5/32 chuck.

Peter S.

Peter S.

 

[A_Pmech]

Yes, the 1/4" stub wire brushes tend to be much better.

However, not all of them are rated for die grinder speeds! Some of them are designed for hand drills and will only tolerate 4000 RPM or so.

 

[b-body-bob]

However, not all of them are rated for die grinder speeds! Some of them are designed for hand drills and will only tolerate 4000 RPM or so.

I've stuck wire wheels in my die grinder, and you can see them grow as they spin up. If you head down that road, be sure to regulate the air pressure to limit the speed.

 

[shanker]

have you thought about a Nylon brush cup? They work wonders and come in different grit equivalents... I've got an 80grit and 120grit

as long as you don't mash on them too hard or spin them against a hard edge, they work really well for cleaning off rust to prep for Por15 (that's exactly what I use them for)

 

[awdblazer]

needle scaler

 

[justanengineer]

If youve got at least a mid-sized compressor you could try a spot blaster, thats what Im getting ready to do to her Mustang. Ive had good success with it in the past, I just jack the car up as far as possible, put down a few tarps to catch/reuse the media, and wear a good quality mask and goggles.

 

[stratman977]

I used a blaster on the underside of the cab on my f250. It works well but its real crappy work. Ive done some nasty jobs before but this takes the cake.

You need two sets of eye protection, a cartridge respirator, and throw away ear plugs. Two sets of eye protection meaning chemical goggles and maybe a face shield. The blasting media collects around the glasses and creeps in so you get **** in your eyes anyway. The glasses will get foggy from being pelted also.

 

[RKSpeed]

needle scaler

Cheap at Harbor Freight

 

[dankicksass]

At Toyota, we used needle scalers to remove minor rust on trucks that weren't getting a new frame. Use serious hearing protection and a face shield.

 

[sparky7]

You need to put a wire cup with a 1/4 shank into a small right angle die grinder.

Makes sure that you are wearing eye protection and i do not mean safety glasses, safety goggles at the VERY least because those little wires like to fly off everywhere. I wear a full face 3m respirator when im grinding frames.

And please do not use POR15 it is absolute garbage. Use a two part epoxy primer, i like rustoleum coal tar epoxy if your brushing on. Funny thing is, the epoxy is actually cheaper than the POR15 even though it is two parts and a thinner.

I could go on and on about how bad por15 is but all i will say is that i just spent a month repainting the bottom of my BMW because the POR15 failed. And yes i used all of there stupid prepping products.s

 

[Peter S]

Ouch!

Even before I smoked my Dremel, I was pulling wire stubbs out of my hands.

Has anyone used Zero Rust as the first coat over pitted but clean metal?

Peter S.

 

[rbgearz]

Needle scaler.

 

[warweapon762]

needle scaler

THIS, these things rock for the kind of work you are doing! Work much much better and faster than wire brushes.

I used when I went to re-undercoat my vehicle with bedliner (filtered out the large rubber hunks with a strainer). Actually produces amazing results that is ultra-durable, easy to apply and was cheaper than POR-15 at the time.

 

[ZRX61]

Wait, you tried to remove the rust from a Hudson frame using a DREMEL? those things are like dental tools at best.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

If youve got at least a mid-sized compressor you could try a spot blaster, thats what Im getting ready to do to her Mustang. Ive had good success with it in the past, I just jack the car up as far as possible, put down a few tarps to catch/reuse the media, and wear a good quality mask and goggles.

I agree with this 10000%. This will work better than any other grinder, needle scaler etc. you can buy.

 

[Peter S]

Even when they're potential rust-buckets like Hudson stepdowns, Montana cars don't usually have serious corrosion, so I'm fortunate not to be repairing frame sections, floors, or rockers. My task is more clean-up, and I've been trying to think of alternatives to body-off, all-out blasting because I have limited workspace, plus a neighbor from hell with the ears of a symphony conductor.

The needle scaler sounds like it will be my first experiment. I'm hoping that I can maneuver it in some of the tighter clearances as it is 18 inches long, counting the needles...

Yeah, it was slow with the Dremel, which was smoking like a big stogie when it finally quit.

Peter S.