[TheForge] Home-made grinders and wire brushes

[Jerry Frost]

The SS wire wheels are less prone to breaking wires because the SS they use 
is more resilient and less subject to work hardening. They still fail of 
course and they're not so aggressive as C steel but they still shoot lil 
harpoons.

Jer
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Mudge" <dave at magichammer.net>
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 6:30 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Home-made grinders and wire brushes


James, I have a similar rig with a 3450rpm pump motor rigged on a pedestal.
Very effective and very dangerous. I have learned one secret however.
Buy a 6" or 7" stainless steel wire wheel made for a hand held grinder from
your local welding supply store. The ss wheel will not rust. The carbon 
steel
wire wheels tend to rust and the wires break off easily. The ss wires stay 
on
the wheel much, much longer. They will break, but nowhere near as much
as the carbon steel wires. If you have a friend with a lathe or know a
reasonable
machine shop, have them make an adapter for you. One end fits the shaft
of the motor. The other end has 5/8" x 11 threads. Buy the wheels with the
threaded hubs.
You can use the ss wire wheels and sanding wheels (flapper wheels) and
even the regular grinding wheels on your motor. Obviously you must
exercise extreme caution when doing any of this.
dave m