Convolute deburring wheels?

[MushCreek]

My old Scotchbright convolute deburring wheel finally disintegrated the other day. I like to use them for cleaning up parts. It was a standard 6" X 1" on my old Baldor grinder. The question is- Which one to get? Name brands such as Norton are very, very expensive, often well over $100. I found some cheap ones on Amazon as cheap as $10. Yeah, I know you get what you pay for, but this is in a home shop, and will be used a couple times a year. I'm at a loss, though, as far as what abrasive, grit, hardness, etc. My old one has no visible markings left on it, so no help there. Any thoughts on what to get for cleaning and polishing small parts? When my fell apart, I was cleaning surface rust and staining off of steel bandsaw components.

 

[cvairwerks]

A decent one is going to cost you between 50$ and 100$. I just run the little 2" pads and 3" wheels on a die grinder instead.

 

[MushCreek]

I have the little pads, but I like having one on my 6" grinder for certain things. Too hard to hold a small part and a die grinder.

 

[seber]

I had a Norton on mine for a while. One day it just came apart. I now use a fine wire wheel for the same purpose.

 

[RMERR]

Good luck as you venture down the rabbit hole of deburring wheels. I did the same thing a while back putting two deburring wheels on a baldor, a 1" and 1/2" X 8" wheels. The variations of brands, densities, grits available, all depending on expected use and purpose will drive you crazy. I ended up with 3M EXL with 8S density fine grit on the 1/2" and 3M EXL PRO 9S fine on the one inch, about $75-85 each. I purposely got one #8 and one #9 just to see the difference. My primary need was edge deburring and they have both worked well for that. For cleaning and graining/polishing I wouldn't go over a #8 density, the #9 is probably a bit hard for that, though great for quick deburring. I was tempted with the cheaper wheels, but went with the 3M for hoped for longevity. I suspect that with light and very occasional use the cheaper wheels might be just fine. On the bright side you're not out much if the grit or density isn't what you want and want to try a different one.

 

[Rabid Badger]

Another vote for wire wheel deburring.

 

[MushCreek]

I have a wire wheel, but it's not the same.

 

[snapmom]

Scotch Brite EXL-2S-FIN 6x1/2