How do you re-surface a Scotch-Brite Wheel?

I was carelessly polishing a piece of metal in the shop the other day. Fortunately it was not RV-related - just a bracket for a dramatic prop my daughter wanted for a play she is involved in. I let the piece slip and it went under the wheel where it jammed momentarily between wheel and bench before being shot at the wall behind the benchgrinder with spectacular force .

The problem is that it tore a small chunk out of my Scotch-Brite wheel, which now vibrates and is very unpleasant to work with.

Has anybody found a way of re-surfacing these wheels? Without actually trying it, I guess that the Scotch-Brite will instantly dull any sharp or abrasive surface that you present to it. However, it is a shame to just throw it away.

I used a dressing tool that came with my bench grinder.

I can tell you that a file does NOT work.

The scotchbright won and my file now has a nicely polished spot. I never liked that file anyway, that's why I tried that one.

I used a portable belt sander. Wear a good dust mask and eye protection, preferably a full face shield. It works well, but of course the dust is abrasive. I wasn't careful enough and it caused me some eye problems for a day.

A Dressing tool does work quite well, slow but works as Randy said. But, a file will also. Tke key is to use the "Corner" of the file, not the flat face. Go slow. Bob Avery has a recomendation on dressing the 3M wheel in his catalog.

Larry

Dressing Scotch brite

Hi Loman

In the shop we use a broken grinding wheel. Take a course wheel that you don?t much care for and break it in half or large parts. Use the jagged edges to dress the scotch brite.

I used the corner of the end of the file that normally goes into a file handle.

Hang on for dear life and ease it in and work it back and forth. Don't get too aggresive because it might grab and tear a chunk out of the wheel.

Hey troops, what is the difference between these wheels besides price? Anyone use both? Comments?

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/sa-benchgrinderdiscs.php

http://www.averytools.com/p-349-light-deburring-wheel--7s-fine-grade-softer.aspx

Those are two different products intended for different uses. The cheaper one is not a cut and polish wheel, more of a round pad.

The 3M 7A medium wheel is what most recommend.

Hi Loman,

The scotch bright wheels are made by 3M. If you search their website you will find instructions on how to dress the wheels. We use a tough 40 grit paper. You can even form the face into contoured shapes for special applications. You can also "sharpen" the wheel. It involves jamming a hunk of 2x4 wood into the wheel and heating both to the point of melting/burning. We use this when our wheels stop cutting aggressively. I've never needed it for the aluminum work needed to build an RV. It's more for finishing harder materials like steel. Good luck.

DaveB
RV6