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Which Scotch-brite deburring wheel?

hk1232

Member
What's the consensus on the best 3M Scotch-Brite deburring wheel for a bench grinder?

Aircraft Spruce has 3 different grades,
  • 7A Deburring Wheel - Medium Grade (Harder) - 1/2" thru hole
  • 7S Deburring Wheel - Fine Grade (Softer) - 1" thru hole
  • 9S Deburring Wheel - Fine Grade (Softer) - 1" thru hole
 
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You will end up using all of them

I prefer to use the fine [blue colored on the 2" and 3" Roloc discs]. That said, I have all the varieties and I've found that you will use them all. The more coarse wheels and discs get used on heavier stock [3/32" to 1/4" thick plate and angle] If you are just starting out, best to use the softer abrasives, till you get a handle on using them. With coarser wheels, it to easy to remove material. You don't want that. You simply want to remove the burrs and smooth the edges.
 
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Just me

I set up my bench grinder to use a scotch brite wheel for de burring.
but I never use it for several reasons. First, it throws debris everywhere in the shop; just makes a big mess Lastly, I find just 220 grit on a sanding block does just fine. JMHO.
 
I think you have to try them and find what works best for you. They are such incredible time savers spending a few bucks to dial it in is worth it. I have a soft one one arbor and a harder one on the other.
 
Major time saver

Invest in a few straight and 90 degree die grinders from Harbor Freight [or similar]. Mount your most used mandrels into each die grinder. it saves a LOT of time when you don't have to keep switching out the mandrels in your one tool.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-tools/air-grinders-sanders-polishers/die-grinders/1-4-quarter-inch-rear-exhaust-air-die-grinder-52847.html

I use 2 of the above for the 1/2" and 1" round wheels

I use 2 of the 90 degree die grinders below for 2" and 3" Roloc discs.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-front-exhaust-air-angle-die-grinder-52848.html

2" Roloc Mandrel. I use this for about 85% of deburring.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-disc-holder-with-14-in-shank-69797.html
 
This tool is sold at auto parts stores. It's original use is to clean the old gasket material from hard to reach areas, like the thermostat housing surface on Mopar small block engines. Super handy for quickly de-burring rivet holes on flanges. Alternately, you can simply make an extended axle for the Roloc mandrel linked in my last post. Slide a length of aluminum tubing over the axle, so that you can grasp the tube to control the disc. Works best with the 3" Roloc discs.

Deburring-w-extended-shaft-Scotch-Brite-disc-2.jpg
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Both

I have the 7A and 7S, one on each end of a HF buffer. The 7A will cut down dimensions and bandsaw marks rapidly, the 7S will polish and deburr without dimension changes unless you lean on it. I've had them for 10 yrs. The 7S would be the best compromise.

This was softly suggested by Bob Avery and it was well worth it. My 7S has a 1/2 insert.
 
Lower cost option

I use this one, a 3M 64900. It's the more economically priced wheel, and as near as I can tell does the same job; on some fractional level, it's a slightly rougher burr. I got about the same life as my last one, which was the 3M CP-7AM (which is the one Van's sells).

3M deburring wheel
 
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I setup a deburring "station" with two harbor freight bench grinders, each of which protrudes through a 6 inch cutout in a table top. One fine and one medium wheel make pretty quick work of most deburring needs. The wheels are offset so that they wear evenly across the face. One side is perpendicular the the wheel, and the other is offset 30 degrees.

Also, for the budget minded ..... Haas deburring wheels come in at about 25% the cost of others. They sell a 6" #8 wheel for about $25. I found these about a month ago, and figured the quality couldn't be that good for that price - so I ordered one to test out. They are great. Work every bit as well as the 3M, and seem to hold up just as well so far. They sell them in Silicone Carbide and Aluminum Oxide, so make sure to opt for the Aluminum Oxide if you purchase from them. Hard to beat their price.

https://www.haascnc.com/haas-tooling/tooling_accessories/deburr_wheels/06-0301.html
 

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Bench Grinder

I'm on my 3rd ScotchBrite 1X1X6" Fine -7A but they are hard to find.

Scotch-Brite™ EXL Deburring Wheel 8S are easier to find, but won't last as long.
 
Why prefer aluminum oxide over silicon carbide?

Haas deburring wheels come in at about 25% the cost of others. They sell a 6" #8 wheel for about $25. I found these about a month ago, and figured the quality couldn't be that good for that price - so I ordered one to test out. They are great. Work every bit as well as the 3M, and seem to hold up just as well so far. They sell them in Silicone Carbide and Aluminum Oxide, so make sure to opt for the Aluminum Oxide if you purchase from them.

Why? Can you point to a technical article that says silicon carbide causes corrosion, or another negative about using silicon carbide abrasives on aluminum?

According to this article, both abrasives are OK, and are sometimes used in combination. The article also says silicon carbide adhesives wear down faster, so maybe that's why you prefer aluminum oxide.
 
Deburring wheel......

I set up my bench grinder to use a scotch brite wheel for de burring.
but I never use it for several reasons. First, it throws debris everywhere in the shop; just makes a big mess Lastly, I find just 220 grit on a sanding block does just fine. JMHO.

Wow! I'm pretty sure my airplane would still be in the 'pile of aluminum' stage if I didn't have a Scotchbrite wheel! Mine is about half the size it started out as. It is quick and does a great job. Even with my airplane having nearly 1200 hours on her, it is a rare day that goes by I don't use the wheel on SOMEthing. If I have a large job to do, my ShopVac is set up nearby to catch all the flying debris. I also will use a facial mask for large jobs. 220 grit is fine but airplanes get LARGE when there is so much to finish........IMHO.....
 
Contrarian view: none of the above

I have one of the 3m wheels, and for me, it’s very easy to damage parts with it. The 1” and 2” wheels that go in a die grinder are much easier to control, work in more situations, and are just more nicer to use. If you have a dremel, a 500 wheel and 516 point are nice additions.
 
For folks just getting started working on aluminum airplane parts, and wondering what this Scotchbrite Wheel is all about, take a look at this video (go to the last couple of minutes) to see how we use it. Once you’ve seen it, its easy to do, and you’ll find that the wheel is a huge time-saver and its very easy to control what you’re doing.

https://www.kitplanes.com/metal-magic-deburring/

This video shows more of what we do with the wheel…

https://www.kitplanes.com/metal-magic-cutting-and-shaping-angle-aluminum/

I keep a new one on the left of my grinder, with straight face and sharp corners, and an old one that has been “worn round” on the right for better shaping.

Paul
 
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