Cleaning old nuts and bolts....Who makes a quality wire wheel ??

Kern Dog · Mar 26, 2020

I'm going through buckets of old factory nuts, bolts and screws and cleaning them up.
I like having clean bolts at hand when working on my cars.
I have used a few different brands of 6" and 8" wire wheels on my 8" bench grinder and none of them have stood out as being any better than the other. I did buy one from a NAPA store that flew apart in a few minutes, sending wire clumps everywhere...
I've bought No-Name wheels from Hazard Fraught, O'Rielleys, NAPA and even Ace hardware.
I'm okay with spending a few bucks for better quality. Having wires fly out and stick in my shirt and pants isn't fun!
Anyone have a suggestion ?

Photon440 · Mar 26, 2020

I've had no problem with Walter brand wire wheels. Take a look on Amazon.

1 Wild R/T · Mar 26, 2020

I've been throwing nuts & bolts in my ultrasonic cleaner... It won't remove rust but it does great on just about everything else...

And no loss of finger flesh... Not to mention the bolts get clean while I do something else..

I have trim clips for my Coronet convertible that still have the sealant on them, the sealant was black from dirt & grime... Ten minutes in the tank the sealant is white/light gray again....

Aarons Air · Mar 26, 2020

I soak mine in vinegar before hittin 'em with a wire wheel, or wire brush.

dsd1967 · Mar 26, 2020

I’ve found chucking the thread in a drill is a good way to wire wheel the bolt heads and captive washers. Chuck it up and spin it.

The threads still are finger buffers and bolt throwers. Haven’t found a good way to hold them by the head other than fingers or pliers.

dsd1967 · Mar 26, 2020

To bead blast them in a cabinet I drill holes in a 5 gallon bucket lid just smaller than the thread and force the bolts in. You can get 20 to 30 at a time. Blast top and bottom, slide a little deeper and get the portion that was stuck in the plastic and you’re done.

Woodruff Carbs · Mar 26, 2020

Straight muratic acid for a few hours, then dump them in another container cover in baking soda and enough clean water to cover for 30 minutes or so. Rinse them a few times, dry and primer.

snakeyes · Mar 26, 2020

I got one of these new in the box the large one and bought a couple of extra canister for the different media at a garage sale real cheap and it had the different media`s with it and just got another one free new in the box from a friend its the smaller one they are pretty good https://www.eastwood.com/1-4-inch-g...etR5vMx4efIUZ1Z7o4KikxzfxLe64gjkaAoSpEALw_wcB

WP29440SE · Mar 26, 2020

I like a good wire wheel mainly because I can clean the crap out of the bolt thread

Kern Dog · Mar 26, 2020

dsd1967 said:
I’ve found chucking the thread in a drill is a good way to wire wheel the bolt heads and captive washers. Chuck it up and spin it.

The threads still are finger buffers and bolt throwers. Haven’t found a good way to hold them by the head other than fingers or pliers.

I use vice grips to hold the hardware. I started wearing gloves to protect my fingers from the wheel.

threewood · Mar 26, 2020

Evaporust or WD-40. This crap works wonders! I've used them both and was impressed.

Aarons Air · Mar 26, 2020

Kern Dog said:
I use vice grips to hold the hardware. I started wearing gloves to protect my fingers from the wheel.

After they've soaked for about a day in vinegar, unless they're really bad, i can usually just use a tooth brush.

khryslerkid · Mar 26, 2020

I can't remember where I bought this one but it's over 20 years old. Weiler, made in USA. It's a very fine wire. Look at my build thread and you can imagine how many bolts and nuts I cleaned up. A fine wire will clean and polish. Seems to last longer than a course wire wheel will.

Kern Dog · Mar 26, 2020

Most of the stuff I have is just cruddy with oil and dirt. They clean up well. Not much of my stuff is rusty unless it has been sitting in water. I have a gallon of that Evaporust...For the time it takes to work, I can clean a hundred bolts with the wire wheel !

khryslerkid · Mar 26, 2020

I have a couple of buckets of loose hardware I should clean. I might try the Evaporust. Too many to fool with using the wire wheel.

Here's a neat idea for your blasting cabinet.

threewood · Mar 26, 2020

Kern Dog said:
Most of the stuff I have is just cruddy with oil and dirt. They clean up well. Not much of my stuff is rusty unless it has been sitting in water. I have a gallon of that Evaporust...For the time it takes to work, I can clean a hundred bolts with the wire wheel !

With cruddy bolts and parts I use a mix of turpentine and automatic transmission fluid. Cuts through the grease.

WileERobby · Mar 26, 2020

I don't know, cleaning your nuts with a wire wheel ? That's rough....

Cornpatch MO · Mar 26, 2020

Best wire wheel I have found and lasts a long time , is the ones with a lot of twisted wires - little bundles. And they don't seem to break off little pieces, just gradually wear down... I wire brush the bolt heads first, than clamp a vise grip on the head and then do the threads...Never throw bolts or grind off skin that way...............MO

Kern Dog · Mar 27, 2020

That is the same way that I do it !

myk r sanchez · Mar 27, 2020

How long does it take for the freshly cleaned hardware to start rusting again? Do you guys paint these items after using them?

Cleaning old nuts and bolts....Who makes a quality wire wheel ??

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

FBBO Gold Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

FBBO Vendor

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

FBBO Gold Member

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

FBBO Gold Member

FBBO Gold Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

Well-Known Member

Similar threads