Choose the Right Brush Wheel to Remove Weld Slag

The right brush wheel can remove weld slag. If you would like to improve your knowledge of the criteria used in picking the best wire brush wheel, read on.

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Most of the common welding techniques - shielded metal arc welding and flux-cored arc welding, to name just two - result in the creation of by-product known as weld slag. As the flux used to protect the base metal from oxidation melts, it mixes with the molten metal in the weld zone. As this mixture cools, the flux floats to the surfaces and hardens, leaving behind weld slag.

Although weld slag will not affect the resulting weld on a chemical level, most metal fabrications consider it an unwanted nuisance. It creates a rough, stubbly surface to the metal, while also making it harder for paint and other surface treatments to adhere to the metal. For these reasons, it is customary to remove slag once the weld area has cooled off entirely.

Workers accomplish slag removal using a variety of tools, from manual chipping hammers to the tool known as a powered brush wheel. These rotating wire brushes provide highly effective results in a fraction of the time it would take to remove slag manually. Yet a metal fabricator must be sure to choose the best possible brush head for a given welding job.

If you would like to improve your knowledge of the criteria used in picking the best wire brush wheel, read on. This article will outline two of the most important considerations to ensure proper slag removal.

Wire Diameter

The diameter of the wires on a wire brush will dictate how quickly and aggressively it removes weld slag. Generally speaking, the thicker the wires, the faster it will remove the slag. Yet fabricators must consider more than just speed. Because a wire brush wheel is a power tool, it can be easy to apply more friction than necessary to remove the slag.

In other words, welders must be careful not to damage or abrade the base metal. This will ultimately increase processing time, by requiring that the abrasions be carefully smoothed out. Therefore, the right balance must be struck between quickness and safety. Generally speaking, wires for slag removal and other forms of descaling will fall where between 0.008 inches and 0.028 inches in diameter.

Wire Style

Things get more complicated still when you consider the style of the wires that make up the brush. Virtually no wire brush wheels use straight wires. These would lack the necessary degree of stiffness, and would easily become bent in ways that reduced their effectiveness. Instead, two main styles of wire exist: crimped and twisted.

Crimped brushes feature wires that exhibit a zigzag pattern of bends along their length. Such crimping plays two main roles. First, it ensures that the wires remain adequately spaced out from one another. This allows workers to remove the maximum amount of slag with a minimum of effort while reducing the likelihood of missed areas of slag.

The crimping also increases the stiffness of the bristles, making them less likely to break as the result of fatigue. This stiffness becomes crucial when you consider the amounts of pressure and vibration to which a metal brush wheel is subjected. Those crimps also mean that, when wires do inevitably break, the break will be as clean as possible.

The other main wire style features wires that have been twisted together. Knotted wire brushes tend to have a much stiffer action than crimped brushes. This gives them an especially heavy action. Twisted wire brushes may be too punishing for more delicate welding tasks, yet when it comes to heavy-duty welding - and heavy duty slag - a twisted wire brush will produce the desired results in a fraction of the time.

An experienced welder possesses a wealth of knowledge about slag removal. If you would like to learn more about the factors that play into this decision-making process, please contact the welding pros at Schorr Metals Inc.

The brush is made from steel and is used for the purpose of cleaning, deburring, grinding, finishing, and polishing, etc. There are basically four types of wire brushes that have different uses based on the purpose of the users. If you are new to the use of wire brushes, let us help you to figure it all out. 

What is a wire brush used for?

Before selecting the right wire wheel, you must know the basic functions performed by them. A wire brush has numerous uses when it comes to abrasion, cleaning, and deburring. But the scope of wire wheels is not limited to the aforesaid three things. Here we have a list of functions that are performed by all kinds of wire wheels. 

Main Applications of wire wheels

:

• Roughening

• Deburring

• Edge-sharpening

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• Structuring

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  Descaling

• Paint-stripping

• Rust-removal

• Weld-seams

• Finishing

• Polishing

• Surface treatment

• Stock removal

These functions are performed by the wire wheels on various metals and wood as well. 

Selecting the Right Wire Brush

For selecting the right wire brush you need to have a proper understanding of the uses and types of the wire brush. Wire brushes help in cleaning the metal surfaces, removing paint and weld. These are amongst the few uses of the wire brushes. 

Made from carbon and stainless steel, these wire brushes have a strong build which enables them to last long. Wearing off of the brushes is not something that you need to worry about as the brushes are built for heavy use. These brushes are available in several sizes and shapes which help you in figuring out their appropriate usage. So, here we have explained everything that will help you in selecting the right wire brush for you.

Types of Wire Wheels:

• Crimped Wire Wheel

• Standard Twist Knot Wire Wheel

• Stringer Bead Wire Wheel

• Bench Grinder Wire Wheel

• Expansion Joint Cleaning Wire Wheel

Proper use of Wire Wheels

These kinds of wire wheels are specifically designed for the hard-to-reach areas on metals. The crimped wire wheel mounts easily on the angle grinder and works on even the smallest corners of the metal. The twist knot wire wheels are best for medium to heavy-duty cleaning of corrosion. 

The stringer bead wire wheel is more narrow and is used for cleaning in between the pipe welds. The perfect placement of each wire tuft gives optimal performance. The bench grinder wheel is designed to give superior abrasion and is able to remove rust, scale, paint, corrosion, etc. from metal tools.

Cup Brush Wire Wheels

Types of Cup Brush Wire Wheels:

• Crimped Cup Brush Wire Wheel

• Knotted Cup Brush Wire Wheel

How to use Cup Brush Wire Wheel

The carbon steel cup brushes are great when it comes to their use on ferrous metals, concrete, masonry, and building materials. The stainless steel wires are more resistant to oxidation which makes them ideal to be used on aluminum, stainless steel, and various non-ferrous alloys. 

For setting up or attaching electrical connections, a better conductive area is required which is provided by the cup brushes to induce cleaning of surfaces. The crimped brush is apt for light to medium-duty rust deburring, cleaning scale, and dirt. On the other hand, the knotted brush works best for deburring, stripping, preparing material surfaces prior to painting them. 

What wire wheel should I use?

The wire brushes give an outstanding output for your purpose of removing rust, slag, weld scale, blending edges, roughening for adhesion, and removing concrete waste. The tough wire ensures longevity while providing maximum productivity. The size and shape of the wheel brushes completely depend on the job at hand. Choose the appropriate wire wheel products from the widest range provided.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of twisted in wire brushes. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.