Nylon fiber deburring wheel: cheap & works well

Maybe it's due to supply chain issues, but where I live the 3M Scotch Brite silicon carbide deburring wheels are super expensive now ($230 each), so I decided to try one of the cheap nylon fiber polishing wheels that are available on Amazon.

I bought a random 320-grit nylon wheel for my 8" bench grinder for $18 and I am quite pleased with the results.

I haven't used a silicon carbide wheel before so I can't compare them, but at less than 1/10th the price, the "nylon" nicely deburrs and polishes both aluminum and steel, and compared to doing it by hand, the wheel is much faster and leaves a nicer surface. 

Anyway, I thought I'd post this here in case anyone else is in the same situation.

Views: 363

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Lauer on July 17, 2022 at 3:35pm

is this what you bought?

https://smile.amazon.com/Diameter×1-Polishing-Grinding-Abrasive-Gritx18mm/dp/B07VMKB629/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2DFZX4AL92DRF&keywords=320-grit%2Bnylon%2Bwheel%2B8%22&qid=1658090038&sprefix=320-grit%2Bnylon%2Bwheel%2B8%2B%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-2&th=1

Permalink Reply by Matt Pope on July 17, 2022 at 10:42pm

Yep, that's the one. 

Permalink Reply by Dan Hill on July 17, 2022 at 7:31pm

The prefered product for deburring is silicone oxide, also for scotch brite pads it is best to stay with a known brand such as 3M as some of the other cheaper alternatives have iron oxide which will also contaminate the aluminum and cause corrosion.

Permalink Reply by Matt Pope on July 17, 2022 at 10:42pm

I could be missing something - if so, please tell me - but I'm not too concerned about a microscopic amount of iron oxide on the aluminum parts. To oxidize aluminum with iron oxide, you need more iron oxide than aluminum (like three times as much). The reaction stops as soon as one of the reagents is used up, so if there's only a microscopic amount of iron oxide available, I can't imagine it causing a detectable amount of corrosion, especially since the aluminum will naturally form a layer of aluminum oxide on its surface even if there's no iron oxide there. 

If in doubt, you could avoid the red deburring wheels, but we use ferrous tools for everything else and they don't seem to cause problems.

Permalink Reply by Dan Hill on July 18, 2022 at 7:51am

Just offering the standard known, recommended practices for building our experimental aircraft, everyone is free to do as they wish.

RSS

New from Zenith:

Zenith Planes For Sale 
  

Classified listing for buying or selling your Zenith building or flying related stuff...

Custom Instrument Panels
for your Zenith:

Custom instrument panels are now available directly from Zenith Aircraft Company exclusively for Zenith builders and owners. Pre-cut panel, Dynon and Garmin avionics, and more.

Zenith Homecoming Tee:

Zenair Floats

Flying On Your Own Wings:
 A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design, by Chris Heintz

Builder & Pilot Supplies:

Aircraft Insurance:

 
 

West Coast USA:

 
Pro Builder Assistance:

 

Transition training:

Lavion Aero

K&S Aviation Services

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty for all your building and pilot supplies!

How to videos from HomebuiltHELP.com

Developed specifically for Zenith builders (by a builder) these videos on DVD are a great help in building your own kit plane by providing practical hands-on construction information. Visit HomebuiltHelp.com for the latest DVD titles.

© 2024   Created by Zenith.Aero.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service